Food blogger, Kim Bagley is originally from Cape Town. Her husband is from Durban. Over the years she learned to blend their tastes in food. She shares some of her family’s favourite meals to help warm up winter nights.
*LAMB STEW
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp salted butter
2 onions chopped
4 cloves crushed garlic
1kg lamb pieces
Salt to taste
2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp Staffords gravy browning
10g tomato paste
3 mealies cut into quarters
4 to 5 carrots
4 potatoes cut into cubes
2 tsp paprika
3 cups lamb or mutton stock or 3 mutton stock cubes in 3 cups water
Few stems rosemary and thyme
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Method:
Add oil to a pot.
Add chopped onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add butter and garlic.
Sauté until partially brown.
Add lamb and fresh herbs, braise for 30 minutes, lid off.
Add a dash of stock at a time when needed.
This is a very important step as the braising process will determine the deep rich dark brown colour and taste of the stew.
Add pepper, paprika, gravy browning and tomato paste
Braise for 15 minutes on medium heat, lid on.
Add 1½ cup stock and cook for 1 hour.
Add corn, carrots and potatoes, the balance of the stock.
Cook on medium heat until potatoes are soft.
Grind some black pepper on top.
Serve with rice, pap or bread.
*RICH, HEARTY, BEEF STEW
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp salted butter
2 onions chopped
2 tsp garlic and ginger paste
2 bay leaves
1kg to 1.5kg beef
Salt to taste
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp tomato paste (1 sachet)
4 chopped carrots
1 punnet button mushrooms
2 cups water
Few stems rosemary and thyme
Chopped parsley for garnish
Method
Add oil to pot. Add chopped onions, butter and bay leaves.
Fry onions until partially brown. Add garlic and ginger paste.
Add beef and braise for 15 minutes, lid off.
Add salt, pepper and paprika. Braise for 30 minutes (lid on) adding very little (dash) water at a time when needed.
This is a very important step as the braising process will determine the deep rich colour and flavour of the stew.
Add soy sauce, tomato paste, rosemary and thyme. Braise for 15 minutes on medium heat (lid on)
Add carrots and water when needed. Cook for 15 minutes.
Add mushrooms and turn down heat and allow to slow cook for 30 minutes.
Once meat is soft you are ready to serve. Grind some black pepper on top and add chopped parsley.
Serve with rice, pap, crusty bread or mash potatoes.
*LAMB DHAL GOSHT
A traditional winter hit, only using time-saving canned dhall products. No more hours of boiling.
3 tbs cooking oil
100g butter
1 tsp jeera seeds
2 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
1 chopped onion
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp jeera powder
1 tsp tumeric powder
3 to 4 tsp (or to taste) chilli powder (masala of choice)
2 grated tomatoes
10g (1 sachet) tomato paste
1 stem curry leaves
2 tbs garlic & ginger paste
Salt to taste
1.2kg - 1.5kg lamb pieces
1 can Saikav gram dhall
1 can Saikav split pea dhal
½ can Saikav lentils
3 cups boiling water
Method
Add oil to pan.
Add Jeera seeds, star anise, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Sauté for 2 minutes.
Add onions, 50g butter and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add all ground spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic and ginger, salt to taste, curry leaves and a dash of water.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Add lamb pieces and a dash of water. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes.
Add gram dhall, pea dhall and ½ can lentils.
Add 2 cups water and cook for 30 minutes on medium to low heat.
Add the balance of the butter and simmer for 10 minutes.
Garnish with fresh coriander (dhania)
Serve with rice, roti or naan and your condiments of choice.
*CHICKEN STEW
I add tumeric to my stews. For a single ingredient, turmeric spice manages to pack a major health punch, with many health benefits. These include antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
3 tbs olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 onions, chopped
1 tbs garlic and ginger paste
½ to 1 tsp turmeric
8 pieces of chicken
Few sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
4 carrots
4 potatoes
1 packet Knorr Chicken 2 in 1 Stew Mix
Water
Method
In a pot, add the oil followed by the bay leaves and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger paste, followed by the turmeric. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken, 4 to 5 sprigs of thyme, and salt and pepper.
