South Africa - Tamarind Lamb with ‘Farmer’s Beans’ Potato Mash and Miele Corn Bread

South Africa is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse countries on Earth. Named in 1910 for its location on the southern tip of Africa, its name is relatively new but this land has old bones and long traditions. In fact, South Africa recognises 12 official languages, and has several unofficial languages, giving its people many ways to remember, share and keep stories.

The land we now call South Africa was inhabited by diverse Indigenous people for over a thousand centuries before Dutch Spice Traders sailed in in the mid 1600s to establish a farm and ‘refreshment station’ to supply fresh food and water to their ships carrying culinary spices from Java (in Indonesia) to Europe. That farm changed the destiny of South Africa forever because the Dutch Spice Traders didn’t just want to have one farm; they wanted it all.

The Dutch Spice Traders decided that South Africa was an ideal half-way point on the trade route and that the location was ideal for a new colony. To achieve their vision of a European-style colony they attempted to entrap the local African people into servitude on their farms, but the locals refused to be enslaved. So, the Dutch began importing enslaved people from Java on their spice boats. This brought significant cultural and culinary change to South Africa as the enslaved Indonesian people brought with them their time honoured South East Asian food practices and ingredients, forming a culinary foundation for what has become known as Malay style cuisine in South Africa.

Over the next century the colony that was to become South Africa evolved further in a cultural and culinary sense because in the pursuit of building their colony the Dutch moved beyond Indonesia and began importing human slaves from India, Madagascar and East Africa. All these people brought with them new food traditions and methodologies that sweetened the pot.

Then, in an unexpected twist, England seized the colony in 1806 to protect and secure trade routes during the Napoleonic Wars. England’s contribution to South Africa’s history is not culinary. Rather, it is that the English ended slavery. Over the next 100 years waves of free people immigrated to South Africa from Europe, India and neighbouring African nations introducing new depth and complexity to the country’s culinary and cultural heritage.

21st Century South African food culture is a rich and robust fusion cuisine marrying culinary traditions and ingredients from Africa, The Netherlands, Indonesia, India and Europe. Reflecting its historic links to the spice trade use of aromatics are beloved with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, fenugreek, chilli powder and nutmeg being popular. In addition, modern South African cuisine features a bold and broad flavour palate embracing blends of sweet, savoury and tangy together with smoky grilled meats and rich, earthy undertones. Key local ingredients include maize, sorghum, rooibos, lamb, beef, seafood, wild spinach, pumpkin, apricots, and Indigenous herbs creating a unique and delicious culinary experience.

our

SOUTH AFRICAN

menu included

TAMARIND LAMB

with

‘FARMER’S BEANS’ POTATO MASH

and

MIELE (CORN) BREAD

DENNINGVLEIS - TAMARIND LAMB

INGREDIENTS:

· 1.5 KG Lamb forequarter chops, bone in or out – or at least 1 per person

· 2 large onions, peeled and diced roughly

· 2 tbs olive oil (or more if needed)

· 5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

· 6 whole cloves

· 1 tsp allspice

· 3 bay leaves

· 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

· 1 tsp mustard seed (or replace with 1 tsp wholegrain mustard condiment)

· 4 tbs tamarind paste (see notes below for substitute recommendation)

· 1 heaped tbs brown sugar

· 1 cup beef stock or 1 tsp dry beef bouillon mixed in 250 ml boiling water

· salt and pepper to taste

Note on Tamarind Paste:

Tamarind paste has a complex flavour profile which is fruity, tangy and sour, alongside subtle hints of smokiness and caramel. This deep flavour profile underpins the unique taste of this recipe so if you can’t access Tamarind paste, your best option is to replace it with a mixture of 1/2 tbs pomegranate molasses, the juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tbs brown sugar.

METHOD:

1. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C

2. Season chops all over with salt and pepper

3. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof dish on top of the stove and brown the lamb all over, then remove from the pan and set aside on a plate

TIP: You may need to cook the lamb in two batches to ensure that the chops have direct contact with heat

4. Turn the heat back in the dish to low/medium. Add a little oil if the pan is dry then add in the onions and sauté until translucent

5. Now add the garlic and the spices and briefly fry, stirring with a wooden spoon to stop the spices from burning, until they begin to release fragrance

6. Add the tamarind paste and brown sugar and stir to caramelise, 1-2 mins

7. Now add the browned lamb and any juices that have been released by the chops whilst resting back into the dish and stir everything gently around with the wooden spoon to coat the lamb in the tamarind and onion mix

8. Pour the beef stock over the chops and stir to combine then turn the heat up under the dish and bring it to a brisk simmer then cover with a lid

TIP: If the dish doesn’t have a lid use alfoil to make a tight-fitting lid for it

9. Place the covered dish in the pre-heated oven to cook for 1 hour (checking it after 30 minutes to see if it needs a stir or more liquid)

10. After 1 hour take the dish out of the oven and gently stir everything around. If it looks like it is drying out add some more water

11. Now put the dish back in the oven uncovered to cook for another hour

12. When done it’s going to be very hot so let it cool a bit before serving

BOEREBOOTJIES - ‘FARMER’S BEANS' POTATO MASH

This dish is straight up comfort-food. It combines mashed potatoes and fresh beans to create a higher protein variation of the classic mashed potato recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

