Cooking Recipes of South Africa

South Africa has 11 official languages, as well as eight non-official languages which are used in everyday life, attesting to the country’s cultural diversity. The various ethnic groups that make up the population of South Africa brought with them different tastes and recipes. It is thus not surprising that South African cuisine reflects the country’s rainbow culture. 

 Early South Africans were mainly hunter-gatherers. The Bantu people later introduced agriculture by growing vegetables such as maize, squash and sweet potatoes.

The first Europeans to set foot in South Africa were Portuguese explorers, who introduced fish dishes and peri-peri to the local cuisine. Peri-peri derives from the hot chili peppers that the Portuguese introduced from Angola and Mozambique. South African peri-peri is a blend of chilis combined with hints of other herbs and spices. It is daringly fiery and is commonly used to marinade chicken, fish and seafood.

From the seventeenth century onwards, colonists from the Netherlands, Germany and France, and much later from Great Britain, settled in South Africa. Dutch settlers, known as Boers, planted farms where they grew among other things cucumbers, pumpkins, potatoes, pineapples and watermelons. They brought slaves from the east (Java, Sumatra and Malaysia) to work in the fields. The Malay slaves brought with them curry and various spices that added flavor to meals. The Malay cuisine is nowadays among the most popular in South Africa.

About two hundred years after the arrival of the Malay slaves, sugar farmers brought laborers from India to cut the cane. Indian cooking traditions use a large variety of curries in their recipes. These curry dishes have become much sought after among all ethnic groups in South Africa.

Soon after Dutch settlers, the French Huguenots arrived in South Africa. Known for making wines, the French began establishing vineyards, making their own imprint on South African wine culture. The German immigrants also brought their cuisine, introducing Wurst (sausage), later known as boerewors (farmer’s sausage). Boerewors is a very popular dish in South African cuisine today.  

When the British took over permanent rule at the Cape in 1806, their famous English breakfast became part and parcel of South African cuisine. They also left their marks with their “pudding” culture, their pies (e.g. meat pies) and their English roasts.

With so many cultures having traveled through the country, one finds in South Africa the most extraordinary range of cuisines.

Many traditional South African dishes include pap, a staple food of the Bantu people in South Africa. Pap simply means "porridge" or "gruel" and is primarily eaten by the black and African population. South African dishes that include pap are smooth maize meal porridge and crumbly phutu pap, among others.

Another traditional dish is Bobotie, a unique tasting sweet, sour and spicy meat dish. It consists of minced meat that is cooked with brown sugar, apricots, raisins, milk-soaked mashed bread and curry flavoring.

A delicious South African desert not to be missed is Melktert. Meaning “milk tart” in African, melktert is a sweet puff pastry filled with a mix of milk, flour, sugar and eggs and sprinkled with cinnamon.

For more information on African cooking, visit Africa Guide

*Originally published@www.fastrecipes.com.    –

South African Pumpkin Fritters (Recipe)

Pumpkin fritters are a delicious South African dish, and quick to make - like a donut but much tastier. This basic recipe gives ideas for a veggie side dish, a filling and tasty breakfast or snack, and a sugar and spice dessert.  Pumpkin fritters can be sweet or savoury. They are delicious when fried to a golden perfection, covered with sugar and cinnamon and bursting with flavour.

The influences on South African food are wide and varied including Portuguese, Dutch, French, Moroccan and Indian.  Many dishes combine exotic seasoning and aromatic spices, giving them a special South African quality. These delectable fritters are no exception, and this easy recipe is bound to become a favourite with children and adults alike.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked pumpkin, dry (see note below)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (not soda)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• oil (for frying)
• cinnamon sugar, if used

Directions

Put all the dry ingredients in a processor. If not using a processor, put in a mixing bowl, and mix well.

Add the eggs, and process well until a thick batter forms -- or mix well in the mixing bowl. The batter should almost hold its shape when tested with a spoon.

If the batter is too stiff, add a tiny amount of milk. If by any chance it is runny, add more flour.   

Heat oil in a pan, using medium to high heat to start with.

Scoop up heaped tablespoons of batter, and drop into pan, but not too close together. You won't have huge fritters as some of the batter will stay clinging to the spoon.  Fry until firm and golden on the underside, then flip over and fry on other side.

(You could use a non-stick pan and not use oil or butter, but a little oil is preferable).

The fritters will puff up slightly and keep their shape, but will deflate a bit as you take them out of the pan. To test for doneness, press very lightly on the fritters. When done, they will tend to spring back. If still uncertain, press harder: no batter should run out the sides.

Serve warm, either as a side dish, or as a dessert with plenty of crunchy cinnamon-flavoured sugar.

NOTE:   The pumpkin MUST be dry. We do not have canned pumpkin in South Africa, and would use home-cooked pumpkin.  Either, drain very well, or cook fresh pumpkin in a pot without a lid until all water has evaporated.  