Braise for 20 minutes, adding a dash of water at a time.
Add the chopped carrots and potatoes.
Braise until the potatoes are almost soft.
Add the Knorr 2 in 1 Chicken Stew Mix.
Add 1 cup of water.
Simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Serve hot with rice, pap or fresh bread.
*CAPE MALAY KOEKSISTERS
Cape Malay Koesisters served with your favourite cup of coffee just hits the soul on all levels. This is a much easier recipe than most, using mixed spice instead of all the different spices, as some spices are hard to come by in certain regions. Mixed spice has all in one spice for koesisters.
5 cups cake flour
3 to 3½ tbs whole aniseed
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 packet dry yeast
1 tsp ground elachi (cardamom)
3 tbs mixed spice
1 egg
Sift all of the above dry ingredients together.
Wet ingredients
300ml boiling water
250ml cold milk
50g butter or margarine
4 tbs brown sugar
Method
Put boiling water in a bowl. Add margarine and allow it to melt. Add sugar and mix. Add cold milk and mix together.
Whisk 1 egg and add to dry ingredients.
Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix by hand.
At this point the dough will be sticky and that’s what you want.
Do not add more flour. Add oil to hand and rub into sticky dough.
Cover dough with cling wrap and put in warm place to raise about 1 to 2 hours, or until double in size.
You do not need to knead the dough.
Shape into oblong shapes.
Deep fry on medium heat until golden brown.
Do a toothpick test to make sure it’s cooked inside.
Drain on paper towels.
Syrup
2 cups water
2¾ cups sugar
4 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
3 pieces dry naartjie peel (optional)
Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes or until a bit sticky and sugar dissolved.
Turn heat down to low, add koesisters and cook for 50 to 60 seconds until evenly syruped.
Remove and sprinkle with coconut. Do not roll in coconut like a snowball, just lightly sprinkle
Recipe makes just over 3 dozen.
NOTE: You can freeze un-syruped koesisters and syrup them at the time of making.
*BOEBER/VERMICELLI
Boeber is a traditional Cape Malay sweet and spicy milk drink made with vermicelli, sago and sugar, and flavoured with cardamom, stick cinnamon and rose water.
In Durban it’s known as vermicelli but its consistency is slightly thicker – more of a pudding than a drinking consistency. Either way it’s basically the same with a few added extra ingredients of choice.
125g salted butter
¼ cup sago soaked in 200 ml water
250 ml (1 cup) vermicelli or lokshin
3 cinnamon sticks
3 cardamoms
½ to 1 tsp ground cardamom
2 litres milk (extra if too thick)
1 tin condensed milk or:
Sugar to taste
100g almonds or pistachios (optional )
5 ml Ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla essence
Rose water to taste (optional)
Method
Soak the sago in the water for about 30 minutes.
In dry pot toast vermicelli, cardamom and cinnamon sticks.
Toss around until it starts to brown. Add butter and allow to melt.
Add milk, pre-soaked sago and then simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly, otherwise it will stick.
The sago should become translucent.
Add condensed milk or sugar, ground cardamom, almonds, vanilla essence, rose water (optional) and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
Garnish with almonds or pistachios and ground cinnamon
Add extra milk if it’s to thick. Serve hot and enjoy this rich, spicy dessert.
*PUMPKIN FRITTERS
800 to 1kg pumpkin, steamed and smashed
2 tbs melted butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
½ tsp elachi powder (ground cardamom)
3 heaped tbs sugar
½ tsp salt
1 cup cake flour
1tsp baking powder.
Method
Steam pumpkin until soft, smash and add butter. Allow to cool.
Add eggs and vanilla essence and mix
Add sugar, elachi powder, salt and mix.
Sift in flour and baking powder. Mix until smooth batter.
Add a little oil to pan on medium to high heat.
Drop a tablespoon full of batter in hot oil. Fry until golden brown.