Image by Elizabeth Alpern

To read the first installment of Foods of Freedom click here.

The early years of Nelson Mandela’s life as an organizer and revolutionary were marked by cross-cultural experiences centered around the table, even when such alliances were frowned upon politically. The Indian South African community, and the solidarity it showed in passive resistance campaigns, deeply influenced Mandela’s later mass actions and encouraged Mandela and his colleagues to work across racial and cultural lines. Among his greatest influencers was Amina Pahad, who became politically active in her teenage years, and welcomed activists of all backgrounds into her home, truly letting “all who were hungry come and eat” and creating a safe haven filled with political debate and good meals.

“I often visited the home of Amina Pahad for lunch, and then suddenly this charming woman put aside her apron and went to jail for her beliefs.…”, recalled Mandela in his autobiography “Long Walk to Freedom.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

This vegetable curry, a vegetarian adaptation of Pahad’s dry chicken curry (dry because the spices form almost a paste coating the ingredients thereby making the flavors extra strong), reminds us of the importance of opening our minds (and our taste buds) to people and flavors that may be unfamiliar, and to the quiet power that food wields in the pursuit of justice.

Vegetable Curry

Adapted from Amina Pahad’s Dry Chicken Curry, in “Hunger for Freedom: The Story of Food in the Life of Nelson Mandela,” by Anna Trapido

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon saffron
¼ teaspoon cardamom
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch rounds
Juice of one lemon
1 cup almond milk

1) Combine spices* (first 11 ingredients) in a small bowl.

2) Heat oil in a medium saucepan and add diced onion. Heat over medium flame until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from flame and immediately add spice mixture, stirring quickly to coat onions. Add eggplant, carrots, lemon juice and almond milk and stir to coat vegetables.

3) Return saucepan to heat and keep flame on low. Cover and cook until carrots are soft but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Serve with matzo or quinoa.

*Though the number of spices in this dish may be intimidating, the combination is very important and all can be found at major grocery stores. Also, if you have one available, you may choose to grind spices with a mortar and pestle, though the original recipe does not specify that as a necessary step.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount