And the winner is!
Cook My Golden Ugandan Rolex. The winning recipe from Ainsley Harriott's National Trust Cook Off and a fabulous one-pan flavour extravaganza!
Welcome to COOK WITH LERATO! Ravishing recipes, stories with a good dose of African sunshine & magic. If you haven’t joined our community, what are you waiting for? Click here to subscribe for free or upgrade for full access.
Hello Sunshine,
With a heart full of joy, skin golden bronzed and a tummy full of tagines from sizzling eggs with tomatoes and cumin, to monkfish with preserved lemons, a rainbow of vegetables and more, greetings to you my dearest!
I have enjoyed the time of my life travelling solo across Morocco, enjoying old jaunts and falling in love with the new, from the bustling Medina of Marrakech to the chic seaside of Essaouira and the enchanting city of Fez. I cannot wait to take you along on this delicious adventure, whether you follow through my social media posts, my newsletter like this or whether you join me first hand on our retreats, be prepared for quite the immersive journey.
Missed this letter? Catch up here!
Its my birthday, in Fez!
Reclaiming Joyous June
I had a terrible start to my birthday month of June, just awful! But while I felt like I was sinking, I was also winning and, as always, I held on tight to that light that always guides me. Just before I escaped to Morocco, a few weeks ago, I was on the telly cooking with Ainsley Harriott. I love how we both sort of ‘matched’ with our outfits and I loved every second of working with him and Freddy on his new hit show, shot in some of the most impressive gardens in the UK. People are not always what they appear to be on television, and that’s fair, as some people need to perform in whatever way they feel is best. However, Ainsley Harriott is just as wonderful. No, he is even better in person. Vibrant, personable, professional, very nice and considerate man, with me and his entire team. I was truly inspired after working with him. I had met him for the first time at Tom Kerridge’s pub in the park, where we both cooked live and after calling me, ‘Africana Girl’, I thought that would be my best story yet, meeting Ainsley. Little did I know that I would be invited onto his show. When my agent called to ask if I’d love to be a guest chef on Ainsley’s new show, you can guess my response!
We filmed in the stunning grounds of Blickling Estate in Norfolk, a 55 acre garden set within 5,000 acres of parkland. Picking fresh cherry tomatoes, courgette and their flowers were a treat and a special addition to what would go on to become one of the winning recipes of the day.
And the winner is…!
My Golden Rolex was chosen by the judges as the winner. They loved its one-pan ease, burst of flavours and textures. Go Africana! This glorious recipe is from my cookbook, and many of you have already tried it. It is a favourite amongst kids who have requested it for their packed lunch, as their parents have shared with me. I simply jazzed it up with courgettes and cherry toms from the esteemed Blickling Estate gardens, and I made up a quick date and tomato ketchup with date syrup, ketchup, a good pinch of cumin, black pepper and chilli - which was wonderful, but not as great as the Smoky Tomato & Date Jam recipe in my book! You can catch up on the show here or see the little snippets from my Instagram post above.
Ready to be whisked away to Uganda via Norfolk? You can’t deny we travel quite a bit together! Now let’s get cooking!
Cook’s Tips
These are my golden rules that will help you perfect this recipe;
Season the eggs with turmeric, black pepper & sea salt for a golden treat
Lightly sauté the spinach, tomatoes and courgettes to bulk up the wrap
Keep the cabbage, carrot if using, and courgette flowers fresh, as I did on the show for a wonderful crunch
Cook the eggs low and slow to keep super soft and easy pliable when rolling
Attach the chapati or flat bread to the egg while the top of the egg is still wet to the touch. This will help both stick together.
Don’t forget to make the date and tomato jam, aka my superior and soon to be bottled up ketchup! haha!
Unless you have been enthralled by this wonder while walking the streets of Kampala, you might be forgiven for assuming this is a recipe for a luxury timepiece. Ugandan Rolex is a malapropism of ‘rolled eggs’, a melodic corruption most likely to have occurred as the street sellers would call out to the passing crowds.
Across Uganda there are many variations, some with minced meat, chicken or cheese. You simply cannot go wrong with whatever you choose to embellish your Golden Ugandan Rolex with.’ – Lerato
Ugandan Golden Rolex
Ingredients
vegetable oil, to fry
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 green finger chilli (or 2 milder jalapeños), stemmed and finely chopped
5 multi-coloured cherry tomatoes (approx. 80g), cut into wedges, or 1 medium tomato, deseeded and roughly chopped
30g baby spinach leaves, chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
4 large eggs
1⁄4 tsp ground turmeric
2 chapati or flatbreads
Additional ingredients I used on the show from the garden
1 small yellow courgette (use green by all means)
Courgette flowers, stems and stamen removed, flowers rinsed & dried
To serve
Smoky Tomato and Date Jam or a tomato chutney
4 dry-cured streaky smoked bacon rashers, fried until crisp, then torn (optional)
40g fresh coriander or baby spinach leaves
1⁄4 small red cabbage, shredded
1–2 carrots, scrubbed and julienned
Let’s get cooking!
Put a 24cm non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add 1tbsp oil. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2–3 minutes, tossing now and again. Stir in the spinach and leave to wilt for 1 minute, then take the pan off the heat.
Cook the courgette for about 3 minutes on each side and remove from the pan. Tip all the veg into a bowl, add the spring onions, season with just a little pinch of fine sea salt and toss well.
Crack 2 of the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly. Add half the turmeric, a pinch of fine sea salt, 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper and half of the spinach, chilli and tomato mix. Stir to combine.
Wipe the pan clean and set over a medium-high heat. Drizzle in 2tsp oil and brush or swirl to coat the base and up the sides a bit. Give the eggs one more mix then pour into the pan, quickly and briefly swirling around as it sizzles, to make sure the entire surface is covered. Leave undisturbed for 10 seconds, then swirl the pan once more so any excess runny liquid fills the gaps.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 30 seconds, until it is mostly cooked with a little raw egg on top.
Loosen the sides and bottom with a spatula, then place a chapati or flatbread on top of the egg and press down for 10 seconds to ‘glue’ them together. Continue to cook for around 1 minute, or until the eggs are golden, then flip and cook the chapati or flatbreads for 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Repeat the process, using the remaining eggs and filling to make the second roll.
To assemble each roll, spread 1⁄2 tbsp (or more, to taste) of the date and tomato jam on the egg side of the roll, top with half the bacon, if using, then half the coriander leaves or baby spinach, shredded cabbage, torn courgette flowers and julienned carrots. Roll up tightly and wrap in baking parchment, then twist the ends and leave the wrap to rest and seal for a few minutes before cutting in half to serve.
Adapted from Africana: Treasured Recipes and Stories from Across the Continent by Lerato Umah-Shaylor, photography by Tara Fisher (HQ, Harpercollins, £22)
*My Award-winning cookbook, Africana*
Have you read or cooked the book? Africana, my pride and joy, is available worldwide from the links below, including signed copies. If you love and enjoy the recipes and stories please leave a review here. Thank you to those who have bought or gifted copies and left reviews. Your support goes a long way!
👩🏽🍳 Read about: Cook With Lerato & catch up on previous posts here
❤️ Are we friends on socials? Say hello and tag me when you cook my recipes Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
🌺*Join the Waiting List for Our Cooking Holidays & Retreats across Africa*
Thank you for reading today. If you have enjoyed this sunshine, share with your family and friends, and also receive points towards a premium membership as a little thank you from me.
