Stews and Bredies

‘Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has the ability to comfort.’

NORMAN KOLPAS

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There are many dishes that define Cape Malay cuisine, but none of them so aptly defines ‘comfort’ like that of a traditional Cape Malay bredie. A bredie is typically a stew made with meat and vegetables, slow-cooked in a fairly saucy gravy often referred to as lang sous (sauce that is fairly thick and plentiful).

What sets a Cape Malay bredie apart from a traditional stew is the way in which the meat is braised, along with the addition of either a green chilli in dishes such as Pea Bredie (p. 18) or chilli flakes in Cauliflower Bredie (p. 14).

Bredies conjure up fond memories of tucking my fork into my dad’s plate, as our thoughts drifted to the wonderful recollections of eating numerous meals at my grandmother’s table in Bo-Kaap in the Cape Malay Quarter of Cape Town, where life was simple and the food simply delicious!

WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE ABOUT BREDIES

A certain level of skill and experience is required to make a good bredie. You will need time, for a bredie cannot be rushed. You will need to be alert and attentive when you braise the meat because there is a significant difference between browning the meat and over-browning it, where bits of it end up burnt and may give the dish a bitter taste. Sometimes this situation can be rescued with the addition of a little sugar.

Choose your meat carefully – when it comes to braising and slow-cooking, shoulder of lamb is ideal. It is rich in connective tissue and, when cooked for a long time, becomes meltingly tender and luscious. So too is thick rib, lamb shank and leg of lamb. The connective tissue is the fibre that holds the muscles in place and it is high in collagen, which becomes tender and gelatinous with long cooking.

When you add the vegetables is very important, but it depends on the type of vegetables you are using. For root vegetables such as carrots, you’ll want to cook them until tender but still firm enough to retain their shape, and for the sweetness of the carrots to be tasted and not to be lost in the gravy.

The most flavoursome way to cook a bredie is with vegetable oil. How much oil you use depends on how much fat you have on the meat. If you have a fair amount of fat on the meat, then 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil is more than enough. If the meat has very little to no fat then 2 Tbsp (30 ml) oil is required. I’ll let you in on a family secret that has been passed on from my great-grandmother to my grandmother and from my grandmother to me: use 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil when you braise the meat and add the last tablespoon of oil about 5 minutes before the dish is served. My father also believed it adds just the right level of moisture to the entire dish and produces a beautifully rich and silky sauce

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Cauliflower Bredie

The holy grail of bredies and a firm favourite among the Cape Malay community. My father cooked this for me when I was pregnant with my eldest son, Tawfeeq. During this time I had an intense craving for two things: strawberries, and cauliflower bredie! I found myself at my parents’ home at least once a week, tucking into what my husband has now fondly christened: ‘the national flower of our home’. The best part of eating this with my Pappa was taking a slice of freshly buttered white bread and scraping the last bits of the leftovers from the bottom of the pot! SERVES 6–8

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  1. 1.Heat 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of the oil over a medium/high heat. Add the onion and chilli.
  2. 2.Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is lightly browned. Season with salt. Add the meat and continue to cook over a medium/high heat, all the while searing the meat and browning it evenly. Add the sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes.
  3. 3.As the meat and onion are just about to catch on the bottom of the pot, add 1 C (250 ml) of the water to the braised meat.
  4. 4.Ensure that you stir the meat and gently scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook over a high heat for 5 minutes, covered and 2 minutes, uncovered.
  5. 5.As the moisture evaporates again, stir the meat until you notice it browning again and add another 1⁄2 C (125 ml) water. Cook, covered, for a further 5 minutes over high heat.
  6. 6.Arrange the cauliflower florets on top of the meat and add the remaining 1⁄2 C (125 ml) water.
  7. 7.Turn the heat down to a medium setting and simmer for at least 45 minutes.
  8. 8.Gently wedge the quartered potatoes in between the cooked ingredients and cook, covered, for a further 20 minutes over a medium heat. It’s advisable at this stage to taste for seasoning and add additional salt and/or sugar to taste.
  9. 9.Cook, covered, over a medium to low heat for 15–20 minutes more, allowing the potatoes to soften and gently simmer in the warmth of the cooked cauliflower and meat.
  10. 10.Add the remaining 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil and remove from the heat.
  11. 11.Serve hot with fluffy White Rice (pp. 164–165) and accompanied by a vegetable or lemon atchar.

