Proudly South African – Part 2
Recipes and styling by Thulisa Martins. Assisted by Nomvuselelo Mncube. Photographs by Dylan Swart. Article from the September 2014 issue of Food and Home Entertaining Magazine.
Paying tribute to our Rainbow nation’s diversity, we asked locals to share memories of their traditional food cultures. This is our modern take on dishes inspired by the wonderfully rich heritage of SA
Setswana – Lesego Ramaleba. While growing up, we were a bit fussy about what we ate, until our granny cooked us a Tswana meal called ‘ting and tshotlo’ (sour maize-meal porridge and meat) for supper. It was a family gathering, with all her kids and grandkids, and she told us stories about how she grew up and what they ate. I am proud to have had such an experience and hope that generations to come also learn what our culture is all about.
Pulled beef brisket with ting-inspired dumplings
Serves 6 EASY 1 hr + 4 hrs, to slow cook
The flavour combinations
1,5kg beef brisket
5ml (1 tsp) dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
olive oil, to drizzle
3-4 fresh red chillies, seeded and sliced
2 red onions, finely sliced
2 red peppers
2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
400ml beef stock
small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
Ting-inspired dumplings
500ml (2 cups) boiled water
pinch salt
200g maize meal
250ml (1 cup) cold water
100ml amasi
65g Parmesan, grated
microherbs, to garnish
How to do it
1. Place the beef on a board, score one side and rub the oregano into the cuts. Season well, drizzle over a little olive oil and brown the brisket on all sides in a large pan over high heat. Remove the beef, add the chillies and onions to the pan and continue to cook, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Place the peppers, tomatoes and stock in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the brisket and onion mixture, reduce the heat to medium, cover and leave to simmer, 4 hours. Remove from heat and gently pull the beef apart using two forks. Add the coriander and season to taste.
3. For the ting squares, preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat a medium saucepan over low heat and add the boiled water and salt. In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix the maize meal with the cold water. Add the maize meal mixture to the hot water and cook, while whisking with a hand whisk, 5 minutes. Cover the saucepan and cook for a further 3 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to vigorously stir the mixture until very thick, 2 minutes. Cover the saucepan and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the amasi. Spread the maize meal evenly onto a lined baking tray, sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake in the oven until the cheese has melted, 15 minutes.
4. Remove the dumplings from the oven and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes, before cutting into squares or triangles. Serve with the pulled beef.
Xitsonga – Nyeleti Nkuna. In ancient times the Vatsonga people used to tell the young ones folk tales in the evenings. These tales, told by the grannies, were mostly about animals that could talk and planned exciting adventures. Everybody sat around the fire, while roasting crops, peanuts or cooking traditional food like tihove (samp, peanuts and groundnuts) or thsopi (pumpkin, sugar and maize meal). In this way, the young ones could concentrate on the tales while food was being prepared, so that they would not cry for food. After the stories, they would eat and go to sleep. This practice encouraged the young ones to come home earlier to not miss out on the story. Some stories were left in suspense so that the young ones would come home even earlier the next day.
Peanut, black bean and groundnut chocolate brownies
Makes 8 large brownies EASY 30 mins
The flavour combination
350g castor sugar
4 large eggs
140g cake flour
75g cocoa powder
140g butter, melted
50g groundnuts or black beans, boiled until soft and chopped
50g milk chocolate, chopped
50g white chocolate, chopped
100g dark chocolate, chopped
50g peanuts, roughly crushed
Garnish
100g milk chocolate, melted
100g white chocolate, melted
How to do it
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. Add the flour and cocoa to the egg mixture and mix well. Stir in the melted butter, groundnuts or black beans, chocolate and nuts. Pour the batter into an oiled 15cm-square baking tray and bake in the oven, 15-20 minutes.
2. Remove from oven and allow to cool before cutting into large squares. Drizzle with the melted chocolates and serve.
Tshivenda – Khakhathi Pandelani. Coming from a farming background, I believe that – as the saying goes – “To be successful, you have to be a shepherd”. We would start each day with freshly baked bread and tea, and pap was a staple for lunch and dinner. Thopi, which is ground corn with pumpkin, would often be eaten. Tshidzimba (mealie meal cooked with peanuts and groundnuts) is one of the traditional dishes I miss.
Roasted pumpkin and bulgur wheat salad
Makes 6 starter portions EASY 1 hr 45 mins
The flavour combination
Salad
1 small pumpkin, cut into wedges
water, to cover
45ml (3 tbsp) olive or avocado oil
100g bulgur wheat, cooked according to packet instructions generous handful baby spinach leaves small handful Rosa tomatoes, halved
2 rounds feta cheese
50g pumpkin seeds, toasted
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Balsamic, honey and orange dressing
65ml balsamic vinegar
30ml (2 tbsp) honey
juice of 1 orange
How to do it
1. For the salad, preheat the grill. Place the pumpkin wedges in a pot, cover with salted water and boil until soft, 20 minutes. Remove from the water, drizzle the pumpkin with the oil and grill until chargrilled, 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. For the dressing, blend together all the ingredients until well combined.
3. Carefully arrange all the salad components on individual boards, drizzle with the dressing, season and serve.
Ndebele – Mduduzi Mazibuko. Isijenxe is pap mixed with flour dumplings and eaten with meat. Growing up, I ate this often. I was raised in the city and still visit my aunt in the rural area from time to time. Mogodu (boiled intestines in salted water) also formed part of our diet and is still a popular dish today. I remember my gogo making umdoko, which is porridge from umthombo (maize malt) that is used to make umqombothi (African beer). Nowadays, I find that Ndebele food is more modern with added spices and an emphasis on presentation. It is good to refresh these dishes and move with the times.
Prawn and basil pesto corn crostinis
Serves 6 EASY 35 mins
The flavour combinations
Crostinis
100g maize meal
30ml boiling water
200g cake flour 1 egg
10ml (2 tsp) baking powder
80ml warm water
50g butter, melted
Topping
80g basil pesto
200g small prawns, cooked
small handful Rosa tomatoes, halved
How to do it
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix the maize meal with 30ml boiling water and set aside for 5 minutes. In a blender, blitz the maize mixture, flour, egg, baking powder, 80ml warm water and butter, 15 minutes. Place spoonfuls of dough on a lined baking tray, flatten and bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
2. Top the crostinis with basil pesto, prawns and tomatoes, and serve.
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