Although he has been present in the art scene for years through his work in various fields, Tihomir Krklec Afrika is a relatively new name in the gastronomic world. The wider public got to know him better thanks to the cooking show MasterChef Croatia in 2022, and after that, one engagement after another started to follow. Today, Afrika is best known to the gastronomic audience for the numerous projects he is involved in throughout the year. Various themed guest appearances, tacos he makes as part of the Hangy Taco project, and Secret Sunday Lover are just part of it. What makes us love his food so much is the innovation that is immediately visible on his plates, but also in the flavors. Afrika loves to play, especially to combine the uncombinable, and he has a great love for Asian cuisine. That‘s precisely why, when we were thinking about the names to present in the current issue of the Dobra hrana magazine, he was one of the first that came to mind.

Vedran Peteh/Cropix

For this occasion, Tihomir Krklec Afrika prepared for us several truly good, tasty dishes inspired by Asia, and partly by his native Zagorje. One of them is shrimp with peanut sauce, for which we leave you the recipe below, and which are actually so simple that anyone can make them, and you will very likely impress every guest at the table with them.

Vedran Peteh/Cropix

Vedran Peteh/Cropix

Vedran Peteh/Cropix

What we especially like about this dish is the way Afrika, this time with the help of his colleague Ivan Temšić, made noodles similar to kadaif. Namely, instead of going on an intensive search for that one package of kadaif in supermarkets, which is now somewhat difficult due to the popularity of Dubai chocolate, Afrika decided to thinly slice phyllo dough sheets and wrap the shrimp on skewers with them. The result is a super crispy, delicious dish that, after trying it, we will definitely repeat at home ourselves. And the recipe awaits you below.

Vedran Peteh/Cropix

Vedran Peteh/Cropix

Shrimp with Satay Sauce

You will need:

1 package of phyllo dough sheets (about 10 pieces)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

For the sauce:

400 ml coconut cream

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika

Preparation:

Make kadaif-like noodles by tightly rolling the phyllo dough sheets and cutting them into thin strips. Season the shrimp, wrap them in the prepared noodles, and fry in oil.

Prepare the Satay sauce by heating coconut cream in a pot with one teaspoon of turmeric, one teaspoon of ground ginger, and one teaspoon of smoked paprika. Add a tablespoon of peanut butter and cook until you get a thick sauce. Serve the shrimp with the sauce, coleslaw salad, rice, or a side dish of your choice.