Look, it’s been a rather tough year for many of us, but on the flip side it has also been a year of bringing World Cups and crowns back to Mzansi. Our very own Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi, is the newly-crowned Miss Universe – and tonight we’re cooking her favourite food.
South Africans woke up with the news this morning that the Eastern Cape beauty took the title at the pageant in Atlanta in the US, beating more than 90 contestants. And no, television host Steve Harvey did not make a mistake like he did four years ago when he accidentally told Miss Colombia she had won.
Tunzi follows in the footsteps of Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters who was crowned Miss Universe in 2017. This makes Tunzi the third South African to wear the sought-after crown after Margaret Gardiner was first crowned Miss Universe in 1978.
It’s a huge leap for the humble girl from Tsolo who grew up amid great poverty. Resplendent in a gold and blue Biji Gibbs designed gown, inspired by the African soil and the coastline of the Eastern Cape at sunrise, the 26-year-old wept as Catriona Gray, Miss Philippines Universe 2018 placed the crown on her head.
Tunzi started trending on Twitter moments after the live television broadcast kicked off, and especially earned cheers during her closing speech in which she talked about wanting to empower young women to feel confident. “I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me, with my kind of skin and my kind of hair, was never considered to be beautiful,” she said. “I think that it is time that that stops today.”
To celebrate Tunzi’s success, #TeamFoodForMzansi will be cooking her favourite dish, Umngqusho, this evening. If you’ve never heard the name, it’s basically samp and beans served with a beef stew. We’ll be using a recipe by Geography teacher and cook Koketso Khule. Umngqusho is an easy, cost effective meal for the whole family and Khule shared the following recipe with us:
Koketso Khule’s Samp and Beans
Ingredients:
- 500g of samp
- Handful of kidney beans
- Handful of nuts of your choice (optional)
Method:
- Soak mixture of samp, beans and/or nuts in boiled water overnight.
- Drain the water the next morning and add freshly boiled water. Cook at a medium to high heat.
- Constantly check the softness of the samp and beans, add additional water if necessary and cook to desired softness.
Savoury Option:
- Add beef stock, soup, onions and chopped garlic before the water completely drained. Serve as is or with savoury sides and meat.
Plain Option:
- Cook samp until water is drained without adding any other ingredients and serve with milk
