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Traditional African Recipes

Ostrich Neck Soup

The ostrich neck can be replaced by kangaroo tail or any other feathered or furred game on the bone, from kudu to turtle dove.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 kilogram ostrich neck, cut in joints
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oil
3 onions
3 carrots
3 turnips
3 parsnips
2 celery sticks, chopped, leaves added loose
2 sprigs thyme
a few peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves and salt
1/2 cup Old Brown Sherry, Port or Madeira
1/2 cup good soy sauce (optional)
3 litres water

METHOD:

Peel and quarter the vegetables. Save some decorative slices for garnishing.
Brown the meat in the butter and oil in a large pot. Add the veggies, flavourants, sherry and the 3 litres of water. Cook, checking that it dooesn't burn, adding water if it runs dry.
Remove the meat and strain the soup through a large sieve, discarding the solids.
Pick the meat from the bones (they go to the dog) and return the meat to the broth.
Refrigerate to solidify the fat which you scrape off.
Heat the soup, add the vegetable garnish till cooked, adjust seasoning and serve with hot bread and butter.

Bobotie

The name comes from the Indonesian word 'Bobotok'. It is a light textured curry flavored meat loaf smothered in a golden savory egg topping. This recipe serves 6 generous portions.

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices stale white bread (remove the crusts)
30ml cooking oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2,5ml ground cloves
5ml crushed garlic
3ml salt
10 ml curry powder
5 ml turmeric
500g beef mince
2 eggs
30ml hot water
20ml lemon juice
25ml sugar

TOPPING:

1 egg (lightly beaten)
150ml milk
bay or lemon leaves for garnishing

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 160ºC. Soak bread in water for 10 minutes, squeeze out excess water and crumble. In a large frying pan, heat oil and braise onion until golden (about 7 minutes). Add the ground cloves, garlic, salt, curry powder and turmeric and simmer for 5 minutes. Break the 2 eggs into a large bowl and beat lightly. Mix in the mince. Add the onion mixture from the frying pan to the mince as well as the hot water, lemon juice, crumbled bread and sugar, and mix to combine well. Spoon the mixture into a well greased oven proof dish and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven.

Topping:
Combine the egg and beat well. Pour over the bobotie. Arrange bay leaves or lemon leaves as garnish. Return to oven and bake at 180ºC for 5-10 minutes, or until topping is set.

Inyama Yegusha (Mutton Casserole)

INGREDIENTS:

60 ml oil
1 kg mutton, cut into pieces
4 medium onions, chopped
500 g carrots, sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
125 ml flour

METHOD:

Heat oil and brown meat. Add onions, carrots, tomatoes and seasoning. Simmer gently for 45 minutes or until meat is cooked and tender. Mix flour with a little water to form a paste and add to casserole. Continue to simmer until thick.

South African Sweet Potato Fritters

INGREDIENTS:

1 egg -- beaten
1 teaspoon Salt and freshly ground black pepper -- to taste
1 tablespoon Peanut oil for frying
1 lb sweet potatoes -- peeled and p; cut in 1/2
0.5 cup flour

METHOD:

In a heavy saucepan or fryer, heat 2 inches of oil to 375 degrees. Grate the sweet potatoes into medium-sized bowl, cover them with boiling water and let them stand for 15 minutes. Drain off the water and slowly add the flour, egg, salt and pepper, stirring to make sure that they are well mixed. You should have a thickish paste that will hold its shape when picked up in a tablespoon. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of warm water. If it is too thin, add a bit more flour. Drop the mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, into the hot oil and cook the fritters for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they float to the surface, turning them once to make sure that they are slightly browned on each side. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot. For variations of this dish throughout the continent combine the sweet potato, a New World tuber, with an African culinary technique. One of the tricks to great fritters is to use clean oil and to make sure that the oil is hot enough before beginning. These fritters can be accompanied by a spicy hot sauce when served as an appetizer course. Alternatively, they can be lightly dusted with sugar and served as a dessert.

Vetkoek

They are delicious when cut open, buttered, and then filled with either cooked mince (=savory), or spread with syrup (=sweet).

INGREDIENTS:

Ingredients 1 cup cake flour
3ml salt
5ml Baking powder
1 egg
milk
oil (for deep frying)

METHOD:

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Beat the egg lightly in a cup and add to the dry ingredients. Add sufficient milk and beat till a smooth batter. Heat the oil in a pan, and drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil. Fry, turning them over now and then, until golden brown. Cut open, butter, and fill.

Old Cape Brandy Pudding

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups flour
1 cup dates (stoned)
1 cup boiling water
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarb
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup castor sugar
½ cup chopped nuts
2 beaten eggs
½ teaspoon salt

METHOD:

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, sifted flour, baking powder, salt and chopped nuts. Boil dates, water, add bicarb of soda then add to first mixture, stirring well. Pour into greased flameproof dish and bake for 30 - 40 minutes at 180 C.