· 600 gm fresh green beans, washed and tails cut off

· 3 large floury potatoes e.g. Sebago, Coliban or Desiree

· 1 large onion, peeled and diced

· 1 tsp crushed fresh garlic

· 2 tbs olive oil

· 1 tbs butter

· 3 tbs cow’s milk

· salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Cut bean in 1 1/2 cm lengths and set aside

2. Peel potatoes and cut in 2 cm cubes

3. Put cubed potatoes in a medium/large pot, add a tsp salt, add enough water to cover the potatoes by about 4 cm, pop on a lid and slowly bring to the boil

4. Now simmer the potatoes with the lid on or half on depending on the rapidness of boil, until potatoes are almost soft, about 20mins

5. After 20 mins take a frypan, add the olive oil and begin gently sautéing the onion and then the garlic until translucent and soft about 5-6 mins

6. A minute or so after you start sautéing the onions take the lid off the potato pot, give it a good stir around with a wooden spoon and stir in the cut beans

7. Now simmer the uncovered potato/bean pot for 5 mins or until beans are tender but still hold their fresh green colour

8. Potato pot and sautéed onions should finish around the same time so now switch off the heat under the onion pan and let it cool and place a colander in the sink and drain the potatoes and beans through the colander

9. After a few minutes of draining tip the potatoes and beans back into the hot pot they were simmering in and put the pot back on the stove on very low

10. Take a wooden spoon and briskly stir and beat the potato mix around under low temperature to force it to release any excess water as steam

11. When no more steam is coming out of the pot remove it from the heat

12. Use a mashing tool to mash the potatoes and beans until relatively smooth (doesn’t have to be perfect), then fold in the milk, butter, fried onion/garlic and salt and pepper to taste with the wooden spoon

13. Now put the lid back on the pot and don’t remove it again until ready to serve the mash

14. Put the covered pot on a part of the stove top that is still warm from previous cooking. This will help the mash stay warm until ready to serve

MIELE / CORN BREAD

This recipe makes 1 loaf of bread or 12 individual muffin size breads

INGREDIENTS:

· 2 cups Self Raising Wheat Flour

· 1 tsp salt

· 4 tbs brown sugar

· 1 cup drained tinned sweet corn kernels, or creamed corn

· 1 large egg

· 1 cup milk

· 50 gm butter, melted and cooled

METHOD:

1. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C

2. Line a loaf tin with baking paper or put muffin papers in a 12 x Muffin Tin

3. Whisk egg, milk and butter together and set aside

4. Combine the flour salt and sugar together in a large bowl

5. Now fold the corn evenly through the flour mix with a spoon

6. Keep folding and slowly add the wet/egg mix into the dry flour/corn mix until combined into a batter

TIP: The folding helps introduce air into the batter and give it ‘lift’, but don’t over mix as the more it is mixed the denser the bread will be when it is cooked

7. Pour bread batter into prepared tin/s.

TIP: If making a loaf you can simply pour the batter into the tin, but if you are making individual breads you have to portion the batter out x 12. Two easy ways to do that are to use a soup ladle or a spring-action ice-cream scoop

8. Now it is time to cook the bread in the oven. If cooking a loaf leave it in the oven for approximately 50 mins, and muffins around 40 mins. until golden.

TIP: To test if bread is fully baked insert a wooden skewer into the centre of the loaf or a muffin. If the skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, the bread is done. If the skewer comes out wet with dough, the bread needs more time in the oven. Using a wooden skewer is preferred over metal as the crumbs tend to stick to the wood, providing a clearer indication of ‘doneness’

9. Once the bread is cooked let the tin cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before removing the bread from the tin/s and cooling further on the rack

CULINARY NOTES:

South African (SA) Corn Bread looks very similar to the Eastern European corn bread that we have previously showcased on Q-Zine. (See recipe links below for our Serbian and Moldovan corn bread recipes). However, looks can be deceiving. SA Corn Bread flips the script on Eastern European corn bread recipes. It also tastes entirely different. Whilst Serbian and Moldovan corn bread is made by folding fresh dairy products such as soft cheese into corn flour, SA Corn Bread is made by folding soft corn kernels into wheat flour.

http://q-zine.blogspot.com/2024/01/moldova-zeama-chicken-no0dle-soup-with.html

http://q-zine.blogspot.com/2020/10/serbia-uvec-one-pot-pork-with-golden.html

These are all Q-ZINE original recipes informed by several days of cooking South African recipes from multiple sources including (but not limited to):

https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/tourism-south-africa/travel/food/south-african-cuisine?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7u_8NSA6gIVWn8rCh3yrQaHEAAYASAAEgIbNfD_BwEth

https://www.africanbites.com/bobotie/

https://www.getaway.co.za/food/recipes-food/traditional-south-african-bobotie-recipe/

https://www.wosa.co.za/Multimedia/Cape-Recipes/CROCODILE-BOBOTIE-WITH-BASMATI-RICE-SAMBALS/

https://www.all-thats-jas.com/sultana-yellow-rice-with-turmeric-curry

https://www.whats4eats.com/grains/geelrys-recipe

https://www.theafricangourmet.com/2017/10/the-best-south-african-yellow-rice-recipe.html

https://southafricanrecipe.co.za/recipes/mielie-bread/#wprm-recipe-container-1018

https://www.greedygourmet.com/recipes-for-diets/omnivore/denningvleis/