By Chef Mpho Charles | Pic credits: Charles Russell, VISIGRAFI.
Celebrity chef Nthabiseng Ramaboa is a household name in Africa’s culinary industry. Chef Nti, as she’s affectionately known, chats to Xploreza’s resident chef, Mpho Charles, about her journey into the world of cuisine and her exciting plans for the future.
Where did it all begin for you?
Before I found my place in the culinary world, I was an entrepreneur in the fashion
industry and also ran a facilities management business. Like many ventures, things eventually fell apart and I had to start over.
I’ve realised I work best when I’m doing something I’m passionate about, and for me, that’s fashion and food. When it came time to begin again, I asked myself: what’s next? The answer was clear, cooking. I’ve loved cooking for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Soweto, it was one of our regular chores, and I was always happy to cook every time.
Your cooking is deeply rooted in heritage and nostalgia. How do your childhood
memories and upbringing influence the dishes you create today?
Cooking is part of my identity. I cook what I know, what I grew up eating.
I was raised by my mother and grandmother, both incredible cooks. We had a vegetable garden when my grandmother was still alive, with spinach and pumpkin growing wild.
When I cook, I honour where I come from and the food that shaped me. I have vivid memories of rainy mornings, being sent to the shop for magwinya, and the joy it brought to the house. We’d have comforting meals like chicken feet, chicken intestines, morogo, canned fish, amasi no phuthu – the kind of food that feels like a warm hug. Those childhood memories still influence the food I make today.
In 2014, I went to LA to xplore the industry and quickly realised that people connect with food rooted in truth. I made a promise to stay authentic. Yes, I’ve lived in Italy, and spent time in Turkey, and I’m inspired by Mediterranean cuisine, but it’s not who I am. I’m a girl from Soweto. I create dishes that reflect my heritage and where I’m grounded.
You’ve mastered the art of reinterpreting traditional South African dishes with a
contemporary twist. What’s your approach to balancing authenticity with
innovation in the kitchen?
When it comes to food, especially traditional heritage dishes, I believe in keeping things simple. South African food is clean and honest, and I like to honour that.
I play with techniques to enhance flavour, texture, and presentation, but I never want to lose the essence of our heritage.
My goal is to bring these dishes into the present, so we can still recognise and connect with them today. South Africa is a rainbow nation, and every province has its own way of cooking. We eat completely different things depending on where we are. I like to preserve that distinction, for history and storytelling.
What are your go to comfort dishes that celebrate both flavours and seasonal
ingredients?
I love a good, nourishing soup that is packed with beans, lentils, legumes, and butter beans. I always make sure to add some greens too. I’ve recently started focusing on anti-inflammatory meals and being more intentional about what I eat.
I still celebrate our food heritage, but I’m trying to use food for healing. I avoid meat where I can. I’m a flexitarian — I enjoy meat but I’m working towards a more plant-based lifestyle. When the weather’s grey and I’m craving something nostalgic, I make bone broth with cabbage, carrots, leftover lentils, and a sprinkle of black sesame seeds. I like making my own stock too, my homemade beef stock was the perfect base for that broth. In autumn, a warm, hearty soup really is the ultimate comfort.
If you had to choose one dish that holds the most sentimental value for you, what
would it be? And why is there a special moment in your life that it reminds you
of?
I’d say “sopo ya marapo” because it reminds me so much of my grandmother. I
remember coming home from school on rainy days, cold and soaking wet, and being welcomed by the smell of a delicious bone broth soup that would fill the house.
That soup always takes me back to her. Also her aubergine recipe was one of my favourites. She used to work as a domestic worker and she would prepare her aubergine like you would fish, coating it in flour and egg. It tasted just like a meaty dish, even though it was completely vegetarian.
Beyond your cookbook and television appearances, where can food lovers indulge in your signature creations?
I currently have a restaurant in Asokoro, Abuja, Nigeria, which opened in early 2024. I dream of reopening another restaurant in Johannesburg, after closing my previous one, The Taste Kitchen, in Maboneng during COVID-19 in 2021. I collaborate with various corporate brands, and they often follow my social media. I usually announce my upcoming activities in advance when I’m working.
Please share a recipe for one of your favourite dishes, along with the perfect wine or beverage pairing to complement it.
I recently worked on a campaign with Nederburg, where I did a pairing exercise. The
first dish is sorghum porridge with pureed pumpkin and Asian-flavoured short rib. It’s a comforting recipe, perfect for autumn and ideal for family meals or special guests. The second dish is a vegan cabbage steak on a bed of pureed butter beans with lentils. I paired both dishes with Nederburg wines, one white and one red.
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
On a bed of Lerotse Maize Rice Risotto
Paired with: Nederburg Baronne | 2021
Ingredients:
- 2kg bone-in, beef short ribs
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 3 tablespoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 celery, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups red wine, Nederburg Baronne
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups beef stock
- Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving
Lerotse Risotto
- 1cup Lerotse Puree, or Pumpkin puree as a substitute
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Butter, about 30g
- 1/2 Onion, finely diced
1 stick Celery, very finely diced - 400g Maize rice, cooked, undercooked by 10 min
- 12ml White wine, Nederburg Heritage Heroes Chenin Blanc
- 500ml Chicken stock, hot
- 50g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 3 tbsp Crème fraîche
micro cress to serve
2 tbsp Sugar, white - 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C with a rack in the center position.
- Generously season the short ribs with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil just begins to smoke, working in batches, add the short ribs and cook until browned, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the ribs to a plate. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pot.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, celery and carrots, cook, stirring constantly, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste, stirring to combine. Pour in the wine to deglaze and stir to incorporate.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat and allow the liquid to reduce by 1⁄3, about 15 minutes.
- Return the ribs to the pan along with any collected juices. Add the bay leaves, thyme and beef stock.
- Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook until the ribs are tender and falling off the bone, about 2 hours.
- Discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. Using tongs, transfer the meat to a serving platter and tent with a foil to keep warm.
LEROTSE RISOTTO
- Heat oil and butter in a round casserole and add onion and celery with a little salt.
- Fry for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the maize rice and stir well, ensuring every grain is coated in oil. Fry to toast and cook the maize rice for another 3 minutes.
- Pour in the wine and let it bubble until it’s almost all evaporated.
- Add the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly. Taking care to keep the risotto dry. Adding more stock only once the last ladleful has been absorbed.
- Once the rice is almost cooked, stir through the purée, and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Once the rice and vegetables are cooked, stir through the parmesan, crème fraîche, lemon zest and juice. And Season to taste.
- Serve with the braised short ribs and some flat leaf parsley to finish.
