Ingredients

Method

For the amasi labneh:
• 2 litres Woolworths full-cream amasi
• 2 t salt
For the chilli crisp:
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 habanero chilli, roughly chopped
• 2 jalapeño chillies, roughly chopped
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 t black peppercorns
• 1 t Szechaun peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 star anise
• 4 T red chilli flakes
• 1 T gochugaru (or cayenne pepper)
• 1 T soya sauce
• 1 t Woolworths lemongrass paste
• 2 T Woolworths dried mango chunks, finely chopped
• 1 t sugar
• 1 t ground cardamom
• 4 T honey, plus extra for drizzling
• 4 T canola oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 large pineapple, peeled and sliced
• 1 T sesame seeds, toasted, for serving

Method

Ingredients

1. To make the labneh, pour the amasi into a clean glass jar and stir in the salt. Place a clean tea towel over a deep bowl or bucket and pour the salted amasi into the towel. Tie the ends of the towel together tightly. Use a wooden spoon to suspend it over the bowl or bucket and allow the whey to drip out overnight – you should be left with a lovely soft cheese in the tea towel (see cook’s note). Chill until ready to use.

2. To make the chilli crisp, place the oil, chillies, shallots, garlic, peppercorns, cinnamon and star anise in a small saucepan. Gently heat over medium-low heat. Simmer for 20–30 minutes, or until the ingredients turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 2–3 minutes to let the flavours infuse.

3. In a separate heatproof bowl, combine the chilli flakes, gochugaru, soya sauce, lemongrass paste, mango, sugar and cardamom. Strain the oil into the chilli flake mixture, then transfer the crispy chilli-shallot-garlic bits left in the strainer onto a baking tray to cool completely and crisp up. This will also make it easier to pick out the star anise and cinnamon. Once cooled, return the pepper-shallot-garlic bits into the chilli oil, stir and transfer to a clean jar. Seal and chill until needed. Stir before serving.

4. Prepare the coals or grill. Whisk together the honey, oil and seasoning and brush onto the pineapple. Braai the pineapple until charred (but not burnt) on both sides. Serve with generous dollops of amasi labneh, drizzled with chilli crisp and a little extra honey, and sprinkled with the sesame seeds.

Cook’s note: The longer you hang the amasi, the firmer the resulting cheese will be. Spoon leftover chilli crisp over steaming noodles, rice or fried eggs and use the chilli oil to make popcorn.

Find more salad recipes here. 

Photography: Myburgh Du Plessis
Production: Khanya Mzongwana
Food assistant: Lerato Motau