Taste of Africa

Kalahari Mince Curry
For 4-6 people you will need:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp (5 ml) freshly ground ginger
1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) turmeric
1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 ml) garam masala
A pinch of chilli pepper, or
a few drops of Hot Az Hell chilli sauce
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon
ca 500 g minced meat
1,5 dl (150 ml) Mrs Ball’s chutney
1 large, chopped tomato
3 potatoes, in cubes
150 g dried fruits
Salt
Black pepper
1,5 dl (150 ml warm beef stock) g

Yellow Aromatic rice
This rice goes beautifully with the curry. Cous cous is another very tasty alternative!

For 6 people you will need:
5 dl (500 ml) long grained rice
½ onion, chopped (optional)
3 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1 tsp (5 ml) whole or ground cumin
7 black pepper corns
3 bay leaves
1 tsp (5 ml) turmeric
½ dl (50 ml) raisins

Make the Curry like this:
Heat olive oil in the potjie, and fry onions, garlic, and ginger until golden brown and aromatic. Add the masala, turmeric, coriander, cumin, garam masala, chilli powder, bay leaf, and cinnamon. Let it sizzle for one minute. Be careful not to let it burn! Add the mince, a little at a time, and fry until it just starts to brown. Add the chutney, tomato, potatoes, and the dried fruit. If you like, the fruit could be chopped a little before. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the hot beef stock. Remember that the liquid must be pre-heated before being added to a hot potjie! Let it simmer gently with the lid on, for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes and the fruits are soft.
Now it is time to cook the rice!

Do the Yellow Aromatic Rice like this:
Heat the oil in the potjie and braise the onions until golden (if you want onions). Add spices and the rice (cumin, black pepper, bay leaves, and turmeric). Let it stir-fry for a minute. Add raisins, water (pre-heated) and salt. Let it cook gently with the lid on for 20 minutes. Place the potjie so that the coals heat it evenly. Rotate it after half the time, and add water if necessary.

Do not worry if your two dishes are a bit "uncoordinated" time-wise. The potjie will keep the heat for a long time, even if it stands away from the fire.

Enjoy with Mrs Ball's chutney, ground coconut, sliced bananas and sambal (finely chopped raw red onions and tomatoes, spirit vinegar and sugar to taste). The sambal can also have shreds of fresh basil over.

Click here for a printable version (.pdf))

For 6 persons you will need:
1.5 kg chicken pieces or 900 g chicken fillets
2 large chopped onions
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
2 green peppers, seeded and sliced
50 g dried apricots (soaked)
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp ground fresh ginger
2 crushed seeds or ½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground cardamom
1 tin whole tomatoes with juice
½ g saffron, powdered in a mortar
2.5 dl (250 ml) hot water
1 tbsp (15 ml) majzena flour
100 g almond slivers (optional)

Good to know:
When cooking whole pieces of chicken, the best thing is to carefully “lift” the content of the potjie with a wooden spoon from the side and in towards the middle. Do not stir - the chicken will fall apart!

Do like this:
Soak the apricots in hot water for 30-60 min. Cut the chicken fillets in strips. If you use a whole chicken, divide it, remove the skin, rinse and let the water run off. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in the potjie and braise onions, pepper, garlic, ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon until golden brown and aromatic. Add the chicken and fry on low heat. Add the tomatoes with their juice. Let it simmer with the lid on. It takes ca 45 minutes for chicken pieces and ca 15 minutes for fillets. In the meantime, pour 250 ml boiling water over the saffron (powdered in a mortar). Leave it for 15-30 minutes. Add the warm saffron liquid, apricots without the water and majzena flour.

Stir very carefully so the chicken pieces do not fall apart! Cook for a few more minutes until the chicken is done and the apricots are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste and spread almond slivers on top before serving. This curry is not very spicy but if you want to make it milder (e g for children) one can add 200-300 ml cream!

Enjoy with Mrs Ball's chutney, ground coconut, sliced bananas and sambal (finely chopped raw red onions and tomatoes, spirit vinegar and sugar to taste). The sambal can also have shreds of fresh basil over it.

Click here for a printable version (.pdf)

For 6 people you will need:
5 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
1 kg venison in cubes
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp (5 ml) whole cloves
1 tsp (5 ml) dried mustard
1 tsp (5 ml) dried or 2 tsp (10 ml) fresh parsley
1 tsp (5 ml) barbecue spice
Salt
Black pepper
1 can (340 ml) of beer
500 ml cola
5 tbsp (45 ml) Worcester sauce
1 tin pineapple chunks, remove the syrup
250 g mixed dried fruits
1,5 dl (150 ml) Mrs Ball's chutney
0,5-1 dl (50-100 ml) plain yoghurt

Do like this:
Heat the oil in a potjie and brown the meat cubes. Remove from heat and set it aside. Fry the onions and garlic until golden. Add the cloves, mustard, parsley, barbecue spice, salt and pepper, and let it sizzle for one minute. Be careful not to burn it! Add the meat, the beer and the cola. Remember that the liquid must be pre-heated before added to a hot potjie! Add Worcester sauce and let it simmer gently with the lid on for about 1½ hrs or more until the meat is nearly tender. Add the pineapple, the dried fruits, and Mrs Ball's chutney. Let the potjie simmer for another 20 minutes.

Stir in the plain yoghurt just before serving. Serve with rice and a salad.

To tenderise the meat, it can be marinated for up to 24 hrs in the fridge. Make the marinade with red wine, garlic, chutney and some of the spices. When using it, let the marinade drip off before frying.