*Reprinted from Recipe Zaar

Whats for Lunch? Traditional South African `Bunny Chow’ with Lamb Curry (Recipe)

In South Africa, there is the usual collection of generic international street food like hamburgers, fried chicken, or fish and chips, but here and there you will find some truly South African food being sold on the streets, like Durban’s home-grown favourite: “Bunny Chows”  

A Bunny Chow can only be eaten with your hands, from there the name originated. "Bunny" because you are eating with your hands like a rabbit and the word Chow, was a slang word used for food. Bunny Chow originated in the KwaZulu Natal region amongst the first Indians who came to this region to work in the sugar fields – Indian workers did not have the time to make the traditional Indian breads and because it took too much time and effort to cart all the different containers with curries to work, in the days before disposable containers they cut the bread loaf in half, hollowed the soft part of the bread and filled it with their choice of curry. A nutritious and filling meal, all in one parcel. 

The curry used in a bunny chow varies according to taste – chicken, lamb, beef or vegetable are all popular, and the level of heat varies

The bread component of a bunny chow may be a whole, half or quarter white loaf, and the scooped out centre (known as the virgin) is replaced on top of the curry before serving. The virgin is then dipped into the gravy before and eaten as an appetizer.

Bunny chow terminology is a minefield for the uninitiated. When suggesting to friends that you should go and get bunny chows for a meal, using the word “chow” marks you out as a clueless foreigner – the correct term would be “let’s go get some bunnies for lunch”. And when ordering, you shouldn’t even use the word bunny – you merely order a whole, half or a quarter, depending on the portion of bread you want, and specify the type of filling you want (e.g. a half beef, or a whole chicken). And be very careful if you have a funny bunny – this is a bunny made from the centre of the loaf rather than the end and, as such, has no crust at the base.

Bunny Chow with Lamb Curry

Ingredients:  

2 white loaves of bread - halved (big appetites) or quartered (smaller appetites).

1 kg lamb (or beef cubes)
3-4 potatoes, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped.
1 red pepper, diced
2 large tomatoes or 16 oz tin chopped tomatoes

2-3 curry leaves or 4 tsp Curry powder
1 thumb size piece root ginger, crushed (1.5 tsp)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 stick cinnamon  
1 tsp star anise

4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed

2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cups vegetable or beef stock

salt and pepper to taste
Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

1 or 2 (depending on the size) crusty, square loaves of bread

Method:

Cube the meat and slice the onion; peel and dice the tomato.

Heat the oil and add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, onion and curry leaves. Fry until the onion is light golden brown in color.

Add the curry powder, turmeric, ginger, garlic and tomato. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mix resembles a puree.

Add the meat and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the potatoes and about 1/4 cup of water. Lower the heat and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender and the potatoes cooked. Keep an eye on it to make sure the bottom of the pot does not burn.

When the meat is cooked through and the potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes) test for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Simmer for a further 10 minutes on a low heat.

Now make the following sauce:

1 level Tbs flour
1 tsp curry powder
3 Tbs chutney
3 Tbs good Tomato ketchup
3 Tbs vinegar
3 Tbs apricot jam

Stir sauce into stew and cook through. Add seasoning to taste.

In the meantime, take a fresh loaf of white bread – it needs to be crusty on the outside with a nice, soft crumb. Little farmhouse loaves half the size of standard loaves are ideal. Halve the loaf and scoop out the soft white crumb, leaving the crust to form a “bowl”.

Spoon the curry into the half loaf and serve, garnished with coriander leaves. The soft crumb can be dipped into the curry and eaten as well.

ENJOY!

*Recipe adapted from Nina’s Kitchen

What’s for dinner? Celebrating South African Potjiekos! (Recipe)

South African potjiekos (poi-key-cos or poy-kee-kawse) means, "pot food" or "food prepared in a pot." It is a food or stew that is cooked slowly in the potjie. In South Africa this means only one thing, food prepared outdoors in a cast iron, round, three legged pot using either wood coals or charcoal. Traditionally potjiekos is a stew, made either with lamb, beef, fish or poultry but always together with vegetables. The potjiekos is "built" in layers with the meat and hard vegetables at the bottom of the pot and the quicker cooking vegetables towards the top. It is always cooked over a "cool" fire (or low on the gas range) and should take at least 1 - 2 hours to completely heat up the pot and its contents. Potjie is never stirred while cooking - only just prior to serving, will you stir the potjie for the first time, blending all of the food and flavors together.

South Africans are crazy about their potjiekos. Potjiekos is an event or a gathering where good friends get together and while cooking, share the chores, pass too much advise on the potjie's (the central theme) preparation and contents, lots of laughter and a harmonious atmosphere - potjiekos is a social & culinary event and invariably no potjiekos recipe ever tastes the same! Potjiekos cookoffs are popular in South Africa like chili cook offs are in the southwest of America.

History: Potjiekos has been part of the South African culture since the days of the first settlement at the Cape when food was cooked in a black cast-iron pot hanging from a chain over the kitchen fire. Early settlers in the Cape used this method of cooking for stewing tougher cuts of game, mutton and beef, and it later became very convenient for people on the move.

Just a very important note: NEVER stir your potjie. The only time you ever need to stir it is 5min before serving.

