Breakfast for me growing up was very much "tee an bread", the occasional maze porridge and i remember multimabella. There was also. off course , last nights curryanbread . But it was very much, " did you have your teeanbread". The tea accompanient was always made first thing in the morning by my elder city in a big yellow chipped enamel tea pot. A strong brew, sweetended with sugar and condensed milk.
Later as grew older and the home economy was more stable, there was Sunday breakfast. When i returned from Sunday school, Ma would have some version of eggs waiting. Fried eggs, egg chutney. Much later (after i left my mothers kitchen, I was introduced to onion eggs and ( the recipe below) Fried Green Mamba in Onion Eggs.
Ingredients
Eggs (laid by free range, or live chicken or as commonly referred to in Durban – Zulu Chicken . Woolworths call it organic eggs because middle class South Africans would be very puzzled/troubled by the notion of Zulu Chicken. Perhaps it would release a blocked memory that there was a time when all essentials in Natal were grown by the local Zulu peasants. That was before disposseion. So lets go with organic).
Green Mambas preferably from the crop raised in Umgababa ( the previously a black spot in a white province ) just an hour out of Durban.These green mambas are still sold on Durban street corners 0n enamel bowl now plastic bowl lots.
Onions: also sold by the local mama’s on street corners
Oil. What kind. Any kind would do. Not olive though, this is afroindian not mediterrean cooking. When we where kids Ma used coconut oil , you know the stuff she used to oil her long black ...no not really, just kidding (besides this is Durban cooking not Kerela)
Instructions
Start with the onions, don’t just chop them up. My sisters learnt the hard way ...Why so thick .. thats better but not so long... you’re holding the knife too high. They could never cut them up the right size, my mother kept moving the goal posts. So its not likely that you will be able be good enough in the way you chop onions. So just chop them up. But not too thick. This is for frying not for a stew. Chop them up finely but not too fine.
Heat the oil. Not to boiling hot levels, just enough to get the onions frying quickly but not to burn. You want your onions to brown evenly. First they will turn pink and then at the right moment when they are just about to turn brown, then you are ready for the next step.
Chuck a handful of green mamba’s in.That is, if you are crazy.I normally normally put in one mamba for one egg. I like putting them whole, tail and all. Another way is to slit them length wise.
The mamba’s will sizzle in the oil and shrivel just a bit. At this point you are ready for eggs.
Crack an egg over each mamba. Wonderful contrast , the deep yellow ( i.e. if you’re using Zulu Chicken eggs or Woolworths organic. All the other eggs laid by manufactured chicken are on anaemically pale ) . You will see the mamba’s glistening in the translucent whites.
Now let the eggs cook. If you want a harder eggs, just spoon the hot oil over the yellow.
Cook the eggs until the onions are just about burnt. Then you done.
A pinch of salt on the yellows will do. You dust the eggs with black pepper but the mamba’s give a sufficient bite to ignore the pepper.
