Hosting with the Lazy Makoti
A Celebration of Food
South African chef Mogau Seshoene’s cookbook Hosting with the Lazy Makoti: A Celebration of Food is a vibrant compilation of recipes.
Seshoene has a notable social media presence, and she founded her Lazy Makoti culinary platform in 2014. Her goal is to make cooking an enjoyable, collective experience while honoring her heritage and traditions. Her book includes meal staples, as well as dishes for leisurely weekends and formal occasions. There are Soul Warmers soups, like Curried Cream of Corn and Beef Bone Broth; the distinctive Kiwi and Cucumber Salad combines kiwifruit, cucumber, feta cheese, and greens; and Seshoene’s Pigs in a Blanket are pork sausages in puff pastry, served with a tangy, chutney-based Monkeygland Sauce.
Though there are various meat and fish dishes, including Oxtail and Bean Stew and Pineapple and Ginger Lamb Chops, vegetarian alternatives are included, like Lentil Cottage Pie and Roasted Butternut and Chickpea Curry. The enticing array of desserts includes cakes, cookies, trifles, and a rich, no-churn Mango Ice Cream. And among the South African-influenced recipes are Tshohlo, a tender, shredded beef stew, and Pot Bread, often baked in cast iron on the braai, a South African barbecue. Kgodu, which Seshoene describes as a childhood favorite, is a creamy mash of peanut butter, brown sugar, maize meal, and pumpkin or squash.
The recipes in the Alkebulan section, celebrating native cuisines, were contributed by some of Seshoene’s favorite African chefs. Included are Zimbabwean Ladies’ Fingers, or okra made with chili peppers, tomato, and onion, and Nigerian Baked Jollof Rice with Shrimps. Teff Injera is an Ethiopian flatbread, and Bofrot are Ghanaian donuts, golden-fried with a pinch of cinnamon.
With bright visuals and welcoming photographs of Seshoene before each chapter, Hosting with the Lazy Makoti’s recipes range from Rainbow Cupcakes to simmered, spicy chicken gizzards—and a flavorsome variety in between.
Reviewed by
Meg Nola
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
