South African Cuisine - Ethnic Foods R Us

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Traditional South African cuisine, because of centuries of colonization, reflects a heavy European influence. Take a typical breakfast, for instance, which usually is very light, just tea or coffee (heavily sweetened with sugar) and some sort of bread – could be a piece of toast with jam, or as simple as a hot dog bun, or what they call a “rusk“, which is a buttermilk cookie so hard you could break a weak incisor trying to bite into one.

Exceptions to the normal light, “Tea and Crumpets” English style of breakfast do happen, though, especially after long nights staying up very late to watch World Cup Futbol at their favorite sports pub.

When South Africans wake up with a large appetite, however, the menu will still be very British. South African breakfast foods of choice for a heavy breakfast will include: bacon, eggs, sautéed mushrooms, and perhaps some favorite sausages of theirs, the rather greasy boerewors.

Oh, and if you are an American and were to be invited to have breakfast as a guest in someone’s home, and you are told they will be serving bacon with the meal, don’t expect the crispy-fried bacon you are accustomed to back home. They prefer and serve up the floppy and fatty “back bacon“.

Really, then, traditional South African homes have a breakfast that is not all that different than European or American homes. So, because readers here from the other continents, Australia, China, etc., can read up on what they would consider the “ethnic” foods from Europe and America on other pages here at Ethnic Foods R Us, on this page we will skip breakfast, and move on for a typical mid-day meal for our ethnic food adventure in the deep south of Africa.

Do, however, have a go at the delicious South African Boerewors Sausage, and with your normal breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee, try some Back Bacon, for the taste of a traditional South African breakfast.

Oh, and don’t forget to try some buttermilk rusk cookies, too … but only if you have good strong teeth. Actually I am exaggerating a bit, they are hard, but when dipped into your coffee or tea, they soften nicely and the flavor and texture is well worth the effort.

Okay. Moving on, to more about South African Cuisine

Please note: For your convenience, you can click on the recipes listed directly below and be taken directly to a page with just that one recipe on it, in printer-friendly format.

You are certainly welcomed to read through this whole page, most of the recipes are here as well, and there are some videos and pertinent information on background, history, customs, special notes, etc., so it is well worth the read.

Here is the complete list, in alphabetical order:

Bobotie

Cape Malay Fish Curry

Cape Malay Pickled Fish

Spice Chutney Chicken

T-Bone Steak Braai (with Mustard and Sun-Dried Tomato Garlic Butter)

Tomato Bredie

Again, due to European occupation and colonization for hundreds of years, South African cuisine is a very wide assortment of types of foods and cooking methods, none of which really constitute what could be called a truly coherent indigenous national way of cooking and eating.

The importation of Asian and Madagascan slaves brought with them, to the Cape Region, a heavy influence in the foods, which has evolved into what is now the famous “Cape Cuisine” or sometimes called the “Cape Malay Food”, and there are many who consider this style of cuisine to be the true “indigenous” authentic and original food to come out of South Africa.

That being the case, and closest thing to a consensus, we will start off our South African ethnic food adventure with the following dish, well known from the Cape Region, and a nationwide favorite.

This recipe uses fresh, firm white fish fillets, is spiced in a very special way, with seasonings definitely original and unique to Africa, and is absolutely delicious.

Cape Malay Fish Curry

Ingredients:

600 grams (22 oz.) Rock Ling, or Hake fish fillets, skin removed
Note: You can substitute any firm white fleshed fish, such as Mahi Mahi or Grouper if you cannot get Rock Ling or Hake, which are prolific in the oceans around South Africa and so naturally used there most of the time
salt, to season, plus approximately 1 tsp extra
black pepper, to taste
60 ml (¼ cup) cooking oil
pinch of fennel seeds
pinch of cumin seeds
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 red birds-eye chili, halved lengthways
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground fennel
½ tsp. garam masala
½ tsp. ground turmeric
1 tbsp. hot masala, or to taste
1 tsp. medium masala
3 tomatoes, peeled, grated
1 tsp tamarind pulp, mixed with 60 ml (¼ cup) boiling water and strained
1 tbsp. raw sugar, or to taste
10 fresh curry leaves, bruised
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves
Freshly cooked yellow rice, to serve with

Directions:

Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
Using a wok or a large saucepan, heat the oil over high heat.
Add in the cumin and fennel seeds and fry them until they are fragrant, usually only about a minute.
Now add in the onion and fry until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add in the chili and the garlic and fry for 1 more minute.
Next add in the remaining spices, along with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water – enough to make sure the spices don’t burn and/or stick to the wok or pan. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Put the tamarind pulp and tomato into the pan, turn the heat down to low, stir all ingredients together well, and cook for 5 minutes more.
Now add the extra salt and sugar, and then do a taste test. You want a good balance of sweet and sour, so adjust as needed.
Stir in the curry leaves and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, usually about 10 minutes or so.
Add the salted and peppered fish pieces into the wok or pan, and carefully ladle the sauce over them, being sure they are all well coated.
Put a lid on the pan or wok, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the fish is cooked through – about 8 minutes, typically.
Before serving, sprinkle on the chopped coriander and serve on a generous bed of freshly cooked yellow rice.

