Holiday Spirit

Food Network star Siba Mtongana shares her best recipes for minimizing the time you spend in the kitchen this December, helping you make space for family and friends and keep your cool no matter what

This year we’ll be

spending the holidays at my home in Cape Town with both sides of the family visiting often. Of course, this means a lot of people (because both Brian and I come from larger-than-life families). I’m really excited about spending time with everyone!

My idea behind hosting people this December is to make everything quick, simple, tasty and light so that we all have plenty of time together around the table. You can see this with my broccoli salad, where I’ve used a tahini dressing instead of a heavier mayonnaise, and the mixed baby potato salad with a chilli-anchovy dressing, which really packs a flavour punch.

For mains, I’ve turned to bongo chicken, which I discovered while researching regional African cooking for my TV show, Siba’s Bites. I’m fascinated by street food culture and chicken is a big dish across Africa – you see spatchcocked birds in markets across the continent. And when some of my Congolese friends recommended it, I knew I had to give this recipe a try – with a Sibalicious spin, of course! I reworked the formula a few times until I came up with the idea of first brining the chicken with a few different spices, which worked like a charm. This recipe is a welcome addition to any feast or special occasion because it’s so different, and a little more interesting than the traditional roast chicken. And it’s a great option for people who don’t eat pork or turkey.