You just gotta love Mzansi Cuisine...

Dumplings and lamb stew

I just melt at the mention or even thought of this dish….it takes me back to a time….to a place…yes you guessed it right my grand mother’s kitchen back in the day…

Dumplings and lamb stew

Whether it’s prepared in winter or summer this dish is a guaranteed winner and your guests will give you the complimentary ‘oooh’s and ‘aaah’s around the dinner table.
I grew up in an environment whereby if there’s been a slaughtered cow the whole community got a notification.  This meant bringing your buckets or whatever container you could find and go collect some meat.  Take as much as you want, however, the meat had to be cooked and eaten immediately to avoid spoiling.
Stew and dumplings is one of the dishes that were chosen to prepare the meat. I remember sitting with my cousins around the fire place with the potjie simmering away.  The killer was the aroma coming out of the potjie every time the lid was opened to stir the contents.
I really don’t feel like dwelling on how good this recipe is.  It really speaks for itself.  All you need to do is to try it…just watch out for the ‘oooh’s, ‘aaah’s as well as the consequent licking of fingers!
Dumplings and Lamb Stew Recipe
Serves: 5-6
For Dumplings:
575ml (2¼ cup) cake flour
250ml (1 cup) warm water
5ml (1tsp) instant dry yeast
5ml salt
10ml (2 tsp) sugar
For Stew:
1 onion, chopped
25ml cooking oil
± 500g stewing lamb, trimmed and cubed
2 tsp (10ml) salt
4 black pepper cons
50 ml chutney
4 carrots, chopped
4-6 baby potatoes, peeled
1 stock cube
75ml split peas
2ml crushed chilli
2.5ml medium curry powder
5ml fresh parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
5m1 worcestershire sauce
Dumplings:

1. Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl.
2. Add water and knead.  Do not add more water if it looks dry, just continue kneading until combined.
3. Cover the dough and let it rest at a warm place for about 30-45 minutes.
4. Make round balls the size of a golf ball.

Stew:

1. Heat the oil in a big saucepan, throw in the onions.
2. Add the lamb pieces stirring with a wooden spoon to lightly brown.
3. Add the spices, chutney, split peas and herbs.
4. Dissolve the stock cube in 500ml warm water and add to the stew. Simmer at low heat for 15-20 minutes.
5. Add the potatoes, carrots and neatly place the balls on top of the stew.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

Thuli’s Tips:
You can replace the lamb with mutton or beef and adjust your water and cooking times accordingly.

 

Steam Bread

Steam Bread - Upclose Image

This bread is made by steaming the dough until it’s cooked.    If I tell you it’s divine, you’ll just look at me and wonder what’s divine about steam cooked bread?  Wait until you try it. It’s a perfect example of a simple pleasure.

 I worked on the recipe December last year during the holidays with my adorable 9 year old nephew.  He was just watching in amazement, adding the ingredients and sifting them.  When we were done and the bread was cooked I cut it into slices and put some margarine on it while it was still hot.  I called my mom, sister and brother to come have a look and taste (my taste panel haha).  I can’t remember why but I disappeared from the kitchen and went to another room.  By the time I got back to the kitchen the bread was gone.
I asked what happened, my 18 year old brother calmly replied “haibo big sis, ucinga uba sizotya islice esiyi one and then sisiyeke simnandi kangaka esa sonka” which means it was impossible for them to just taste one slice and leave the rest…the bread is too nice.  The same incident happened recently in Cape Town during the shoot.  My other sister and 20 year old cousin were assisting me.  The bread was ready and the photographer just called to let me know he was outside so I needed to go and get him.
Quarter of the bread was gone….when I came back…
When I asked, they just continued chewing, saying the bread is nice.  Crazy huh?

Steam Bread - Surface Image

Steam Bread Recipe
4½ cups cake flour
500ml warm water
10ml instant dry yeast
10ml salt
20ml sugar
Method:
1.     Grease an enamel dish or bowl with butter or margarine.
2.     Sift the dry ingredients and mix them into bowl.
3.     Knead until the dough is combined and does not stick to the hands.
4.     Transfer the dough into the greased bowl.
5.     Cover it up and let rise.
6.     Add some water into a big sauce pan and put the greased bowl inside.
7.    Steam for at least an hour or until cooked.
8.    Cover the sauce pan during cooking.
9.     Serve warm or cold with veggies, soup, meat etc.
Thuli’s Tip:
The water should not get into the bowl otherwise your bread will be soggy.
 

