‘The most loved meals in the Eastern Cape’
Tuesday, 30th September 2025
Blue Monday for who? Get comfort from the Rustic Route’s Mogodu Monday!
At The Rustic Route in Makhanda Sinayo Tshikhi is turning the start of the week into a celebration of comfort, culture, and flavour with her much-loved Mogodu Mondays.
Every Monday, Tshikhi serves up mouth-watering tripe (ulusu) — a dish close to her heart and one of her all-time favourite comfort foods.
“It only made sense to me to make this dish available on Mondays,” Tshikhi says. “Most people find Monday to be the most stressful day of the week. So, when one is stressed, nothing says comfort like a bowl of mogodu and homemade bread, coupled with a drink of your choice.”
But Mogodu Monday isn’t just about beating the stress; it’s about celebrating culture.
“I wanted to celebrate the beauty of Xhosa traditional foods,” she says, “ulusu is one of the most loved meals in the Eastern Cape. It reminds us of home and embodies the heart of a Xhosa home.”
If you’d like to try your hand at making this delicious dish at home, Tshikhi generously shares her signature mogodu recipe from Rustic Route:
Ingredients:
1.5 kg sheep tripe
1 medium onion
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp steak & chops spice
1 tbsp curry powder
2 beef stock cubes
1 tbsp salt
Preparation:
Clean the tripe thoroughly under running water. “Please make sure that you clean and keep cleaning,” Tshikhi stresses.
Boil the tripe with beef stock cubes until it becomes tender.
In a separate pot, fry onions and garlic, then add steak & chops spice, paprika, and curry powder. Stir well.
Add the cooked tripe to the spiced mixture, combine, and simmer on medium heat until tender and flavourful.
So, next time Monday feels heavy, skip the complaints and head to your kitchen (or more conveniently, Rustic) for steaming mogodu that warms your belly and your spirit.
Because really, blue Monday for who?
Article by Maleruo Leponesa and originally published by Grocotts Mail.
