PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Engineering the Journey of Food: No Forks. Just Vibes is not just a cookbook. It is a raw, redemptive memoir told in flames, flavour, and faith.
Written by Chef Alewyn Malan, known as Chef Al, the book follows a life that began in Benoni in 2003 and included many burning hot situations in his private life and culinary career.
"Some people get movie scripts. Others get grit and fire. I got the fire," says Chef Al.
Recipes in the book reflect his life experiences - from the British Islands lobster bisque to a boerie roll, from freezing island kitchens to five-star lodges near the Kruger National Park.
Chef Al now cooks his "belly of fire" meals at Barrington's in Plettenberg Bay. He was the winner at the recent Plett Chilli Festival, with a mouthwatering dish of crispy pork belly with his famous "Kettiemynou" - a jalapeño pineapple glaze - and miso mash. "'Kettiemynou' comes from 'kettie', the Afrikaans word for 'slingshot'," he explains.
Each chapter of Engineering the Journey of Food: No Forks. Just Vibes has a story of Chef Al's life journey through kitchens, from the poignant lows to his deep religious transition.
His inner self and spiritual commitment shine through all the dishes he has created along the burning road of his life.
"Engineering the Journey of Food is a manifesto for every misfit who found healing in heat, every soul who burned, but rose, and every chef who ever doubted their fire. This is a story of love, grit, laughter, and chutney. No forks. Just vibes," he says.
"This isn't your typical chef's cookbook. You're not going to find pages of perfectly folded napkins and fine-dining fluff here. What you will find is flavour, fire, and the full truth. From circuits and chaos to kitchen heat and redemption, this is my story - the real, raw, messy one."
He even shares the Kettiemynou recipe that helped him win at the Plett Chilli Festival. Also featured are boerewors rolls with caramelised onion and pineapple relish; Mediterranean herb-crusted tuna with rocket and lemon thyme; Karoo lamb loin with fynbos jus; bushveld firepit lamb potjie with saltbush dumplings; grilled gemsbok loin with rooibos jus; riverbed lamb riblets with mopane-smoked glaze; and apple tart with cardamom custard.
"But this isn't a book about fancy plating or perfect lives. It's a book about what it means to fall apart - and still cook. To burn - and still rise," Chef Al says.
"Chefs don't talk about burnout. We plate it with a garnish and call it passion."
"But, I sat on a plastic chair in a church in Kempton Park. That's where everything shifted. That's where I met God. And the story changed."
Chef Al will be taking part in the Gourmets & Gourmands food festival in George on Saturday 2 August in aid of the Carpe Diem School for special needs - highlighting a menu item of oxtail parmesan mash and crispy onions.
In this illustration from his book, Chef Al prepares his signature Kettiemynou Chutney. Photo: Supplied
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