Amagwinya / Vetkoek and Mince

Trust me when I tell you Amagwinya/vetkoek is a kasi (township) favourite for the young and the old, the drunk and the sober, the working and the unemployed…..

 

Chances are you’ll find a vetkoek shop in each and every corner.  They are sold in different forms i.e. as is (no filling), with polony, with liver or with mince.  The vetkoek shops open as early as 05:30 a.m. for workers and school kids.  Many consumers love them because they are sold fresh from the pot! In most cases you watch and wait while your vetkoek are being cooked.  It doesn’t get fresher than that.
At one stage I was obsessed with amagwinya, I just couldn’t get enough….as a result I had them every other day. I used to drive all the way to the township to buy them until I realised how much weight I was pilling on. Sadly, my love affair with the vetkoek had to come to an abrupt end.  Nonetheless, I still indulge every now and then…. trust me it would be a crime to deny myself of these yummylicious babies.  Besides healthy curves are good!

 

My cousins like to buy vetkoek with chicken liver the size of a six year old’s head in Khayelitsha!  It only costs R5.00 each …..Yep that’s right as big as it is…its only R5.00! I’m sure by now you understand why amagwinya are a kasi favourite!
Vetkoek & Mince Recipe
Makes 8 – 10 mini vetkoek and 4-5 big vetkoek
 Mince:
1 onion, chopped
15ml (1tbsp) olive oil
1 red pepper, chopped
± 300g mince, lean
6 button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
6 spinach leaves, rinsed and cut with scissors.
30ml chilli sauce
6ml salt
2.5ml (½tsp) barbecue spice
3-4 stems fresh thyme, chopped
30ml (2tbsp) chutney
2.5ml (½tsp) curry powder

1. In a saucepan heat the oil and sauté the onion until translucent. 
2. Throw in the red pepper, spinach and mushrooms.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients.

Vetkoek:
560ml cake flour
250ml 1 cup luke warm water
5ml (1tsp) instant dry yeast
5 ml (1tsp) salt
10ml (2tsb) sugar

1. Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl
2. Add water and knead until all combined. 
3. Then cover it up and keep in a warm place and let rise (double in size). 
4. Divide into small balls, use extra flour if necessary. 
5. Prepare a tray covered with a paper towel (to absorb the oil from the vetkoek).
6. Heat the oil add the formed dough balls.  Ensure there’s space in-between the balls.
7. Once cooked transfer to the prepared tray.
8. Make a small opening on the side for the mince .
9. Spoon the mince onto the vetkoek.
10. Serve warm.

Mmm... Home sweet home

Kasi Style Street Food

Do you ever buy food from the street vendors? Or are you one of those concerned about the hygiene?

Personally growing up I used to sneer at the thought of buying, let alone eating street food.  My mom used to buy for herself while my sisters and I watched in disgust.  One day she bought fried sheep liver and we were drawn by the mouth watering aroma,  we actually wanted to taste …..maybe we were hungry.   Eversince, I never looked back……..
I recently visited Langa Township in Cape Town on a Saturday afternoon and had chats with three street vendors, MaDlamini, Mam’Msobo and Zukisa.  They are selling chops and wors; cooked & braaied mealies and braaied chicken, respectively.  Their stalls are situated around the taxi rank where the streets are buzzing  with people everywhere.  There are many of them in the same area selling  raw and cooked food.    I was thrilled by the courtesy they showed me despite their competitive work.

Mam'Msobo selling mealies

                                      

The first time I visited Mam’Msobo we spoke about how she could improve the hygiene and she was very keen on improving.  I visited again after a month and I was very happy to see that she’s made a few changes and planning to do more. 

The food sold by these vendors is very tasty and most of it has cultural relevence for an example the braaied mealies and cooked tripe.

I asked the people who say they wouldn’t buy the food why they say so.  They all say it’s a concern about the hygiene that compels them not to buy.   Some say there are usually a lot of flies around the food especially in the summer season and that puts them off.  Fair enough, the visibility of flies around food can put anyone off.  However, these vendors solely survive on the money they make from selling the food.  Families are raised, houses are built, and children are sent to school all from the money made from selling food on the streets.  The families also get involved in the business i.e. MamMsobo has her teenage son Simphiwe helping her, MaDlamini’s teenage daughter always comes to help on weekends and Zukisa was working with his teenage nephew on the day I visited. 

MaDlamini baaing chops and wors

Everyone is talking about the 25% of population that is unemployed.  Honestly, there’ll always be people that are unemployed, but what is inspirational about these food vendors is the initiative they took to make a living.  They could have been beggars on the street with cut outs reading “unemployed, I need money to feed my family” but they are not. 