CABBAGE BREDIE VARIATION: Substitute the cauliflower florets for roughly shredded cabbage and reduce the cooking time by 20 minutes – follow the same steps and add a good sprinkling of dried chilli flakes.

Carrot Stew (Worteltjiebredie)

Worteltjiebredie has a bright and colourful appearance. I would cook this dish on the days when my father was unwell. I read somewhere that the colour orange ‘embodies the warmth of fire’. It’s meant to create a vibrant energy, instilling a feeling of celebration and great abundance, a sensation of comfort and enjoyment of all of the senses that fills the mind, body and soul. Like most days during those last few months, I would find him reading the Holy Quran, looking very fragile and particularly vulnerable. I would set the tray down and he’d smile and say what he always said whenever we would have an opportunity to eat together: ‘There is no moment more precious than a moment shared between a father and his daughter.’ SERVES 6–8

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  1. 1.Heat 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of the oil over a medium/high heat and add the onion, allspice and cloves. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is lightly browned. Season with salt and continue to stir frequently.
  2. 2.Add the meat and give it a good stir. Continue to cook over a medium/high heat, all the while searing the meat and browning it evenly. Add the sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes.
  3. 3.As the meat and onion are just about to catch on the bottom of the pot, add 1 C (250 ml) of the water. Ensure that you stir the meat and gently scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot.
  4. 4.Cook this over a high heat for 5 minutes, covered, and 2 minutes, uncovered, while occasionally stirring the ingredients.
  5. 5.As the moisture evaporates again, stir the meat until you notice it browning again, then add another 1 C (250 ml) water to the pot. Cook, covered, for a further 5 minutes over a medium/high heat.
  6. 6.Allow the meat to cook for a further 10–15 minutes over a medium heat, before adding the carrots and then the potatoes. The pot should be layered, i.e. meat, carrots, potatoes. Season with black pepper and continue to cook, covered, over a medium heat for another 10 minutes.
  7. 7.Remove the lid from the pot and gently stir until the meat, carrots and potatoes are well coated in the gravy. Add the parsley and remaining 1⁄2 C (125 ml) water. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil and give it a last stir.
  8. 8.Remove from the heat. Serve hot with fluffy White Rice (pp. 164–165), accompanied by a beetroot salad.

CARROT AND PEA BREDIE VARIATION: A can of peas, drained and rinsed, can be added right at the end, and cooked over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes before serving.

Pea Bredie (Ertjiebredie)

My grandmother cooked this dish using fresh peas right out of the pods. These days I use canned peas, very much like my father did. He would take his time cooking the meat, making sure that it was seared really well and braised to have a deep, rich, stew-like appearance. The potatoes were added only when the meat was tender and the onions had rendered down to form a lovely, thick gravy. He’d add a sprinkling of fresh black pepper just before the peas were added. The peas were always added to the pot right at the end of the process and cooked for no more than 10 minutes. My father believed that the peas needed to be slightly firm, but not hard, and certainly not mushy. SERVES 4–6

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  1. 1.Heat 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of the oil over a medium/high heat and add the onion and chilli.
  2. 2.Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is lightly browned. Season with salt. Add the meat and continue to cook over high heat, searing the meat and browning it evenly.
  3. 3.Add the sugar and, as the meat and onion are just about to catch on the bottom of the pot, gradually add 1⁄2 C (125 ml) of the water, small amounts at a time. Ensure that you stir the meat and gently scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot.
  4. 4.As the moisture evaporates, stir the meat until you notice it browning once more, then add another 2 C (500 ml) of water.
  5. 5.Allow the meat to cook on high for another 10 minutes and then turn the heat down to medium for 40–50 minutes before adding the potatoes.
  6. 6.Season with black pepper and continue to cook over a medium heat for another 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
  7. 7.Add the peas and DO NOT stir or mix, just allow the bredie to simmer gently in its own juices for about 10 minutes.
  8. 8.Add the remaining 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil and gently stir the pot until the meat, potatoes and peas are combined.
  9. 9.Remove from the heat. Serve hot with fluffy White Rice (pp. 164–165), accompanied by a beetroot salad.