Syrup

1 ¾ cups sugar
1 dessertspoon butter
¾ cup brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Boil sugar, butter and water till syrup forms. Remove from heat, add brandy and vanilla. Pour hot syrup over baked pudding. It should be completely absorbed. Serve with cream, cherries and grapes or chopped nuts, hot or cold

Fish Parcels

INGREDIENTS:

Banana leaves
4 x 180g fillet of fish
2 measures of dry sherry
1 small chilli, finely chopped
small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
8 thin slivers of ginger
4 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 3 limes
Salt and pepper to season

METHOD:

Marinade fresh fillets with the above ingredients. Wrap each fillet individually in a banana leaf and secure with a skewer. Bake parcels over hot coals, turning once.

Masonja

The main ingredient is Mopane worms, a delicacy amongst the some of the African tribes.

INGREDIENTS:

2 kilograms dried mopane worms
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion
1 tomato, peeled and cut in small pieces
1 tablespoon peri-peri sauce

METHOD:

Soak the dried Mopaneworms in warm salt water till swollen. Drain. Now boil the worms in a little fresh water and drain again. Now fry the worms in some oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, tomato and peri-peri sauce and simmer till the tomato is cooked. The dish is especially tasty if served with hot mealie porridge.

Oxtail Potjie

INGREDIENTS:

500g Oxtails cut 2 inches thick pieces
10 slices Bacon cut in 1 inch pieces
½ cup Flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1 litre beef stock
1 can tomato paste
1 Bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
1 bouquet garni
6 large leeks, chopped coarsely
2 large onions, chopped coarsely
6 large carrots, chopped coarsely
20 button mushrooms
1 cup red wine
½ cup sherry
½ cup cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons crushed garlic

METHOD:

Dry oxtails with paper towel. Put seasoned flour in a Ziplock bag, then add the Oxtail and shake to coat with flour. Heat butter and olive oil and sauté bacon pieces. Remove bacon and brown Oxtail in resulting fat, remove and drain. Finely dice 4 of the carrots. Coarsely chop the onions and the leeks. Add the finely diced carrots, leeks, onions and sauté until softened Add Oxtail, bacon, bouquet garni, bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, tomato sauce, red wine, sherry. Bring slowly to a boil and cook slowly for 3 - 4 hours. 1 hour before serving cut the remaining carrots into 1 inch pieces, add them and mushrooms and continue cooking slowly. Just prior to serving, add cream and stir in.

Chicken Curry

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium-sized onion, sliced into rings
oil
5 ml (1 t) garlic paste
5 ml (1 t) ginger paste
15 ml (1 T) mixed masala
15 ml (1 T) curry powder
3 ripe jam tomatoes, mashed
1 410g can tomato puree
500 g chicken pieces, skinned and deboned
curry leaves
5 ml (1 t) fennel powder
5 ml (1 t) garam masala
fresh coriander leaves

METHOD:

Fry the onion in a little heated oil until tender. Add the garlic and ginger pastes, and stir in the masala and curry powder. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree. Simmer for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken pieces and a few curry leaves and simmer slowly until the chicken is done and fragrant. Stir in the fennel powder and garam masala towards the end of the cooking time and sprinkle the curry with fresh coriander leaves. Serve with rotis or rice.

Malay Fish Cakes

INGREDIENTS:

Flaked raw fish (skinned and boned)
Chopped raw tomato
2 thin slices bread soaked in a little water and cooking oil
1 egg beaten
squeeze of lemon juice
chopped parsley
salt, pepper, nutmeg

METHOD:

Mix all together and form into balls, roll in flour and fry in oil. The mixture must not be too soft.

Impala Sosaties (Kebabs)

INGREDIENTS:

2 kg leg of impala, boned

METHOD:

Carefully cube impala flesh. Thread onto kebab skewers or sticks, alternately with apricots (4 to a skewer) and onion chunks.
MARINADE: Mix ingredients until smooth and marinate sosaties for at least 1 day. Remove from marinade and charcoal grill for approximately 6 minutes, turning constantly.

Copper Penny Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 kg carrots, sliced in rings
2 onions, sliced in rings
1 green pepper, sliced
1 (82 kg) packet tomato soup
250 ml ( 1 cup) water
125 ml (1/2 cup) white vinegar
125 ml (1/2 cup) cooking oil
200 g ( 1 cup) white sugar
10 ml Worcester sauce
7 ml prepared mustard
salt and pepper

METHOD:

Boil carrots till half cooked, place in colander and rinse in cold water. Arrange carrots in ovenproof dish, alternating with onion and pepper. Mix the rest of the ingredients and cook for two minutes, stirring continuously. Pour mixture over carrots and close the dish. Let stand for 2 hours then serve.

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