L E A D I N G T H E PA C K
ABOUT CHEF CHARLES MURRAY Star sign: Cancer Lucky number: 7 Favourite food: Smoked BBQ brisket Favourite wine: Optima Favourite pastime: Inventing special dishes for his wife Pet hate: Salt Favourite spice: Pepper
S
tarting out in the early 1990s in Zimbabwe, Chef Charles Murray found himself in the food business out of necessity. “I could not get work in Zimbabwe in the beginning stages of the 1990s and ended up in the restaurant industry. Being a junior and learning about food, its creations and the passion of the people who work the dream, I dedicated my life to what is without a doubt the most incredible journey ever,” says Charles. From butchering, meat cutting and baking to sauces, grilling and sautéing, Charles thoroughly enjoyed every minute of learning his craft. “After many years, I had the privilege to work for the Shamwari group at one of its elite fivestar boutique lodges in Mpumalanga,” which, he
says, was a key part of his rapid growth and development in the industry. Seven years later, Charles was speaking with his friend who was the general manager of Ingwenyama Conference & Sports Resort and Country Boutique Hotel who, with his ‘old school’ military structure, piqued Charles’s interest in the hotel. Charles asked for a shot to work there, and the rest is history. Chef Charles has developed his own signature dish for Ingwenyama – the famed ‘Zulu Sushi’. “Our signature dish came about when I spent time at Fleur du Cap with Kevin Rottcher, an established chef in his own right. He explained to me that people liked
simple, tasty but elegant food that didn’t clutter the plate. It was there that the idea for Zulu Sushi was conceived. After a number of tests and blunders, the perfect African sushi dish was created. From the Cape to Mpumalanga, the dish was perfected and now it is the official dish of the Country Boutique Hotel.”
www.ingwenyama.co.za
Method: 1. Cut fillet length ways into two long strips of equal size and thickness. 2. Roll fillet in sesame seeds coating entire fillet. 3. Heat up a very large, smooth sautéing pan with the canola oil until the oil starts to splutter. 4. Add the first fillet half on to the pan and seer. Once the sesame seeds start to toast and turn a darker brown (accentuating the sesame seed taste), turn the fillet gently over to brown the remaining sides. 5. Once the sesame seeds have turned a toast brown, remove from the pan and allow the sesame seed coated fillet to cool down to room temperature.
ZULU SUSHI RECIPE Ingredients: 600 g middle cut beef fillet 500 g white sesame seeds 60 ml canola oil 50 g pickled ginger sliced into equal length ribbons
6. Repeat the process with the second fillet but first scrape any sesame seeds that remained in the pan out. 7. Once the sesame seed coated fillet has attained room temperature, place it on a large plate and put into the fridge for an hour to firm up. This prevents loss of moisture when cutting. 8. Remove the fillet and cut thin slices – no more than 3 mm thick. 9. Lay first slice top centre of the plate and then the second slice half over the first slice. Repeat for at least 4 to 5 slices. 10. On each slice centre place a ribbon of pickled ginger so that it covers half the fillet and then runs on to the plate. 11. Next to each pickled ginger ribbon on the plate, pipe a small dot of wasabi.
50 g wasabi
12. Drizzle the balsamic glaze over the beef fillet.
50 ml balsamic (home-made) glaze
Serve on a cold plate and enjoy!
44 • MEETINGS l NOV/DEC 2019
www.theplanner.guru