Khanya’s budget-saving canned recipes
Feeling the January budget pinch but still craving food that’s delicious? Food editor, Khanya Mzongwana, shows how to turn simple, cheap ingredients into meals that feel joyful. With clever prep hacks, a bit of imagination, and canned goods, she makes cooking at home feel less like a chore and more like a little daily adventure.
If you follow me on IG, you’ll know that I cook a lot of budget-savvy food that doesn’t ever look cheap. And don’t get me wrong; there’s not a damn thing wrong with food that looks like it cost nothing to make. Those are often some of my favourite foods, but I like to do things with a healthy dose of flair. I've had a lot of practice working within the confines of a tight budget (surviving in Cape Town, more on that soon), by finding a way to make a romance of it. This is something I believe we’re all able to achieve when we loosen our wrists and tune into our inner Julius Roberts – sorry, I love him and think about him every single day. As someone who cooks for work, I haven’t really cared to cook for myself at home. I’ve been really shoddy about feeding myself lately. One of my colleagues, Vuyi, has a bright neon Post-It note on her monitor with the words “What would it look like if this was fun?” I ask myself that all the time. How do I make being in the kitchen feel less of a chore and enjoy the moment as it happens? After a long day at the office or on any type of grind, how do I make the kitchen a joyful place to be?
There is no simple answer, especially to the reluctant cook, but I have my hacks to make it a little easier. Load up a baking sheet or oven tray with all the ingredients you want to cook with that night. Putting them all in one place mitigates the stress of looking for things and getting distracted. Do this in the morning before you leave the house, so that it’s all laid out in front of you when you get home. Sometimes I even go as far as laying out my chopping board and knife if I need extra motivation, which I always do. Living alone makes it a little harder to be diligent about eating properly, so I gotta do a little extra planning.
I also love to draw, and whenever I shoot, I storyboard it. I make little sketches of the vision I have for my dish. When I do that, it motivates me to make my food look exactly as I pictured it. It makes it feel like a bit of an art project.
Another thing I do is share. I share what I make with my neighbours, or my friend who lives a few blocks away. I commit to sharing with others what I’ve cooked, which motivates me to make it extra delicious. I’ll hit “send” on that “I’m roasting a chicken, want some?” text before I’ve had the time to plant any seeds of doubt in my head.
It’s difficult at the beginning of the year. I want to help you imagine a different reality. One where you’re smart and frugal and spend a lot less on food and focus on new goals instead. In this newsletter, I’m going to help you cook cheaply and artfully using canned foods and make them not feel like canned foods at all. Here’s a week’s worth of meals to get excited about, all you need is a can opener and some imagination...
Sardine rigatoni with blistered tomatoes
I love Woolies’ smoked peppered mackerel fillets, but these grilled canned ones are really where it’s at, and they cost a lot less. Canned fish and tomatoes are one of my top combinations, especially in a pasta. Serve with nothing but a fork because this meal is perfect.
Bonnie’s tomatoey pilchards with samp
My aunt Bonnie isn’t much of a cook – cleaning is where she really comes alive, for real. So, when she needs to cook, it’s always a throw-together that sometimes ends up tasting really good, like this pilchard samp. She dumps in the whole can, bones and all, but I like to debone mine because that bone texture ain’t it for me. But do what works best for you.
tomatoey pilchards with samp recipe
Lucky bean soup with dombolo
I remember picking up bright orange lucky beans off the ground and not knowing what to do with them, they’d fill my blazer pockets and make such a mess. I was always fond of the concept of lucky beans, so I decided to make a soup dedicated to those pretty beans, serving them with Woolies’ sonka samanzi.
Thai green curry chicken pot pie
I know a rotisserie chicken seems too perfect to be adding any extra steps, but I need you to trust me right now. This spicy pot pie is just so nourishing and delicious and will be the quickest thing you’ll ever make.
Thai green curry chicken pot pie recipe
Chickpea umleqwa
When I first bought umleqwa at Woolies, I was curious to see how it would stack up against what I grew up eating. I cooked it as in the recipe below and it still tastes so clean and savoury and rich, my mouth is watering just describing it! Try it served with mash, although pap is always the best option IMO.
Sweetcorn chilli pakoras with curried mayonnaise
"There are very few things I haven't done with corn, and these pakoras one of the yummiest, easiest things I do - they're a quick snack I like to whip up when I'm having people over or wanna do something different for breakfast. When I'm not on a budget, I like to serve these with crispy honeyed bacon and roasted cherry tomatoes and maybe a poached egg if I'm feeling extra fancy.
