When Meg Barathlall, migrated with her family from South Africa to Adelaide in 2005, she reestablished the family's food catering business. Through her new Australian company , she began sharing her favourite South African-Indian flavours at local markets and catering for The Royal Flying Doctors.
Once her family realised it was popular, they ran a food truck called Aunty Meg's Kitchen just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It still operates at famous Adelaide spots like the on the first Sunday of the month. But it has been a lifelong dream to open her own mainstay. Finally, in April 2022, she opened a cosy 20-seat curbside eatery by the same name at Ebenezer Place, which has lots of foot traffic during lunchtime rush hour.
"It was love at first sight," says Barathlall of the space that now boasts interior artefacts that reflect her family's South African and Indian heritage.
As a third-generation Indian-South African, her love of Indian food came from watching her family members (especially her mum, Rumba) cook traditional Indian recipes. Later, she learned the secrets of South-African Indigenous recipes from cookbooks and friends. These recipes featured a melting pot of flavours, infused with ingredients and cooking styles from Dutch, French and Asian cultures, representing the nation's rich and varied history.
Food is a universal language and people carry little pieces of home with them everywhere they go.
Barathlall's Indian forefathers migrated to South Africa in the late 1800s and early 1900s when South Africa was being colonised. They settled in Durban, a coastal city in eastern South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, popular for its African, Indian and colonial influences.
"South Africans of Indian origin retained the core culinary traits of their Asian motherland, but they also incorporated African ingredients and hospitality traditions from their closest neighbours, creating a collection fusion genre of foods," says Barathlall.
Every dish she offers at Aunty Meg's Kitchen is a true reflection of that unique heritage. "Everything I serve is pure and made from scratch," she says. "Nothing from a bottle enters the cooking process, all the flavourings and seasonings, like the chilli powders and the masala blends, are from freshly ground spices, and the Afrikaner desserts, such as butter biscuits, are all handmade, just as I learned from family and friends."
The crowdpleaser, , is now on her seasonal rotating menu. It's a plate that's unique to South African Indians. It involves a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with either lamb, beef, chicken or vegetable curry. For those with a not-so-spicy palette, butter chicken is also an option.
Afrikaner desserts, such as butter biscuits and koeksisters, are all handmade at Aunty Meg's Kitchen. Source: Aunty Meg's Kitchen
"It started from the working class in South Africa as a way to keep their food warm and we used to enjoy bunny chows back home as a treat and on special occasions," she says.
The , and veggie biryanis are served with dahl, and customers always ask for sooji, an aromatic to accompany this main course, since it can be whipped up at short notice.
Fried snacks, such as and filled with lamb meatballs or curry, stand out for their authentic Indian flavours, since most of their ingredients are not pantry staples. "So, expect to taste something different from your store-bought samosas," she says.
One of the traditional South African dishes to enjoy either as a snack or main meal is and curried mince, a great alternative to the normal curry and rice. "Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, vetkoek is delicious when served filled with a spicy ground beef curry."
South Africa's answer to the hot dog is boerewors roll (pronounced boo-ruh-vors), a fresh sausage rich in spices and seasoning, and served with tomato and chakalaka, a traditional South African relish that's made by Barathlall's daughter-in-law, Steffi.
She loves making Afrikaans sweets, specifically the Cape Malay , a doughnut in the shape of a platter that's mixed in aniseed, cardamon and cinnamon spices, and is fried and dipped in hot syrup and desiccated coconut.
Barathlall appreciates the support of her family on her new venture.
Cape Malay koeksisters. Source: Aunty Meg's Kitchen
"My aim with my husband Nickey, my son Leashan and his girlfriend Bridgette, who help me run the restaurant, is to keep the menu appealing and to get patrons to appreciate our direct-from-stove-to-table experience as the ultimate offering," says Barathlall.
"Food is a universal language and people carry little pieces of home with them everywhere they go. One of the things I really want people to experience is the warmth of our culture and cuisine and I know we will achieve this with our passion."
Friday to Saturday: 8am–9pm
Sunday: 11-4pm
INDIAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN FOOD
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