Evidently,  they are getting support from the locals judging from the mere fact that they continue being commited to the business.  Perhaps they just need help on how they can improve the hygiene aspect i.e. if hygiene is the only thing putting people off.

My plea is that we support and advise the food vendors on how they can improve their business. 

What’s your opinion on street food?  Do you ever buy it?  

Zukisa braaing chicken

Go on... Have another one:)...


Picnic on the rocks at Camps Bay, Cape Town
copyright © South African tourism - Delicious food in South Africa, South African food guide
Eating and drinking in South Africa is a culinary experience not to be missed. The wide array of cuisine available is overwhelming. From the deliciously diverse flavours of South Africa’s indigenous and multi-cultural rainbow cuisine to culinary specialities from all over the world. Because of this complex diversity it’s difficult to identify the typical south African kitchen or cuisine.

At the same time one can say that precisely that diversity together with the exotic are in fact the elements which are typical for the South African cuisine. One thing is certain, you get value for money. Whether you visit a five star restaurant or just a shebeen in a township, you will find that the food in South Africa costs much less then what it would abroad.

Our South African hotels are great places to try out our rainbow cuisine. For a great selection of hotels to stay with discount prices visit South Africa Hotels for more information.

Learn more about what you can expect from our South Africa cuisine >>>

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Brief historical perspective,...


Zulu warrior cooking “potjie”, food like in the old days
copyright © South African tourism - Delicious food in South Africa, South African food guide
Man’s need for fresh food was once the main reason for the colonization of South Africa, when in 1652 the Cape was used as a refreshment station for passing VOC sailing ships on their arduous journey around the Cape of good Hope.

The early settlers in the Cape were producing a variety of European vegetables and fruit. Most of their cooking was done the Dutch way, in a pot over an open fire. That pot (“potjie” in Afrikaans) is still part of South Africa’s culinary tradition today.

Over the years other cultures like the Malay slaves, the French Huguenots, the Indians the British and many others from all over the world, have been introducing and adding their culinary preferences.

Learn more about the origins of our South African cuisine >>>

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Traditional African cooking,...


Mashonzha, cooked Mopani worms in a peri-peri sauce, is an indigenous African delicacy
Delicious Food in South Africa, South African Food Guide
The authentic African kitchen is focused on maize meal porridge, meat and sauce. The sauce is made from a variety of savouries (shebu) and vegetables and flavoured with chilli. Maize meal porridge is the staple food of almost the whole of the African continent.

Umngqusho is said to be Mr. Nelson Mandela’s favourite dish. It is made with "stampmielies" (broken dried maize kernels), sugar beans, butter, onions, potatoes, chillis and lemons, which are allowed to simmer for a long time until all ingredients are tender.

Learn more about South Africa's exotic traditional African food >>>

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Afrikaner cuisine,...


Food stall at the "Klein Karoo" arts festival in Oudtshoorn
Delicious food in South Africa, South African food guide
"Afrikaners" are mostly descendents from the original Dutch, French and German settlers, who founded the Cape colony in the 17th century. The cuisine that stands out as typical "Afrikaner", is to a large extend based on the Dutch settlers cuisine, with contributions of the French and German settlers. Add to that a large portion of Malay cooking and temper it all by years of migrating on the Great Trek.

And so we inherited today’s fabulous legacy of "Potjiekos" (potfood), "Braais" (barbecues), "biltong" (spicy dried meat) and "Boerewors" (farmers sausage). Hunting was the order of the day on the Great Trek, to keep the cooking pot filled with meat. Today amongst the "Afrikaners" hunting is still regarded as a must to provide the venison for their delicious game dishes.

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south african braai (barbecue),...


The South African “braai” (barbecue) is a way of life and a culinary experience unequalled in the world
Delicious food in South Africa - South African food guide
Then there is of course our south African barbecue or "braai" as we call it. In south Africa it’s an integral part of our rainbow culture a common element in its cultural diversity, a way of life almost like a national sport. A must for everybody, young or old, poor or wealthy, white or black.

People barbecue weekly, sometimes daily at their homes in their gardens, on campings when on holiday, or any suitable spot in the great outdoors. They “braai” on anything, from state of the art barbecue units to a piece of mesh wire on a few bricks or stones.

The taste and smell of marinated steaks, seasoned pork and lamb chops, spicy spare ribs and kebabs served with “mielie pap” (maize meal porridge), sauce, mushrooms, herbed bread and delicious salads at a South African barbecue, is a culinary experience unequalled in the world.

