For most Mzansi households, the kitchen is the heart of the home – and for Boitumelo Maphothoma it is no different. The Nelspruit-born foodie says the best part of her day is cooking. She shares her recipe for spicy chicken feet, it’s kasi cuisine at its best.
Maphothoma, or “Tumi M” as she is fondly known on social media, is a scheme coordinator for a medical aid company turned food blogger. She says cooking is her time to decompress and escape the noise of the day.
The food blogger with more than 150 000 Instagram followers on her page, Meals With Tumi, says the food she cooks always depends on the mood she is in.
“I really don’t have a favourite recipe to cook. I mostly cook off of my emotions and my social media pages will show that I don’t only make one style of food. I literally make anything and everything that I enjoy.”
‘Food has a story to tell’
A good meal is more than just taste, says Maphothoma. Beyond finding the perfect blend of salty, sour, sweet and bitter flavours, she believes stories are central to enjoying a good meal around the table. Stories have always been shared over a good meal around the table but the food itself spins tales from myths and legends to family memories.
“Everyone has a story to tell,” she says, and she will continue to build on hers, personally and professionally, as she enjoys every moment in the kitchen.
“Personally, I would love to remain the wallflower that I am and professionally, I want people to think of my name whenever anything to do with food is mentioned. I want to be a household name and still maintain myself.”
Make her spicy garlicky maotwana
When properly prepared, chicken feet or maotwana are very tasty and juicy. Maphothoma helps you escape the day to day stress of climbing food prices with this spicy garlicky maotwana recipe.
Braaied, braised or even stewed, chicken feet are known to be rich in nutrients and are beneficial to collagen production in the skin. Maphothoma shares a lip-smacking spicy and fragrant chicken feet recipe.
ALSO READ: Local is lekker with Funi’s tripe with a twist
Get the Mzansi Flavour newsletter: A weekly serving of craveable recipes and handy lifestyle tips.
Ingredients
- 15 – 20 fresh chicken feet
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic
- 1 tbsp chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp BBQ spice
- Roughly chopped parsley
- 1 red onion, cut into cubes
- 1 green pepper, cut into cubes
- 1 yellow pepper, cut into cubes
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 cups boiling water
Instructions
1. Place all your ingredients into a deep pot.
2. Add water and cover the pot with a lid.
3. Cook on medium heat for 30-38 minutes depending on how soft or crunchy you like your chicken feet.
4. Serve the dish as a snack or with pap and cabbage.
