“Green mealies are completely different to yellow sweet corn," says Zola Nene, Expresso chef and the author of new cookbook, Simply Delicious. "The kernels are much bigger, the flesh is denser and the flavour is more savoury. We eat them straight off the cob either cooked on an open fire until charred and crispy, or boiled in salted water until tender and juicy. Sometimes, when there are mealies left over, my mom makes izinkobe, a fresh mealie and dried sugar-bean stew. This recipe is inspired by that dish – I’ve just added a touch more liquid and some spice, and turned it into a soup.”
Serves: 4
Extracted from Simply Delicious by Zola Nene (Struik Lifestyle). Photographs: © Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd / Dawie Verwey.