Fynbos flavours: Cooking with buchu
Of all the teas I tried and tested during my recent exploration into fynbos herbal brews, buchu was undoubtedly my favourite. Its mild, minty flavour with a hint of aniseed makes it easy to drink, and admittedly, quite moreish. It has a wonderful calming and cleansing effect, and as it’s naturally caffeine free, I found I could gulp down a cuppa at any time of the day.
Having so loved buchu tisane (another word for ‘herbal tea’, so I recently learned), I decided to attempt cooking with this fascinating herb in its freshly picked form. One particular recipe I found is by Chef Jocelyn Myers-Adams, Executive Chef at the Table Bay Hotel. Guided by her ‘love local’ approach, she spices up the traditional rack of lamb we all know by adding the interesting and unexpected flavour of wild buchu. Served on a bed of mielie pap with baby carrots, it makes a wonderfully indigenous South African meal.
If you’re looking for something delicious to pair it with, try the Neethlingshof Red Caracal Blend. This WWF Conservation Champion wine is smooth and full-bodied with prune and blackcurrant flavours – a good match for the blackcurrant undertones that many find in wild buchu.
Rack of lamb with a wild buchu and mint crust
by Chef Jocelyn Myers-Adams, Executive Chef at the Table Bay Hotel (ref)
The lamb
Ingredients
- 1kg Lamb Rack, cleaned and portioned into 220g
- Oil for frying
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method
Season the meat and rub liberally with oil
- Seal the meat well on all sides, making sure to render the fat
- Cook the meat for 10 min on 180 degrees, remove and set aside on a drip tray
- Before serving, place the crust on the lamb, return to the oven and cook until the crust is golden brown
The crust
Ingredients
- 250ml Breadcrumbs
- 60ml Butter, soft
- 20ml Fresh Buchu, finely chopped
- 20ml Fresh Mint, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method
- Combine all the ingredients
- On a flat surface, lay down some clingfilm, spread the crust evenly and cover with more clingfilm
- Using a rolling pin, roll the crust out evenly until approximately 5mm thick
- Put the crust in the freezer until set, afterwards cutting into blocks the size of your lamb portions
- Return to the freezer until needed
The pap
Ingredients
- 125g maize-meal
- 800ml water
- 20ml salt
- 300ml milk
- 20g butter
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method
- Mix the maize-meal with 200ml of the water
- Bring the remaining water to the boil
- Stir in the maize-meal mixture and salt
- Continue cooking for 10 minutes
- Add milk and butter
- Season to taste
The carrots
Ingredients
- 350g rainbow baby carrots, rinsed and peeled if necessary
- 10ml olive oil
- 20g butter
- 10g parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method
- Blanch the carrots in boiling seasoned water until par cooked, cool down in an ice bath
- In a pan, heat the olive oil and butter, and sauté the carrots
- Season to taste and sprinkle with the parsley before serving
To serve
- Spread the pap in a circle just of centre on your plate
- Arrange the carrots in a neat bunch with the tips in the centre of the plate on top of the pap
- Place the lamb next to the carrot tips, standing upright. You might have to trim the bottom to make it stand by itself
- Drizzle with your chosen sauce and garnish with fresh micro herbs