Tomato Bredie (Tamatiebredie)

Tomato bredie has truly earned its place as a firm favourite among South Africans, not only on Cape Malay tables but also in Afrikaner households. You must take your time when cooking this dish. Any shortcuts will leave you with a watery gravy that will collect on the edges of your plate and won’t be dense enough for the rice to soak up. What you should be aiming for is a deep crimson appearance, succulent meat, a hint of heat from the green chilli, tender potatoes and that distinctive sweetness that balances the acidity of the tomatoes. SERVES 4–6

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  1. 1.Heat the oil over a medium/high heat, add the onions and chilli and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are translucent. Season with salt.
  2. 2.Add the meat and continue to cook on a high heat for another 10 minutes. Add the water and cook for a further 5 minutes on high.
  3. 3.Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook over a medium heat for at least 30 minutes.
  4. 4.Add the potatoes and simmer for a further 10 minutes on a gentle, low heat. The potatoes should be partially cooked before adding the sugar at the end.
  5. 5.To finish the dish, allow to simmer gently on a low heat for a further 15 minutes.
  6. 6.Remove from the heat. Serve hot with fluffy White Rice (pp. 164–165).

Sugar Bean Stew (Boontjiebredie)

Sugar bean bredie is a bredie traditionally served at Cape Malay funerals. There is some initial preparation required, but even that is fairly simple to do. Sugar bean bredie was eaten at our house on a cold, wintery day when you could hear the northwesterly wind howling outside and the rain beating against the windows. My dad also always made sure that there would be enough for leftovers because all Cape Malays know that boontjiebredie tastes so much better the next day! SERVES 6–8

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Preparing the beans

  1. 1.Rinse and drain the beans and ensure that any little stones are removed before placing them in a large bowl. Cover the beans adequately with 1–2 litres boiling water and leave to soak overnight.
  2. 2.Rinse and drain the beans the following morning and place them back into the bowl. Cover with boiling water a second time and soak for 1–2 hours until the beans have plumped up.
  3. 3.Drain the beans and place into a large pot. Add 4 cups (1 litre) of water and cook the beans over a high heat for about 1 hour until tender. Notice that a thick, smooth gravy will also have formed at this stage – remove from the heat and set aside.

Preparing the bredie

  1. 1.In a separate pot, heat the oil over a medium/high heat. Add the onion, chilli, salt and meat and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
  2. 2.Add 1⁄2 C (125 ml) of the water, turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. 3.Transfer the beans, including the gravy, into the same pot as the meat. Add 2 C (500 ml) water, the black pepper, grated tomato, tomato paste and sugar and cook over a high heat for 10–15 minutes.
  4. 4.Reduce the heat to a medium setting and cook for 30 minutes until the gravy has transformed into a lush sauce and the beans are tender and soft. Additional water can be added as the gravy thickens.
  5. 5.Remove from the heat. Serve hot with fluffy White Rice (pp. 164–164) and Cape Malay Tomato and Onion Salad (p. 176).

SUGAR BEAN CURRY VARIATION: Omit the black pepper and prepare the same way as you would sugar bean bredie. Add one portion of curry sauce, consisting of 1 × 410 g can tomato purée, 1 heaped tsp (6 ml) of masala, 11⁄2 tsp (7.5 ml) ground cumin, 1 heaped tsp (6 ml) turmeric and 1⁄2 tsp (2.5 ml) chilli paste. Garnish with roughly chopped fresh coriander just before serving.