Carmen Niehaus: Cooking with Rooibos

Carmién Lekker & Goed Rooibos Cooking Teabags offer a new way to cook with rooibos, transforming this uniquely South African ingredient into a versatile, flavour-rich tea stock for everyday meals. Available in Pure Rooibos and Spicy Rooibos Masala Chai, these larger teabags create a concentrated base to use instead of stock or water. The Pure Rooibos option includes red rooibos for warm, hearty depth and green rooibos for a subtle herbal fynbos note, while the mild chai-spiced blend adds gentle aromatic warmth. Simply steep and stir into your favourite dishes to add clean, natural rooibos flavour to both savoury and sweet recipes.

Rooibos Recipes

See how versatile rooibos can be in the kitchen. From a vibrant rainbow salad with rooibos dressing to a fragrant rooibos chicken curry and rich red velvet mini bundt cakes, these recipes show how rooibos tea stock can transform both savoury and sweet dishes. Start building flavour in new ways, with rooibos at the base of every recipe.

Spicy
Chicken Casserole

Rooibos tea used in cooking, featured in a tea bag and a delicious dish on a kitchen countertop.

Serves: 4-6
Cooking time: 1½ hours

A chicken curry layered with warm spices and enriched with rooibos tea stock. The rooibos adds subtle depth, creating a flavourful dish perfect for everyday cooking.

Rainbow salad
with Rice Crunch

A box of Carmién Rooibos Tea Teabags with a glass of brewed rooibos tea, alongside a fresh vegetable salad on a kitchen countertop, highlighting the use of rooibos in cooking.

Serves: 6
Preparation: 20 min

A colourful rainbow salad paired with a light rooibos dressing. Fresh, vibrant and full of flavour, it shows how rooibos can add a unique twist to everyday salads.

Rooibos Red Velvet
mini bundt cakes

Delicious Rooibos tea desserts with edible flowers, perfect for cooking and baking. Showcasing Carmién Tea's pure Rooibos teabags for flavorful culinary creations.

Makes approximately 24
Bake time: 20 minutes

Soft, velvety red velvet mini bundt cakes infused with rooibos for added richness. A delightful twist on a classic bake, bringing warmth and a gentle rooibos flavour to every bite.

In the Kitchen with Carmen

Lekker & Goed by South African cookbook author Carmen Niehaus is a beautifully curated collection of over 100 recipes that are both wholesome and full of flavour. Blending nostalgic favourites with Mediterranean-inspired dishes, the cookbook focuses on fresh, unprocessed ingredients and lighter alternatives without compromising on taste. With meat, fish, vegetarian and gluten-free options, it offers practical inspiration for balanced, everyday cooking, perfectly aligned with cooking creatively using rooibos.

Recipes that not only taste delicious but are loaded with goodness too. A mix of nostalgic South African and family favourites and trendy modern dishes.

R399.00

About Carmen Niehaus

Rooibos tea expert Carmen Niehaus holding a wooden spoon, showcasing the versatility of Carmién Rooibos in cooking and tea preparation.

Carmen Niehaus spent 32 years as the food editor of South Africa’s leading magazines, Huisgenoot and YOU. She worked on the much-loved Wenresepte cookbook series and has authored several cookbooks of her own, including her latest title, Lekker & Goed. The book inspired the television series of the same name on kykNET, with a new season premiering on 9 April 2026. Having grown up on a rooibos farm in the Cederberg region, rooibos has been part of her life from an early age and continues to inspire how she cooks with this uniquely South African ingredient.

AIR DATE TITLE GUEST
9 April Tennis & Tee Hannes van Wyk
16 Apri Saamgooi-Kos Lize du Preez & Ilze Bruwer
23 April Gesond op die Langpad Ewan Strydom
30 April Sondag Kuier Elmarie Berry
7 May Fees vir ‘n Kind Rolanda Marais & Charlotte
14 May Rooi, Rooier, Gesond Dr. Ledivia Strauss
21 May Tinfoil, Tupperware & Tee Mari-Louis Guy
28 May Boerekos Opgezoosh Mila Guy
4 June Terug of die Plaas Janine Jantjies
11 June Koesterkos Danie du Toit
18 June Lig die Potte se Deksels Ricky Schroeder
25 June Koek en Tee Yolani Abrahams
2 July Visbraai Johan de Villiers & Lorainne Heyns
Rooibos tea expert Carmen Niehaus holding a wooden spoon, showcasing the versatility of Carmién Rooibos in cooking and tea preparation.