Hello everyone!
Hope you are all well and safe after this weekend’s hectic storm!
Here we were all making plannetjies to kuier lekker and light those fires for braai weekend, but Mother Nature had other plans.
I’m sure if you were not working the past long weekend, the storm kept you indoors, but ‘n mens moet eet and the cold and rainy weather really had me lussing for lekker comfort food.
So, since we are approaching the end of Heritage Month, I decided to share some of South Africa’s favourite and most loved recipes with you.
As South Africans we love our food, and every get together, function or event is usually planned around the food first, and no matter how fancy or gourmet food can evolve, and as one gets older, we tend to crave and appreciate huiskos even more.
These kinda foods are best enjoyed homemade and it usually comes attached with a memory of a loved one or in my case, ma en ouma se kos.
This week Salwaa Smith comes to the rescue, if I am looking for lekker Kaapse kos or traditional Cape Malay recipes, Salwaa’s Facebook or Instagram Pages has something for everyone.
Her recipes are classics, quick easy and uncomplicated. It uses basic ingredients and its economical too
These recipes are perfect for any day of the week, but they make a perfect Sunday lunch too. There’s something about classic old school recipes that just hits differently for a Sunday lunch.
Everyone is chilled and at home, there’s more time to cook, and it’s the perfect excuse to call your loved ones over and have a lekker meal. Denningvleis, bobotie or even frikkadel with a fluffy or sweet yellow rice, and oond veggies or just simple cauliflower with a lekker white sauce topped with cheese on the side is tops!
After the long weekend, having a four day work week is a bonus, so get together with your loved ones this weekend, take a trip down memory lane and make your favourites.
For more recipes or baking and cooking inspiration, visit my website www.sprinklesandspice.co.za or visit my social media platforms on Instagram @sprinklesandspicect or Facebook Sprinkles and Spice by Farzana Kumandan.
Love, your Cooksister!
Salwaa’s Dried Snoek (Gesmoorde Droë Snoek)
Ingredients
Dried snoek/smoked fish
Oil
1 large onion
3 potatoes cut in quarters
1 tsp chopped garlic
Fresh green chillies or dried red chillies to taste
¼ tsp black pepper
Method
Cover and soak dried fish overnight in water to soften.
Remove bones from snoek and cut into small pieces or break up in small pieces.
Braise a large finely chopped onion in a little oil.
Add a few potatoes cut in quarters and cook until soft, add little bits of water at a time.
Add chopped garlic cloves.
Add snoek pieces and a few finely chopped green chillies or red dried chillies to taste.
Add the black pepper and a few tablespoons of vinegar optional
Cook until dry consistency.
Serve with white boiled rice or buttered bread. Goes well with achars and blatjangs
Tip: add cabbage and serve with white rice.
Salwaa’s Kool Frikkadel
Ingredients
500g mutton/beef pieces
2 tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
Salt to taste
7 cloves
1 – 2 green chilies, deseeded and chopped
1 piece stick cinnamon
1 large cabbage
Nutmeg
Butter
Water as needed
Frikkadel ingredients:
500g fat free minced meat
1 onion
1 small green pepper
1 tomato
½ coriander
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 slice of slightly stale bread soaked in water
1 egg
Salt & pepper to taste
Method for frikkadel
Wash and drain minced meat well.
Soak bread in water and squeeze excess water out.
Chop onion, pepper, tomato, coriander finely.
Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly using your hands.
Method
Heat the oil in a large deep pot. Braise the onions until very brown, add the meat and spices and cook until the meat are brown and tender, 20 – 30 minutes depending on you meat, adding water (not excessive) to prevent it from burning. In the meantime, separate the outer cabbage leaves, cutting the veins from each leave but don’t cut through the leave.
Chop the inside (the hard part) of the cabbage finely, put the chopped cabbage in a colander. Pour boiling water over the cabbage and leave to drain.
When the meat is nicely browned add the chopped cabbage in the pot, stir and cook another 10 minutes until the cabbage are browned as well, stirring often to prevent burning.
Wash the cabbage leaves you left whole and steam on top of the meat remove when softened and set aside.
