south africa

Pronounced ba-boor-tea, the national dish of South Africa is a delicious mixture of curried meat and fruit with a creamy golden topping, not dissimilar to moussaka

Bobotie

white bread

onions, chopped

butter

garlic cloves, crushed

1kg packet lean minced beef

tbsp Madras curry paste

herbs

cloves

allspice berries

tbsp peach or mango chutney

tbsp sultana

bay leaves

full-cream milk

eggs

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Pour cold water over the bread and set aside to soak.

Meanwhile, fry the onions in the butter, stirring regularly for 10 mins until they are soft and starting to colour. Add the garlic and beef and stir well, crushing the mince into fine grains until it changes colour. Stir in the curry paste, herbs, spices, chutney, sultanas and 2 of the bay leaves with 1 tsp salt and plenty of ground black pepper.

Cover and simmer for 10 mins. Squeeze the water from the bread, then beat into the meat mixture until well blended. Tip into an oval ovenproof dish (23 x 33cm and about 5-6cm deep). Press the mixture down well and smooth the top. You can make this and chill 1 day ahead.

For the topping, beat the milk and eggs with seasoning, then pour over the meat. Top with the remaining bay leaves and bake for 35-40 mins until the topping is set and starting to turn golden.

No one in South Africa prepares chakalaka, a spicy vegetable relish, the same way. Serve the chakalaka with grilled meats or fish, stews, rice...anything.

Chakalaka Recipe (Spicy Vegetable Relish)

canola oil

yellow onion, finely diced

garlic cloves,

Jalapeño,

ginger

turmeric

cumin

coriander

kosher salt,

red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced

yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced

carrots,

green cabbage, finely chopped (about 3 cups)

tomatoes

white vinegar lemon juice

Like chutney in India or salsa in Mexico, no one in South Africa prepares chakalaka, a spicy vegetable relish, the same way. And if you ask anyone who makes the best version, they will likely name their own mother or grandmother. Here is our version, full of vegetables and spices. It’s akin to giardiniera (the Italian mix of pickled vegetables that includes cauliflower and carrots) and also to English piccalilli relish, whose roots are in South Asian pickled vegetables, which is to say that cultures all across the world have some version of preserved vegetables that enhance many meals. Serve the chakalaka with bread, rice, grilled meats or fish, stews...anything. It’s particularly delicious with grilled sausages or tucked into a grilled cheese sandwich.

Epicurious

Warm the oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot set over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, and salt. Cook, stirring, just until the spices are wonderfully fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, giving the mixture a stir every so often, until all the vegetables are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the vinegar, and season the chakalaka to taste with salt. Let the chakalaka cool to room temperature and season it to taste one final time. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, then serve it either cold or at room temperature.

This is delicious – vibrant with spices, with a sweet note from the sugar and raisins. Perfect with our Bobotie recipe

Yellow rice

basmati rice

sugar

tsp ground cinnamon or 1⁄2 cinnamon stick

cardamom pods

under 1 tsp ground turmeric

tbsp raisin

Put all the ingredients in a large pan with 1 tsp salt and 500ml water, then heat until boiling and the butter has melted.

Stir, cover and leave to simmer for 6 mins. Take off the heat and leave, still covered, for 5 mins. Fluff up and tip into a warm bowl to serve.

South African Pannekoek are a traditional Afrikaans breakfast treat or dessert. Enjoy these thin pancakes with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and a drizzle of lemon juice.

South African Pannekoek

(50 grams) granulated white sugar

(8 grams) cinnamon

(715 milliliters) ice cold water

(115 milliliters) vegetable oil, plus another 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters)

(2.84 grams) salt

(300 grams) all-purpose flour

Cinnamon sugar (recipe follows)

Lemon

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. With...

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. With a small whisk or fork, mix together until evenly distributed. Set aside, or store in a jar or other airtight container for later use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, water and 1/2...

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, water and 1/2 cup oil.

In a large bowl, sift flour and salt...

In a large bowl, sift flour and salt to get out any clumps. Make a well (a hole) in the center of the flour mixture. Pour egg mixture into the well in a steady stream, whisking together as you pour. Mix until well combined; batter will be very runny. Let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil...

In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil on high heat. Do not leave pan unattended. When the oil starts to smoke, remove immediately from the burner and cool down. Pour off the excess oil and use a paper towel to wipe out the pan. This "seasons" your pan and keeps the pannekoek from sticking.

Reheat the frying pan on medium-high heat. Spoon...

Reheat the frying pan on medium-high heat. Spoon in the batter, allowing a thin layer to coat the bottom of the pan. When bubbles form on top and the pancake pulls away from the sides of the pan, use a spatula and flip the pancake. It is done when the pancake firms up and has browned slightly. Transfer to a plate.

Sprinkle cinnamon over the center of a pannekoek,...

Sprinkle cinnamon over the center of a pannekoek, then roll into a narrow roll. Place on a serving dish, lining up the pancakes as you go.

Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you're out...

Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you're out of batter. If needed, keep pancakes warm under some foil in a 175-degree preheated oven until serving.

Sprinkle more cinnamon sugar over the rolled pannekoek....

Sprinkle more cinnamon sugar over the rolled pannekoek. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice just before serving.

Piri-piri sauce

- 8 fresh bird's eye chillies

garlic

g extra virgin olive oil

paprika

oregano

lemon juice

Place chillies, garlic and bay leaves into mixing bowl and roast 5 min/100°C/speed 2, without measuring cup.