Important:

Your tomato mixture needs to have the proper consistency and flavor before adding the fish into the pan. If you like your gravy thicker, boil and mash a small potato and mix the mash into the tomato mixture prior to adding the fish. The fish will add its own moisture, so resist the urge to add more water at this point. Cooking fish is tender, so exercise care when stirring your curry, or you will break the pieces up. If your sauce is too watery for your liking, simply take the lid off and simmer the dish uncovered until the sauce becomes a little thicker.

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For those of you to whom this recipe sounds completely foreign (pun intended) here is a nicely done video presentation showing you the steps. The ingredients, proportions, and techniques may vary slightly from the recipe above, but it will still represent the same basic elements of how to prepare this meal.

Braaivleis, an Afrikaans word meaning, “meat grill”, and most often abbreviated as Braai (rhymes with “dry”) is a very popular way of preparing food in this country. In addition to their love of all kinds of seafoods, South Africans love meat: red meat, poultry, pork, lamb, goat, and they have a love of cooking meals over an open fire.

So grilling meats over an open fire, which is really all that braai is, comes naturally to them as a favored kind of meal preparation.

And they like to share in the fun. Having a Braai is an immensely social occasion, one in which family and friends gather to enjoy good company (and drink lots of beer!) before and during the grilling, and of course sharing in the tasty grilled meat and side dishes once the braai is done. Also, although it is traditionally the women who do the cooking, having a braai is the most likely time you will find a South African man doing the grilling.

(It seems grilling meat is a “man-thing” the world over, hm?)

Anything can be grilled for a braai, even seafood, but traditionally the meal will consist of mammoth slabs of racks of lamb, lamb cutlets, beef steaks, pork ribs, and the South African specialty sausage, boerewors.

For the side dishes, an assortment of vegetables, most often quartered onions, cubed butternut squash and potatoes are seasoned with salt and pepper, perhaps some braai herb seasoning, are wrapped up tight in a couple layers of aluminum foil. Also in the fold they will add some garlicky herb butter, to not only prevent food from sticking to the foil, but to add even more flavor. The packages are then placed in the smoldering embers to cook during the meat grilling.

You ready for your Braai? Good. Me too. Just reading this next recipe has The Old Silly quite hungry!

T-Bone Steak Braai with Mustard and

Sun-Dried Tomato Garlic Butter

Ingredients:

For the steak-

T-bone steaks, thick cut (1-1/4″ to 1-1/2″ thick) and with a generous amount of meat on the fillet side of the bone
Beef braai marinade
Braai spice mixed herbs
freshly ground course sea salt and black peppercorns

For the Flavored Butter-

Store-bought garlic and herbs butter, softened
1 tbsp. whole grain Dijon mustard
3 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped finely

Directions:

For the Flavored butter:

Combine the ingredients to form a paste.
Refrigerate until needed.

For the Steak-

Using a resealable plastic bag, put the steaks inside and pour in enough marinade to cover them well. Shake and turn the steaks several times, then refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours. Turn the bag over a few times during the marinating time, to make sure all steaks are equally marinated on all sides.
Get your coal good and hot, then Braai the steaks for 3 to 5 minutes each side, depending on desired doneness. Turn them over just one time.
Use the braai spice to season them during the grilling. When you turn the steaks over, plop on top a generous portion of the flavored butter – enough so it oozes all over the surfaces and even drizzles a little down the sides.
Take them off the grill, and allow to stand for 3 or 4 minutes, then serve.

And remember, a real South African Braai is a big deal social event, so braai lots of steaks, have a keg of beer on ice, and invite family and good friends over. You want to have a grand time, like this example of a true South African Braai.

You will find chicken used in many South African food recipes, and this next offering is one of them. It is also a simple matter to prepare, definitely one of the most easy South African recipes you will come across.

A delightful play on sweet and sour, with a good dose of hot, too. Try this version, and you will surely have ideas for variations to suit your own palate.

