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Gqeberha-born Imtiyaaz Hart is destined for great things in the culinary world. Last year Hart, who has since relocated to Cape Town, was announced as the winner of Capsicum Culinary Studio’s Chef Talent Scout 2021 competition, winning with an impressive dish he called Who lives in a capsicum under the sea? which was inspired by the cooking school’s logo.
The 30-year-old Hart, who now lives in Gardens, bagged the ultimate prize of a three-year bursary to study the Advanced Culinary Arts Programme and began his studies at the Cape Town campus in March 2021.
More recently, Hart won a competition, sponsored by IMBO, where entrants had to cook a dish based on food that invoked a feel-good memory.
Says the young chef: “My late Ouma used to make traditional Hertzoggies, otherwise known as jam tarts, all the time and it truly was one of everyone’s favourite treats growing up. I channelled that and made a Hertzoggie choux bun that reimagined the flavours and textures of the traditional Hertzoggie using an apricot Chantilly cream and apricot jam filling, topped with an Italian meringue and toasted coconut. I won the first prize which was a Kitchen Aid food processor.”
Food and cooking weren’t always what occupied Hart on a daily basis, and he started his career working as a credit controller in debtors and as a media coordinator. But, when he was retrenched in October 2020 he turned to food catering, food styling and recipe development to make ends meet.
“Although I had not thought of going into the culinary world as a career, I have always loved cooking and in my early ’20s I started hosting a lot of dinner parties for friends and started adding twists to dishes I remembered making with my grandmother.
“I competed in Come Dine with Me South Africa and won my episode, which propelled me into the food industry. I’ve also appeared on The Tastemaster SA and Aansit on VIA and I now find myself happiest when I am in the kitchen!”
With winter well on its way, we asked Hart to share three of his favourite soup recipes, and this is what he sent us.
Roasted Thai Green Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
250g sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
50g sweet potato, thinly sliced
1 tin coconut cream
500ml vegetable stock
olive oil
salt & pepper
Thai green curry paste
4 cloves garlic,
2 red onions
7cm piece of fresh ginger
2 lemon grass stalks
2 bird’s eye chillies
2 tsp ground cumin
20g fresh coriander
10g fresh basil
2 tbsp fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
Method
Preheat oven to 180ºC. Place sweet potatoes in a tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for an hour or until soft. Remove from oven, place in a blender and puree or mash. Combine all paste ingredients in a blender and puree until incorporated and smooth. Add small amounts of water if the mixture is too thick. Once combined, place in a pot and bring to a simmer over low heat. Add the stock, coconut cream and pureed potatoes and mix well. Season to taste. To make the sweet potato crisps, toss the thin slices in olive oil and season with salt. Bake at 150ºC for 20-25min until golden and crispy. Top soup with fresh herbs and serve with chips.
Salmon and Noodle Broth
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ tsp ginger powder
½ tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp corn starch
1½ litres vegetable stock
200g cabbage
200g zucchini
10g fresh coriander
1 lime
Salt & pepper
Chillies of choice
Salmon fillet (cooked and cut into portions of your choice)
250g noodles of choice
Method
Heat the olive oil then gently fry the garlic and chillies until softened. Add the ginger, honey, soy sauce, corn starch and stock. Bring to the boil, add the noodles and vegetables and cook until noodles and vegetables are done. Add the salmon and lime juice and heat through for a few minutes only or salmon will be overcooked. Plate, top with chopped fresh herbs and serve immediately.
Pho Bo Consommé with Steamed Smoked Asian Dumplings Recipe
Pho Bo Consommé ingredients
250g beef marrow bones
1 red onion, finely diced
2 star anise
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4cm piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 spring onion, chopped
30ml fish sauce
2 tbsp chilli oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cumin
5 cups (1250ml) water
Salt & pepper to taste
Raft
1 egg white – including the shell crunched up
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp water
Method
Roast the bones with the sesame oil for about 15min at 200ºC. Add all the spices and onions to a pot with the roasted bones and sauté until caramelised. Add the water and all the wet ingredients. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for one hour, removing all excess impurities with a slotted spoon. Season and strain the mixture and add back to the pot. Combine the raft mixture, add to the strained broth and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. You’ll see the raft start to form – don’t be alarmed – the egg white mixture might look a bit dodgy but once strained, you’ll be left with a delicious, full bodied and crystal-clear consommé!
Dumpling dough ingredients
120g self-raising flour
75ml boiling water
1 tsp. salt
Method
Place the flour into a bowl. Stir the salt into the water, then add it little by little to the flour. Mix well and knead until the dough is pliable. Rest for 20min and then roll into a long thin sausage. Cut into equal portions and roll each portion into a flat circle. Fill each with a little of the filling (see below) and then fold over and crimp.
Ingredients for the Smoked Asian Dumplings Filling
250g mince
3 cloves garlic, minced
4cm piece of fresh ginger chopped or 2 tsp. ground ginger
3 spring onion, chopped
2 sprigs of mint, chopped
3 sprigs basil, chopped
5 sprigs coriander, chopped
1 red onion, finely diced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp palm sugar
3 drops liquid smoke
1 chopped bird’s eye chilli or 1 tsp chilli flakes
salt & pepper to taste
Method
Mix everything together and marinate for at least one hour before filling and assembling the dumplings. Place the dumplings in a bamboo steamer or rice strainer and steam for 10 minutes. Serve with the pho bo consommé and take your palate on a trip to Asia!
Follow Imtiyaaz Hart on:
- Facebook: Imtiyaaz Hart
- Twitter: @Impo007
- Instagram: @ImtiyaazHart
- LinkedIn: Imtiyaaz Hart – himtiyaaz@gmail.com