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The Indian kitchen,...


The bunny chow, a hollowed out half loaf of bread filled with curry, a typical Indian-South African dish
Delicious food in South Africa, South African food guide
During British rule in South Africa in the 1900’s, labourers were brought out from India to South Africa to work in the sugarcane fields of KwaZulu-Natal. Sticking to their traditions, they took much trouble to preserve their culinary heritage. Indian cookery grew very popular in South Africa over the decades that followed.

Today we reap the fruits with a large variety of curries, atjars, samoosas, biryani and Tandoori dishes, to name but a few. A delight to the South African palate. Both coming from the Far East, there are some similarities between Malay and Indian cooking. Amongst others, the unleavened bread roti for instance is common to both and so are samoosas. The Malay briyani and the Indian biryani are both festival dishes, based on rice.

Learn more about the spicy Indian cuisine in South Africa >>>

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The Malay kitchen,...


Bobotie, a delicious Cape Malay dish with its origins in the 17th century
Delicious food in South Africa, South African food guide
The Dutch cooking customs in the early days of the Cape colony were changed forever with the arrival of the slaves from the Far East. Malay slaves began to arrive at the Cape towards the end of the 17th century. Among the man were skilled fishermen, and the women were expert cooks who included a multitude of spices in their dishes.

They brought aniseed, star fennel, turmeric, cardamom and ginger (both green and dried) amongst others. They brought a variety of massalas, mixtures of different spices used for different dishes, common to the Indonesian culinary culture and they brought saltpetre, the miracle ingredient for pickling.

The intermingling of the early Dutch and Malay cookery is known today as the Cape Dutch cuisine, a fragrant style of cooking which is unique to South Africa.

Learn more about the Magic of the Cape Malay cuisine in South Africa >>>

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The Portuguese kitchen,...
Chilli peppers, the key element of the Portuguese contribution to the South African cuisine
Delicious food in South Africa, South African food guide
Because of the proximity of former Portuguese colonies Mozambique and Angola to South Africa, Portuguese cuisine made considerable impact in the South African kitchen, predominantly through the use of hot and spicy chilli-based “peri-peri” seasoning, next to garlic, onions, bay leaves, fresh coriander, paprika and red sweet peppers. They all go extremely well with “braais” (barbecues).

Grilled peri-peri chicken has become a national institution. Chouriço, prego rolls, chicken livers, giblets and seafood are prepared as only the Portuguese can. Portuguese South African cooking is particularly known for its mouth watering seafood dishes, such as prawns, calamari, cod, bacalhou, crab amongst others, prepared in a multitude of ways.

Learn more about the fiery hot Portuguese food cuisine in South Africa >>>

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Sensational seafood,...


Spiny rock lobster called crayfish in South Africa, a sensational delicacy fresh from the sea - food in South Africa
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From the Mozambique border in the East right around to the Namibian border in the west, South Africa's coastline is rich in seafood such as kingklip, snoek (sea-pike), red roman, hake, cod, sole and pilchards to name but a few. Other delicacies from the sea include "perlemoen" (abalone), oysters, mussels, calamari, shrimps and spiny rock lobster called crayfish in South Africa.

As with meat, the "braai" (barbecue) is a favourite way of cooking fish. The people at South Africa's west coast, known for their fondness of "snoek" and crayfish, are particularly adept at grilling seafood over an open fire. In coastal areas fresh line-fish (catch of the day) is always a good menu option if you are a fish lover.

Learn more about the legendary "fresh from the sea" seafood cuisine in South Africa >>>

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"Potjiekos" (pot food),...


Cooking "potjiekos" (pot food) over an open fire, highly popular with all South Africa cultures
Delicious food in South Africa, South African food guide
Like the traditional "braai" (barbecue), "Potjiekos" (pot food) and Biltong are very much a shared taste between all South Africa’s cultures. Right through the country’s history, from the days of the Khoi and the San and the days of the southward Bantu migration to the days of the Great Trek and the Anglo / Boer wars, people were constantly on the move.

Next to grilling, they used to cook meat together with all kinds of vegetables, herbs and spices in one go in clay and later cast-iron pots over open fires. So has the three-legged cast iron pot become an indispensable item in virtually every household, in which to cook delicious meals called "Potjiekos" (pot-food).


Biltong, cured and dried meat, a favourite snack with all South Africans
Delicious food in South Africa, South African food guide
The surplus meat was preserved by means of curing and drying. Today this cured and dried meat is known as Biltong, a famous and popular snack in South Africa, as popular as chips are in the rest of the world.