Prepare your frikkadel. Place a small ball (40ml) of frikkadel mixture in the centre of each cabbage leave and fold into parcels.
Place the frikkadel parcels on top of the mutton mixture, add a cup of water. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg, dot with small pieces of butter and cook, covered for about 30 minutes on medium.
Serve, with white rice and atchar.
Salwaa’s Bobotie
Ingredients
2 slices white bread (preferably a couple of days old)
30ml cooking oil
1 large, chopped onion
2ml ground cloves
1 tsp crushed garlic
salt to taste (approximately 5ml)
10ml curry powder
5ml turmeric
500g minced meat (lamb or beef)
1 egg
20ml lemon juice
30ml sugar
6 bay leaves
For the topping
2 large eggs
300ml milk
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Pour cold water to cover over the bread and set aside to soak.
Fry onions in oil until they are soft and starting to colour, 10 minutes. Add cloves, garlic, salt, curry powder, two of the bay leaves and turmeric and simmer for five minutes adding 30ml water if necessary.
In a separate bowl combine the minced meat with the onion mixture, eggs, lemon juice and sugar. Squeeze the water from the bread and mix until well blended.
Tip into an oval ovenproof dish (23x33cm and about 5-6cm deep). Press the mixture down well and smooth the top. You can make this and chill a day ahead.
For the topping, beat the milk and eggs, then pour over the meat. Top with the remaining bay leaves and bake for 35 to 40 mins until the topping is set and starting to turn golden.
Serve with almond yellow rice and mango chutney.
Variations
Add a couple tablespoons of mango chutney or apricot preserves to the meat if you like. A grated apple is also sometimes added.
Stir a handful of toasted, slivered almonds into the meat mixture before cooking, or garnish the finished dish with toasted almonds.
One or two beaten eggs can also be stirred into the meat mixture if you like.
Substitute lemon leaves for the bay leaves if you can find them.
Salwaa’s Lekker Frikkadel
Ingredients
500g fat free minced meat
1 onion
1 small green pepper
1 tomato
1/2 bunch coriander
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 – 2 slices one day old bread soaked in water
1 medium egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying
Method
Wash and drain minced meat well.
Soak bread in water and squeeze excess water out.
Chop onion, pepper, tomato, coriander finely.
Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly using your hands.
Roll mince mixture into small golf-ball size.
Shallow fry and serve with your favourite sides.
Salwaa’s Dried Snoek (Gesmoorde Droë Snoek)
Ingredients
Dried snoek/smoked fish
Oil
1 large onion
3 potatoes cut in quarters
1 tsp chopped garlic
Fresh green chillies or dried red chillies to taste
¼ tsp black pepper
Method
Cover and soak dried fish overnight in water to soften.
Remove bones from snoek and cut into small pieces or break up in small pieces.
Braise a large finely chopped onion in a little oil.
Add a few potatoes cut in quarters and cook until soft, add little bits of water at a time.
Add chopped garlic cloves.
Add snoek pieces and a few finely chopped green chillies or red dried chillies to taste.
Add the black pepper and a few tablespoons of vinegar optional
Cook until dry consistency.
Serve with white boiled rice or buttered bread. Goes well with achars and blatjangs.
Tip: add cabbage and serve with white rice.
Salwaa’s Denningvleis
Ingredients
1.5 kg good quality lamb pieces
3 large onions
50ml oil for frying the onions
Marinade
8 big cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp grated nutmeg
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
1 tsp mustard seed
4 bay leaves
1 tsp red chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup of lemon juice or vinegar
20ml sugar (optional)
Method
Roughly chop the onions.
Combine marinade ingredients, add meat. Marinade the meat for at least two hours or overnight.
Heat a little oil in a heavy based pot and fry onions until golden brown.
Add the marinated meat to the onions and cook until meat is very tender and juicy.
If you have the time, let it simmer on very low heat for a further half hour. If the meat gets too dry add some water.
Delicious served with yellow rice, mashed potatoes and boiled squash or and mix vegetables
Cook’s tip:
Soak 50ml tamarind in 100ml water and add to marinade ingredients instead of vinegar or lemon juice.
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