Cape Flavour

Waterblommetjies in Bloom

Waterblommetjies are an indigenous water hyacinth flower (known in English as Cape pondweed, Cape hawthorn or Cape asparagus and scientifically as Aponogeton distachyos) found in the dams and marshes of the Western Cape (South Africa).

This weekend I headed to one of my favourite spots for the freshest waterblommetijies in town. Seasonal food at it’s best – what a treat!

WATERBLOMMETJIE BREEDIE

INGREDIENTS:

1 Kg of lamb knuckles/ neck/ or stewing lamb cut into cubes
30 ml sunflower oil
15 ml butter
5 ml salt
5 ml freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
2.5 ml freshly grated nutmeg
500 g potatoes
2 large onions, sliced
250ml white wine
250 ml chicken stock
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
20 ml lemon juice
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
15 ml white wine vinegar
500 g waterblommetijies
Chopped parsley for garnish

METHOD:

Trim the stalks from the waterblommetjies. Soak them in salt water for 2-3 hours. Then drain and rinse. Peel and quarter the potatoes.

Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy based saucepan. Brown the meat in batches. Remove. Then add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened.

Return the meat to the saucepan and season with salt, pepper, sugar and nutmeg. Add the wine, vinegar and chilli flakes and simmer for about and hour.

Stir in potatoes, waterblommetjies, lemon juice and chicken stock. Simmer uncovered for about 45 min or until the meat is very tender. Check the seasoning. If the bredie has too much liquid, cook a bit longer. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with rice.

Winter, or Spring? I'm confused.

Cape Malay Curry, Chutney and Tomato Sambal

It’s supposed to be spring but all the furies of hell have been released in the Cape the last few days. I guess we are not the Cape of Storms for nothing! Forget the salads and bring on the comfort food. I love the local curry which has a completely different flavour to other curries . There are layers of flavours that make evry mouthfull an adventure. Why not give it a try?

For more information on the origins of Cape Malay food here’s a link you might find helpful  http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART/reference/capeMalayart.html

CAPE MALAY CURRY

Malay curries have more spices , such as cardamom, cumin and coriander and less chilli than Indian curry. They are eaten with rice or rotis and a selection of sambals. Fresh salads such as tomato and onion are also served. (recipe below as well)

INGREDIENTS:

500g cubed lamb – I usually use knuckle

5 cloves of chopped garlic

A knob of fresh ginger

5 ml of cumin (ground)

5 ml of coriander (ground)

A large stick of cinnamon broken into pieces

5 cardamom pods

3 whole cloves

10 ml turmeric

7 ml crushed dried chilli

5 ml salt

30 ml sunflower oil

2 large onions – thinly sliced, but not diced

water

250 ml finely chopped tomato ( or 1 tin )

3-4 medium potatoes

Fresh coriander to garnish

METHOD:
Heat the half the oil. Brown the meat. Remove. Heat the remaining oil and gently braise the onions for about 5 min to release the sugars, until golden. Add the spices and fry for a minute. Add a splash of water to avoid sticking to the saucepan. Add meat back into the saucepan and cover with water. Simmer gently for about an hour.Then add tomato and 250 ml of water. Cook for about 15 min until the tomato starts to get absorbed into the gravy. Add the potatoes. Add more water if required. Cook until potatoes are soft. Cook a little longer for a thick gravy. Serve with white rice or roti.

Serves 4-6

TOMATO AND ONION SAMBAL:

1 finely chopped onion

2 finely chopped tomatoes

10 ml sugar

30 ml white wine vinegar

5 ml fresh chopped or dried red chilli

Mix sugar, vinegar and chilli together. Pour over combined onion and tomato.

Siam Sunray

Siam Sunray in the foreground.

We were sitting on the veranda when I stood up, went to the window box, picked a chilli, bruised it, then popped it in my vodka. My friends thought I had lost my mind. I started to tell them about a recent trip to Thailand where I enjoyed a cocktail had enjoyed called Siam Sunray. To me it had all the ingredients in it that I love about Thai cooking.


Background to the cocktail : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29279391/

Here is my version for you to enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:
30-40 ml. of Smirnoff vodka
30 ml. of coconut liqueur (Malibu)
15 ml. of syrup (recipe below) You might want to add more if you prefer a slightly sweeter drink.
Thai chilli
1 Kaffir lime leaf
3 slices of ginger
Slice of fresh lime
1 Stick of lemon grass
A squeeze of fresh lime juice
Soda water


METHOD:
Bruise the ginger, Kaffir lime leaf, and lemon grass to bring out the flavour. Add syrup, lime juice, Smirnoff, and coconut liqueur, and shake in a cocktail shaker. Blend well.

Strain into a glass with ice, top up with soda water; garnish with chilli, lemon grass and a slice of lime. 

SIMPLE SYRUP:

The easiest way, I find, to make simple syrup is to combine equal parts (1:1) sugar and water in a bottle and shake it until the sugar is completely dissolved. The result is a thin syrup, but it does the job!