The Roasted Dad’s Recipes

I am an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw my business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep me sane. To keep track of my recipes, and encourage friends and families to join me, I started my instagram account The Roasted Dad.

Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim I (encouraged by my wife) enter MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when I get selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, I decide to go all in. Leaving my 7-month-pregnant wife to look after our then three and one-year-old children, I battled it out and came back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in my pocket.

It all started with an Instagram account, and then entering -and winning- MasterChef. But The Roasted Dad is so much more now. I now host Private Dinner Parties, Restaurant Take-Overs and Pop-Ups and Cook-with-Me Demos, and am a Key Note Speaker at events. I share recipes on my website and regularly post accommodation and restaurant reviews too. This is a glimpse into the wild and wonderful life I lead with my wife Lianne, and our three children Aiden (8), Olivia (6) and Harvey (4).

After winning MasterChef South Africa, I started sharing recipes on this blog. They are easy to produce at home, using basic cooking techniques with ingredients found at your local grocery store.

Recipe Index

Poultry Recipes

Red Meat Recipes

Seafood Recipes

Vegetarian Recipes

Salad Recipes

Dessert Recipes

Outdoor cooking

Pink Lady Apple Donut Flapjack Recipe
Shawn Godfrey Shawn Godfrey

Pink Lady Apple Donut Flapjack Recipe

We often take some time on the weekend to make a nice breakfast together with the kids. I’ve previously shared my fluffiest flapjacks recipe, but this is something totally different! By dipping apple slices in the batter, you can include some fruit in your child’s diet. You can opt to cut the apple slices thinner, or poach the apple beforehand if you want it to be soft. I cut thick slices and didn’t poach them as we like the crunchy texture of the apple inside the flapjacks, but this is up to you!

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Upside Down Layered Stir Fry Recipe
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Upside Down Layered Stir Fry Recipe

I love a good stir fry, as it’s a great way to add many different vegetables to your dish. For this recipe, I decided to try something I’d never done before and make an ‘upside down stir fry’. This basically means that you assemble your dish in reverse in a bowl, and then place a flat plate upside down on top before gently turning your dish the right way around. Find the recipe below and try make yours at home!

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How to make the best braai broodjie (with bobotie)
lunch Shawn Godfrey lunch Shawn Godfrey

How to make the best braai broodjie (with bobotie)

South Africans love a good Braai Broodjie. While South Africans love meat, this vegetarian alternative is a crowdpleaser. And if a braai is not a braai without meat, I challenge you to think differently: a braai is not a braai without a braai broodjie!

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Chicken, Cauliflower and Aubergine Noodle Recipe
Shawn Godfrey Shawn Godfrey

Chicken, Cauliflower and Aubergine Noodle Recipe

If you need to make a quick supper as the kids are driving you up the wall, the clock is ticking and you have no energy to get all fancy, then you should really give this leftover chicken recipe a go!

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How to make your own Basil Oil (step-by-step)
Shawn Godfrey Shawn Godfrey

How to make your own Basil Oil (step-by-step)

I love making basil oil as it’s so versatile. It takes some time and a bit of effort to make, but you can make it in a larger quantity and keep it in the fridge up to a month.

Basil oil tastes good, and adds a nice bright green colour to the dish as well. It pairs with most Italian pasta dishes (even pizzas!), it goes well with fish and can even be added to Asian dishes.

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Quick-and-Easy Fried Rice Recipe
asian, main Shawn Godfrey asian, main Shawn Godfrey

Quick-and-Easy Fried Rice Recipe

The most important thing about a yummy egg fried rice, is getting the sauce right. Once you’ve mastered that part of the recipe, you can play around with the ingredients to make different versions, adding vegetables like corn, carrots and peas, or meat (bacon is always a winner!).

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Duck Leg Confit Recipe
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Duck Leg Confit Recipe

Many people are not confident cooking duck. If you don’t know how to prepare it properly, duck leg can be tough or even dry. But when cooked well, it is delicious.

I love the recipe as you get an amazing result without the feeling of excessive cooking times. It is a bit of a cheat confit in terms of time.

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