RECIPES: 

Beef and Beer Potjie

Serves 6 people

Ingredients:

15 ml Cake Flour
5 ml Paprika
1 kg Beef fillet, (Cut in Cubes)
15 ml Butter
15 ml Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions (Thinly Sliced)
15 ml White Sugar
8 Green Beans Sliced
4 Carrots (Peeled and thinly Sliced)
1 Clove of Garlic ( Finely Chopped )
5 ml Mixed Dried Herbs or Marjoram
375 ml Beer
250 ml Beef Stock
1 Packet Tomato Soup Powder
1 Bay Leave
15 ml Vinegar
10 ml Corn Flour
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine the paprika and flour and place in a plastic bag . Add the meat cubes and shake well to coat the meat. Melt butter and Olive oil in the pot and brown the meat over medium hot coals. Remove and set aside. Fry the onions and sugar stirring now and then until onions are tender. Add beans carrots and garlic, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Return the meat to the pot and stir in the herbs and beer, stock, soup powder and bay leave. Replace the lid and simmer until meat is tender (+\- 45 min. to a 1 Hour). Stir occasionally using a wooden spoon. Mix the vinegar and corn flour and stir in. Simmer until the gravy has thickened and season with salt & pepper.

Whole-Wheat Beer Bread

600ml Beer
250 g Whole-Wheat Flour
250 g Cake flour
20 ml Cream of Tartar
10 ml Baking Soda
5 ml Brown Sugar
3 ml Salt

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and place the mixture in a well greased flat bottom pot . Grease the lid and cover the pot with it. Bake the bread for approximately 1 hour over the coals, placing some coals on top of the lid as well. Remove the pot from the coals and leave the bread to stand in the pot for 10 minutes. Turn out on a cloth .Serve with butter.

This bread can also be baked successfully in oven of 200 C for 1 hour. Cover the brad with tin foil after 30 minutes and bake for a further 30 minutes.

*Reprinted from Linda's Culinary Dictionary. 

South African `Bobotie' (Recipe)

(Reprinted from Epicurious.com `Around the World in 80 Dishes’ )

In this episode of Around the World in 80 Dishes we take you to South Africa, for a demonstration by Chef Hubert Martini of the custard-topped meat casserole called bobotie. Considered by many South Africans to be their national dish, bobotie is a delicious example of the country's unique culinary heritage. It's somewhat akin to English shepherd's pie, but with an important difference: the curry powder, turmeric, lemon, dried fruit, apples, and almonds that transform the meat filling from bland to bursting with flavor. The spices are the contribution of South Africa's Cape Malay population, descendants of Indonesian slaves brought to the country by Dutch traders in the 17th century. As cooks for their Dutch masters, the Malays melded European and Asian cooking techniques, helping to create South Africa's culinary melting pot.

In addition to the aromatic flavorings, the filling also contains milk, eggs, and bread crumbs, which help it melt during long, slow baking into a tender, moist mixture. Adding even more moisture are the milk and eggs that are poured on during the last 15 minutes of baking and that set into a delicate custard topping.

In South Africa, bobotie is typically served with turmeric-scented rice and a sweet-and-sour fruit chutney called blatjang. If you don't want to make your own chutney, you can buy a bottled version—Mrs. Ball's is the most popular South African brand.

Text by Sarah Kagan, illustrations by Matthew Brennan, photo by CIA/Keith Ferris

INGREDIENTS:

minced lamb or beef, or a mixture of the two

butter, vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

2 ml (1/2 teaspoon) crushed garlic

15 ml (1 tablespoon) curry powder

5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground turmeric

2 slices bread, crumbled

60 ml (1/4 cup) milk

finely grated rind and juice of 1/2 small lemon

1 egg

5 ml (1 teaspoon) salt, milled black pepper

100 g (3 ounces) dried apricots, chopped

1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored and chopped

60 ml (1/4 cup) sultanas (golden raisins)

50 g (1 1/2 ounces) slivered almonds, roasted in a dry frying pan

6 lemon, orange, or bay leaves

TOPPING

250 ml (1 cup) milk

2 eggs

2 ml (1/2 teaspoon) salt

PREPARATION

Set the oven at 160°C (325°F). Butter a large casserole. Heat butter and oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until translucent. Stir in the curry powder and turmeric, and cook briefly until fragrant. Remove the pot from the heat.  Mix in the minced meat. Mix together the crumbs, milk, lemon rind and juice, egg, salt, pepper, apricots, apple, sultanas (golden raisins) and almonds and mix in. Pile into the casserole and level the top. Roll up the leaves and bury them at regular intervals. Seal with foil and bake for 1 1/4 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F). Mix together the topping milk, eggs and salt (you may require extra topping if you've used a very large casserole), pour over and bake uncovered for a further 15 minutes until cooked and lightly browned. Serve with Yellow Rice and Blatjang.

(Reprinted permission from Rainbow Cuisine: A Culinary Journey Through South Africa by Lannice Snyman ©1998 S&S Publishers)