Lions and tigers and zebras! Oh my! From secluded beaches, to stunning sunsets, to wild animals, to wine – South Africa has it all! Let me tell you about one of the most epic wedding/Christmas trips of a lifetime…
It all started with, what we thought, was going to be a leisurely bike ride through the South African wine country of Stellenbosch. Little did we know that the groom had picked the hardest course that this riding company had to offer! We were riding uphill through sand and down along the African highway – and no, I’m not exaggerating like our grandparents walk through snow, uphill both ways, to and from school. I’m quite clumsy, so I was the first (and only) one to fall off the bike…directly into a vine. “BRIDESMAID DOWN!” Did I mention this was in the middle of the afternoon during the South African summer? Get me to the wine! We arrived at our first vineyard and I couldn’t believe my eyes…$5 for a bottle of refreshing, crisp white wine? I’ll take it! What a torturous bike ride but my god, the spectacular views from the top of the vineyards made it totally worth it.
Top of my list to do in South Africa: safari! I didn’t get the chance to go to Kruger but I did go on some incredible safaris along the Garden Route. We fed elephants, watched penguins swim and sunbathe on the beach, walked with lions and took selfies with rhinos. Even far outside of the safari grounds we saw wild animals – baboons in the middle of the streets and ostriches just hanging out on our backyard beach. You can’t beat it!
Did you know that South Africa’s Western Cape has the highest bridge bungee jump in the world? Um, yeah, no thanks! But the bride wanted to jump (with or without a cord, I’m still not sure), so we jumped! I’m normally not afraid of heights but when you get up to the top of Bloukrans Bridge, measuring 216m (709ft) and your feet are hanging over the edge and they tell you to jump, you get scared. Just walking to the jumping point is scary in itself! You have to walk under the bridge on a shaking grate – yikes! Thank god we had a few shots of jäger beforehand. They have adrenaline music pumping and you’re all psyched to go and then they call your name. You immediately become sober and realize you’re an idiot. Jumping off that bridge was the most exhilarating experience of my life and I’m so happy I had the courage to do it. If you have the chance, do it – you won’t regret it!
After all the adventure of bungee jumping, mountain biking and climbing the incredible Table Mountain (and by climbing I mean we took the cable car up to the top), which overlooks Robben Island – where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years – it was time for relaxation. What better way to relax for Christmas than to light up the grill, throw some sausages on, wine in hand, and lie on our secluded beach watching the beautiful changing colours of the sunset? I can’t think of anything more perfect!
South African cuisine is very multicultural with their spices and dishes that are similar to Indian, British and Moroccan. I love the sweet and spicy flavours in this yellow rice with the added crunch from the toasted almonds. The peri peri sauce I used can be found in select specialty international stores but if you can’t find it you can add a dash of your favourite hot sauce, such as Frank’s, or BBQ sauce. And as for the sausages, there is a great butchery in Brooklyn that sells the South African boerewors sausage. I ended up getting that and a few other links that sounded good to me and just seared them until cooked through. If you can’t find boerewors you can use any sausage of your choosing. This rice is such an easy dish to make that requires little prep work but has huge flavours.
Yield: Serves 3-4 as a side dish
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup white onion, chopped
- 2 cups Basmati rice (or your choice of rice just follow cooking directions on package)
- 3½ cups veggie or chicken broth
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp peri peri sauce
- ¼ cup slivered toasted almonds
- ½ cup raisins
- ¼-½ cup parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- a few links of Boerewors sausages
Preparation:
In a sauté pan, heat the canola oil on medium high heat and cook the sausages until fully cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan on medium heat, cook the onion, turmeric, cinnamon and cumin in the olive oil for 3 minutes or until the onions start to soften. Add the rice, broth, butter and salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, until rice is completely cooked through and all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the peri peri sauce. Turn the heat off and mix in the almonds, raisins and parsley. Serve with pan seared Boerewors and a beer!
