Chef Mokgadi’s passion for SA’s indigenous ingredients

One doesn’t just simply choose a journey to help mother nature through food, but this is exactly what Chef Mokgadi Itsweng’s career was built on – showcasing both indigenous South African ingredients and plant-forward dishes.

Chef Mokgadi told The Citizen her love for food started at a young age as she grew up in a family that loved cooking and hosting guests in their home.

She says both her grandmothers shaped her passion for food and remembers her childhood with her grandmother in KwaZulu-Natal making the most delicious curries with vegetables and beans. Her love for staple foods such as ujeqe or dombolo (steamed bread) and uphuthu (crumbly pap), is something she will tell guests about at the upcoming The Plant Power Show.

“No fancy ingredients, it’s my grandmother’s sweet butternut with no sugar, just boiled, and we would eat it as is. She would remove the seeds, dry them, and then roast them with salt. That, for me, shaped how I appreciate vegetables,” she says.

The chef is quite popular with fans and colleagues alike in the culinary industry and her recent appearance on Masterchef South Africa showed this.

With 20 years of experience, her fans know her for her passion to disprove the myth that healthy food is expensive, while also showcasing both indigenous South African ingredients and plant-forward dishes.

For Chef Mokgadi, plant-based food is uncomplicated. It’s not fancy; it’s simply just eating plants.

WATCH: Chef Mokgadi’s must-have winter ingredients

What is plant-forward food?

It’s less complicated than you think; it simply means having more plant-based food than animal protein.

“Your plate is supposed to be 80% plants and 20% animal protein which can be anything from meat, fish, eggs and cheese,” Chef Mokgadi says.

With so many indigenous ingredients at our disposal, the talented chef believes we are underutilising many of them. These include sorghum, groundnuts, ndlovu beans, “which is an awesome protein, affordable, delicious, good for the plant and good for us.” She further explains that sorghum should be considered one of the best health foods, as it is gluten-free, wheat-free and easy to grow.

Asked about her favourite indigenous ingredient, she jokingly says picking one would be like picking a favourite child. However, she says, njugo, also known as Bambara groundnuts, black eye peas, amaranths( wild greens), sorghum and millet are some of her favourites.

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Her passion for plant food is infectious, with all this work to champion this, there is still some more to do. She doesn’t think South Africans use indigenous ingredients in their cooking as people don’t have enough information about them.

“I don’t think people are using South African ingredients, but I still think we are on our way there, the revolution is only starting now.”

She has also published her first cookbook, Veggielicious.

Chef Mokgadi commends young chefs for putting in the effort to use local ingredients and amplify them.

“Have more of your seven colours, instead of having half your plate meat, pap and a little bit of gravy.”

She says adding more greens to your lifestyle won’t necessarily hurt your pocket.

“Eating more consciously goes hand in hand with helping our planet and the impact it has on climate change,” she says.

Accessibility of indigenous ingredients

The big misconception is that indigenous ingredients are inaccessible. You may not find them in your local supermarket, but they are accessible on the streets, at food markets and taxi markets – the place where people are less likely to shop.

The message of sustainable eating may be a push for urban areas, but the chef explains in rural areas, growing your own vegetable garden is for your own sustainability.

“People in urban areas have lost that connection to culture, even cuisine, it is convenience eating, it’s not for substance anymore,” she explains.

Chef Mokgadi will make appearances at The Plant Powered Show, which takes place in Cape Town from 27 May.