Spicy Chutney Chicken

Ingredients:

1) 12 oz. jar hot mango chutney
12 chicken thighs, or legs, or a combination (no white meat)
1) 1 oz. package dry onion soup mix
6 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Mix together the dry soup mix, chutney, honey and cayenne pepper in a medium sized bowl.
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, according to your tastes.
Take a 9” X 13” baking dish, lightly oil it with cooking spray and place the thighs into the dish in one level arrangement.
Pour the spicy chutney mixture over chicken the chicken thighs, distributing evenly.
Place the dish in the oven and bake until the sauce has become reddish-brown and crunchy—should take about an hour, but check on the dish after 45 or 50 minutes.
When done, remove from oven and allow to set for about 10 minutes, then serve while still very warm.
One each serving plate, place an assortment of chutneys, as dipping condiments.

A lot like what Americans and Europeans would call “meatloaf”, this next original South African dish is, in my humble but well experienced opinion, a whole lot better. I hope after you try it out you will give me some feedback in the comments.

Slightly sweet curry flavors, with ground beef for the meat, and an absolutely marvelously textured and flavorful milk and egg custard on top, this traditional South African recipe is exquisite!

Bobotie

Ingredients:

(makes 4 very large servings)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 medium yellow onions, peeled and minced
1-1/2 lb. fresh, lean ground beef
1 cup whole cow’s milk
2 slices Texan-style thick-sliced toasting bread
1/2 cup red raisins
2 tsp. apricot jam
1-1/2 tbsp. hot mango chutney
1 tbsp. yellow curry powder
1 tsp. freshly ground course sea salt, plus ½ tsp.
1 tsp. freshly ground black peppercorns
1 large egg (jumbo, if you can get that size)
1 bay leaf

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Put the oil in a 13” paella pan or, if you don’t have a paella pan, a pan of the same size, suitable for stovetop cooking as well as oven baking.
Bring the heat up to medium-high, add in the minced onions and cook until soft, fragrant, and translucent
With your fingers, break off the ground beef into little chunks into the pan and cook until well browned, stirring as you cook, to further break the ground beef down into tiny chunks.
Soak the bread in milk in a shallow dish; squeeze the excess milk out of the bread, and then set the milk aside.
Add the soaked bread into the cooking onion and beef mixture.
Now add in the apricot jam, chutney, raisins, 1 tsp. salt, the pepper, and curry powder, and stir well to blend all ingredients together.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for one hour.
Toward the end of the hour of baking, whisk together the egg, reserved milk, and ½ tsp. of salt.
Remove the pan from the oven, and pour the milk and egg mixture all over the top of your bobotie in an even layer. Place the bay leaf in the center of the custard layer.
Now return your bobotie to the oven and bake another 25 minutes to a half an hour, until the custard topping is a pleasing golden brown. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Counted among the traditional food South Africa is known for, is a meal called “Bredie” – a name coming from the Cape, which means, basically, a well-spiced dish of meat and vegetables stewed together, in such a way that all the flavors blend together, creating a sum that is greater than its parts.

The stew’s grave is very full-bodied, thick and rich, made so by the use of meat that is well marbled and fatty and dredged in flour.

Traditional South African homes consider Bredie to be an excellent meal to serve during the colder winter months. As with many stews, it is delicious when first prepared, but since the flavors will actually improve over the ensuing day or two, it is often prepared and then kept refrigerated before serving the next day.

Enjoy preparing and tasting this truly original South African dish. They will typically serve it with brown rice.

Tomato Bredie

Ingredients:

3-1/2 pounds lamb rib chops, bones cut away, but fatty parts retained with the meat, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. unbleached cake flour
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 dozen pearl onions
2-1/4 pounds fresh tomatoes, rough chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped into ½” to ¾” chunks
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½” cubes
2 green bell peppers, cored, de-seeded, and rough chopped
1 tsp. freshly ground course sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black peppercorns
6 whole white peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 beef bouillon cube

Directions:

Dredge the lamb pieces in the cake flour, and cook in a large, heavy-duty saucepan with the oil, over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until all pieces are well browned on all sides.
Now add in the minced onions and the pearl onions, and cook until the pearl onions are soft and the minced onion is fragrant and translucent—should take about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add in the tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and potatoes, and season with salt, black pepper, white peppercorns, brown sugar, bay leaves, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and beef bouillon cube—crush the cube before you add it in.
Put a lid on the fry pan, reduce the heat to where the stew is cooking at a lively simmer, and continue to cook for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, until the meat is fully tenderized. Make sure to stir now and then, and scrape the bottom of the pan to be sure nothing is burning and sticking.

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