Click here for a printable version (.pdf)

You need this:
Shells from ca 2 kg crayfish
8 tbsp (120 ml) oil
2 fresh fennels, chopped
4 onions, chopped
1 large carrot, in pieces
4-5 tomatoes, chopped
4 tbsp (60 ml) tomato pure
20 white peppercorns
4 bay leaves
2 tbsp dill seeds
2 tsp dried fennel
3 L water
2 fish stock cubes
1 L cream
1 or 2 tins crayfish tails
(not necessary, but it makes the soup meaty)
Cognac

Good to know:
Always pre-heat large quantities of liquid before adding them to the potjie. It can crack! If you are outside - it's good to use a flask!

Do like this:
Heat the oil in the potjie and roast the shells on high heat. Add the onions and braise until soft, then add the rest of the veggies, spices and tomato pure.

Warm up the ingredients and stir-fry for a while. Add the water and the stock cubes. Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Pour the contents of the potjie through a strainer/sieve to remove the shells. Pour your soup back into the potjie and add the cream. Heat it up and add cognac to taste.

Enjoy the soup with freshly baked bread. Perhaps the potjie bread from Transkei?

Click here for a printable version (.pdf)

You will need this for 6 people:

4 tbsp (60 ml) oil
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
½ tsp (2,5 ml) ground coriander
½ tsp (2,5 ml) ground all spice
½ dl (50 ml) chopped almonds
1 dl (100 ml) raisins
½ tbsp (7,5 ml) sugar
5 dl (500 ml) long-grained rice
7-8 dl (7-800 ml) chicken or beef stock, pre-heated
Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves (optional)

Do the spicy rice like this:

Heat the oil together with the dry spices and the almonds. Stir-fry for a minute.
Mix in raisins, sugar, and rice. Fry for a little while and then add the pre-heated stock. It is important that you use a warmed-up stock so that the potjie does not cool down too quickly. That may crack the potjie! If you are outdoors, it is good to use a thermos flask.

Let the rice cook for ca 20 minutes or until soft. Make sure it is not getting too sticky. If necessary, use more water. You can sprinkle a little fresh coriander on top (optional).

The rice will keep warm for long in the potjie. It is therefore o k for it to stand a while, if you are waiting for another potjie to finish or perhaps something from the grill?

Click here for a printable version (.pdf)

You will need this for about 20:

500 g minced meat
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ onion, chopped
2 ½ ml freshly ground black pepper
7 ½ ml ground cumin
7 ½ ml ground coriander
5 ml ground fresh ginger
10 ml garam masala
15 ml lemon juice
3-4 slices white bread, crumbled
1 red chilli, finely chopped, seeds removed
Olive oil for deep-frying
Salt
Lettuce - it’s nice to mix different kinds of lettuce leaves
Toothpicks
 

Do the like this:

In a large mixing bowl, mix the mince with the egg, garlic, onion, spices, salt, lemon juice, breadcrumbs and the chilli. Mix everything carefully to a thick paste. If this feels sticky when you try to shape the round meatballs with your fingers, add more breadcrumbs. Pour oil in a potjie and place over hot coals. Alternatively, heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pot on a stove. When the oil is hot, slowly lower the meatballs one by one into the oil (using a spoon with holes). Fry until crispy & brown. This takes 3-5 minutes, depending on the temperature of the oil. Be careful to not fry the meatballs too long as this can dry them out! When ready, remove the meatballs and place on paper towels to drip dry.

In the mean time, prepare a mix of fresh lettuce leaves on a plate or basket. Insert a toothpick into each meatball and place on the bed of lettuce. Serve when still warm together with Mrs Balls’ chutney and two cold dip sauces (see suggestions below).

Click here for a printable version (.pdf)

You need this for 4 litres:

8-10 Bags of rooibos
1 Packet of “glögg” spices, equivalent to:
1 Whole stick cinnamon
15 ml Cardamom pods
8 Whole cloves
Rind from Seville orange
A piece of dried ginger
100 ml Raisins
1 L Dry red wine
Sugar

Do the like this:

 Make the Rooibos Mulled Wine like this:

Make 3 litres of strong Rooibos, using all the bags. Add all the dry spices & raisins and bring it to a boil and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Let the rooibos bags remain in the pot. Remove the potjie from the fire and let it steep for 1-2 hours. Add the wine (0.5 - 1 litre) and heat the pot up again. Add sugar, wine and lemon juice to taste. It should be a good balance - not too sour or sweet but with a strong spicy flavour! Use a sieve to remove your tea bags and spices. Enjoy your Rooibos mulled wine in warm mugs, perhaps with chopped dried fruits such as coconut or yoghurt dates!

If you wish, the wine can be replaced with concentrated berry juice, for example black currant or blueberry juice.

Click here for a printable version (.pdf)

You need this for4 persons:

½-1 turnip
½-1 sweet potato
3-4 beetroots
1 red onion, finely chopped
5 ml marjoram, dried
2 ½ ground fresh ginger
1 ¼ ml ground cinnamon
15 ml spring onion, chopped
1 L tasty vegetable or beef stock
1 tin creamed coconut
30 ml flaked almonds
1 fresh green chilli, chopped without seeds
50 ml ground coconut
Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
Olive oil for frying
fresh chopped herbs for decoration

Do the soup like this:

Peel and chop the root vegetables (the size of sugar cubes, or larger). Pour oil in a potjie and heat it over hot coals. Add the red onion and fry for 4-5 minutes and then the chopped roots, and fry for another 3-4 minutes. Blend in the marjoram, ginger, cinnamon, and spring onions, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let everything fry on low heat for another 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat for a while and add the coconut milk in small portions, stirring all the time. Then, add the warm stock, the almonds and the chillies. Stir and let it simmer with the lid on for 10 to 15 minutes. The vegetables should be soft but not fall apart. The beetroots are a little firmer than the other root vegetables. Blend in the ground coconut a minute before serving the warm soup.

Garnish with chopped coriander or thyme!

Click here for a printable version (.pdf)