Add oil, paprika, oregano and lemon juice and cook 2 min/100°C/speed 2, then blend 1 min/speed 4-9, increasing speed gradually from speed 4 to speed 9. Use as desired or transfer into a sealable container and place into refrigerator until ready to use (see Tips).

South African Koeksisters recipe

Dough

plain flour

tsp baking powder

unsalted butter, chopped

salt

milk

egg, beaten

Flavourless oil, to deep-fry (we used rapeseed, but vegetable

Syrup

water

caster sugar

ginger,

cinnamon quill

vanilla bean, split

lemon

The addition of canned tomatoes bring a nice tang to this unique Cape Malay Chicken Curry recipe. This is a mildly spicy curry for everyone.

Cape Malay Chicken Curry

tbsp oil

onion (finely chopped)

tbsp ginger (finely chopped)

tsp chili flakes (or fresh hot peppers to taste)

coriander seeds

tsp fennel (ground, or 4 tsp whole fennel seeds)

tsp cumin

1/2-1 tsp black pepper (coarsely ground)

cardamom pods (whole pods)

cinnamon

tbsp garam masala

lb chicken pieces

tsp garlic (finely chopped)

brown sugar

-3 tsp salt

Put the 7 spices -- from the coriander seeds down to the garam masala -- in a mortar and pestle. Pound them together so the cardamom pods burst and the whole thing becomes a mess of spices. Discard the skin of cardamom pods. Continue to pound the spices until they become like a powder.

Heat the oil in a pot, add the onion and ginger over fairly high heat, and stir occasionally for a few minutes. Add the chili flakes and spices and stir for 2 minutes. You might need to add more oil (Spices slurp up oil as they fry)

Add the can of crushed tomatoes and stir. Cook until everything bubbles up together.

Add the chicken pieces, and stir to coat well, keeping heat high until everything is bubbling away. Turn the heat down, put on a lid, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the garlic, sugar, lemon juice and salt to the curry. Cover with lid but leave a small opening for a steam to escape; simmer for 15 minutes or longer. Taste the sauce, and adjust seasoning according to your taste.

Near the end of cooking, skim off extra oil/fat with a spoon, as it collects in corners of the pot, if needed. Serve the curry warm with rice.

Let me sa first that cooking has never been my strong suit. But I'm dipping my toes in, and this was my first attempt at making something other than Italian food from scratch. This recipe is very easy to follow, and the spice combination is delicious! My family isn't fond of spicy things, but this dish has just the right touch of mild zing to help them appreciate curry. It's a hit! Thank you!

These Pan-Fried Garlic Butter Prawns are easy to make but look and taste impressive, perfect for a dinner party.

Pan-fried Garlic Butter Prawns Recipe

prawns, (2 lb)

milliliters (2 tbsp) butter

vegetable oil

garlic, crushed

½ lemon, juice only

Devein the prawns. With a sharp knife, score down the back of the shrimp. Remove the thin, digestive tract with the tip of the knife. Repeat with the rest of the prawns. 

Rinse the prawns under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients which won’t take long. 

Melt the butter, add the oil and generously grind salt in a large frying pan. 

Cooking the prawns. When the butter mixture starts bubbling, add the garlic and prawns in a single layer. Fry over a high heat for about 3 minutes, or until the sides of the prawns turn pink. 

Using tongs, turn the prawns on their other sides and arrange in a single layer again. 

Sprinkle lemon juice all over the prawns and cook for 1 minute, then remove from the heat. The prawns should be completely pink all over, no gray bits. 

Serve immediately on a bed of rice, with green salad and a glass of white wine. Enjoy!

Wow, it looks like you are getting a lot of love from fellow South Africans! These prawns look wonderful, and I'm sure they were just as nice as when you were making them 9 years ago. Happy 9th Blogiversary! I recently celebrated 5 years. No post, but a glass of fizz instead. Long may you keep posting such gorgeous recipes. :-)

Many congratulations on your blog birthday Michelle, here's to the next 9 yrs and beyond! These prawns are so up my street and I have to admit I have never cooked whole ones but do enjoy eating them when I'm out:-)

I just love them pan fried in garlic than I let cook a bit and dip generously in thousand island sauce

Such a tasty recipe and so simple too! Looking forward to trying out the others in the book.

we love a nice paella with prawns, chicken and chorizo.

still looking and sounding so tempting after all these years (well two years in the case of this post, but you know what I mean...)

I love prawn cocktail with home made crusty bread

I love them with garlic and butter and homemade Rosemary bread

I wish I could give this recipe more than 5 stars!! This was my first try cooking prawns and all I can say is WOW! I doubled the recipe for 27 prawns and decided to keep the heads on while cooking... The prawns came out perfectly!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

Mmmm, garlicky prawns!  We were in Plett 2 weeks ago where the Lookout Deck serves them packed tightly into a pint glass as their "pint o'prawns" - fab.  Love the look of yours (although I am not a brain-sucker!!) ;) Happy blogaversary!

Made this last night. Added more lemon for an extra twang. Will make it again.

Top 8 south africa recipes from across the web

The most viewed south africa recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Bobotie

Chakalaka Recipe (Spicy Vegetable R...

Yellow rice

South African Pannekoek

Piri-piri sauce

South African Koeksisters recipe

Cape Malay Chicken Curry

Pan-fried Garlic Butter Prawns Reci...

Top 8 south africa recipes from across the web

The most viewed south africa recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Bobotie

Chakalaka Recipe (Spicy Vegetable R...

Yellow rice

South African Pannekoek

Piri-piri sauce

South African Koeksisters recipe

Cape Malay Chicken Curry

Pan-fried Garlic Butter Prawns Reci...

The most viewed south africa recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine