Chef Makamo's surprising secrets for making the perfect potato salad and chakalaka

When we think of “South African flavour”, we don’t picture fine dining or Michelin stars.

We picture skopo, noise, plastic chairs, aunties inspecting the potato salad, kids chasing each other, and the stories we share over a steaming plate of seven colours or a sizzling braai.

Chef Themba Vincent Makamo, known as Chef Makamo, has mastered the art of turning everyday culinary moments into unforgettable experiences on social media.

Scrolling mindlessly through TikTok as one does these days, I stumbled upon his videos. However, it was what he said that immediately stopped me mid-scroll.

“The secret to great potato salad is not mayonnaise ... it’s vinegar.”

Excuse me? Not mayo? Not aromat levels? Or the battle of sauces? Just vinegar?

We have been cooking our entire lives, only to find out through a cheeky TikTok video that we have been making one tiny but monumental mistake in our prized dishes.

They’re sprinkled with curiosity, served up with a side of wit. But what stands out most is his commitment to making South African food shine brighter than ever.

Chef Makamo explains, “After steaming or roasting your potatoes, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vinegar while they’re still warm, depending on the quantity, of course.

This helps the potatoes absorb acidity and flavour before they cool. In his now-viral video, Chef Makamo explains that heat opens the starch cells, allowing them to absorb liquid. And culinary science backs him up: food chemistry studies in The Journal of Food Science also show that warm potatoes absorb dressings much better than cold ones.

The result is depth, not bland mush with mayo on top. That tiny tweak felt like a metaphor for relationships: season early, not later. Put in effort before things go cold.

Chakalaka

If there’s one dish that defines South African gatherings, it has to be chakalaka. The braai’s best friend, the soul of seven colours, has been suffering because we’ve been giving all the flavour love to the onions.

During one of his now-viral TikTok lessons, Chef Makamo shared his foolproof method for making chakalaka that bursts with flavour.

“Do not season the onions.”

According to Makamo, the secret is to season the carrots, not the onions.

Here’s why: onions are a base flavour, not stars.

Carrots, on the other hand, carry sweetness, spice, and the aroma we associate with chakalaka’s personality. So, you brown onions and garlic slowly, patiently, no spice yet.

Then you braise and steam the grated carrots, adding spice directly to them like they’re the Beyoncé of the dish. The flavours bloom into something bold, smoky, and something that makes you toot your own horn.

Seasoning the carrots allows them to soak up the spices, creating a richer, more balanced flavour.

Chef Makamo uses a unique combination of OBC steak and chops spice (which, according to him, tastes like a mix of masala and BBQ), Six Gun Grill spice, and a hint of oregano and thyme.

He finishes it off with a generous splash of Lavasco Prego sauce for a tangy, smoky edge. In what he calls traditional chakalaka, he doesn’t use peppers, which have become so synonymous with the dish.

“This is just a traditional chakalaka,” he says in the video. Because you can’t argue with tradition.

What I loved most about Makamo’s content was his ability to mix education with entertainment. He doesn’t just tell you what to do, he shows you why it matters. His tips are practical, his personality is magnetic, and his love for South African food is infectious.

We might think flavour is spice level or brand loyalty, but the real secret is attention, by the looks of things.