MTUNZINI is famous for its beautiful beach, lagoon reserve and tranquil coastal forests,.
But there has been a new discovery, indigenous to this little coastal village – the ‘Saucy Sisters’.
To immediately rule out any misconceptions about the term, let it quickly be said that it refers to sisters Kim Passler and Karen Fish sharing an the same passion in the kitchen.
With Kim being a teacher and Karen the owner of a Public Relations agency, the duo still find themselves cooking up a storm in kitchen, tantalising the taste buds of their families.
‘My earliest memories are of baking a chocolate cake for a Brownie badge when I was very young, so I have always enjoyed cooking. To be in the kitchen is to be in the heart of the home’, says Karen.
With Karen’s wide travels to different countries, her favourite dish varies. Kim enjoys anything with fresh ingredients and also finds her favourites changing.
The ‘saucy sisters’ were recently the winners of the LG Home Chef competition, which was held at Monte Casino, Johannesburg.
‘I was reading the food blog one night when my husband was overseas and a blogger mentioned the competition… closing that day! So on a whim I entered my sister and I as a team -without telling her!’ says Karen.
‘The first that I heard about the competition was in an email from Karen enquiring whether I had plans for the weekend as we had been selected to cook in Johannesburg,’ laughs Kim. Their family favourite, ‘Cheesecake a la Baklava’, using LG’s SolarDom light oven, and a mystery box challenge involving a Thai squash and sweet potato phyllo tart creation, scored them a win.
They will be cooking in the finals at Cape Town’s International Convention Centre next month against other teams selected from around the world.
‘It’s quite an intimidating thought, but we will rise to the challenge and give it our all, and most of all, enjoy the experience,’ beams Karen.
The sisters go by the name Team Pumpkin Hats, the name coming from the psychedelic hats they wear while cooking. They have always been associated with a sense of mischief and defiance by their husbands and ‘we have no idea why!’
‘Our affair with food is growing and we want to feed it… watch this space!’
Saucy sisters’ tips for roasting gammon this Christmas:
1. First boil gammon in coke
2. Score and garnish with cloves and pineapple
3. Glaze with honey and mustard
