Somizi pokes fun at 'haters' with the humorous title of his new cookbook

Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung was a man on a mission when he took to Instagram on Tuesday to announce that his long-awaited cookbook is due to be released in “less than two weeks”.

His goal? To astound the world by showing them just how many copies of a South African recipe book it’s possible to sell.

“I want to and would love to break records, but I cannot break records without you,” Mhlongo told fans in the short video he posted.

He implored them to help by pre-ordering a copy of the book for R295 from CNA’s website.

“Let’s break records, let’s sell, sell, sell!” he enthused.

Somgaga sweetened the deal by saying that those who pre-order will stand a chance to win prizes from Le Creuset, the makers of those covetable rainbow pots you always see him cooking with on social media.

One loyal fan will also score an “all-expenses paid experience to the launch of the book” where they’ll get to hang out with Somizi and his friends.

“Thank you so much in advance for your support,” he added. “Thank you for your support from the beginning of my career, but now I am wearing a new cap: I am a cookbook author.”

Poking fun at the haters who’ve given him grief about not having any formal cooking qualifications, he’s humorously titled the 188-page book Dinner At Somizi’s — I Am Not A Chef.

According to CNA’s website, “Somizi describes the recipes in this book as a combination of the food he grew up eating as a young black queer boy in Soweto and those he discovered as a pioneering adult with an illustrious life and career”.

Mhlongo added on Instagram that as Tastic was the main partner in this endeavour, you can expect lots of creative ideas for dishes starring rice.

Though the book's exact release date is still to be announced, Somgaga confirmed that when it does hits shelves it will be available at all CNA stores.