VEGETABLES, SALADS AND SIDE DISHES

The vegetables our great-grandparents cultivated and used most often were potatoes, sweet potatoes (soetpatats), carrots, onions and pumpkin. The cooking methods and the flavourings had varied origins. We are indebted to the Dutch for the addition of butter and grated nutmeg to vegetables like pumpkin, squash and marrows. The Malays added the sweet touch to vegetables. The Indians gave us rice coloured and flavoured with borrie (turmeric), while samp and mealies were staples for Black people. What was served as a salad depended largely on where people lived. In the Cape, watercress, wild asparagus and cabbage, wild lettuce and the soft young shoots of the river palmiet (a bulrush), as well as the fleshy leaves of the vetkousie (a succulent) were gathered when fresh greens were required for a salad. Further inland, cooked salads were the order of the day.

BREADED PUMPKIN (PAMPOENMOES)

Pampoenmoes, a kind of vegetable pudding, is one of the oldest and most popular pumpkin recipes.

Breaded Pumpkin (top) and Pumpkin Fritters.

• 750 g peeled and sliced pumpkin
• 2 slices crustless white bread, buttered and cubed
• 5 ml salt
• 3 sticks cinnamon
• 30 ml butter
• 30 ml yellow or brown sugar
• 30 ml water

1. Layer the pumpkin and bread alternately in a greased ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with salt, add the cinnamon and dot with butter. Sprinkle with the sugar. Add the water and bake at 180 °C for 30 minutes, or until cooked and lightly browned. Serve with roast meat.
2. MICROWAVE OVEN The pumpkin can first be par-cooked in the microwave oven. Peel and dice the pumpkin, place it in a microwave dish with 65 ml water and microwave at 100 per cent power for about 10 minutes.
3. VARIATION Butternut squash can also be used to good effect in this recipe.

Serves 4

OVEN-BAKED PUMPKIN

The boer pumpkin (boerpampoen) is the best variety to use for this dish, although hubbard squash or butternut squash can also be prepared this way. Pumpkins grow extremely well in the drier interior of the country, and their great advantage is that they keep so well. In the past – and still today, in some areas – a traveller would see pumpkins stored on the flat tin roofs of houses and farm buildings.

• 1 kg pumpkin, sliced into segments and peeled
• Cinnamon Sugar (page 21) or sugar
• mixed with ground ginger
• 60 ml water

1. Remove and reserve the pips from the pumpkin (see Pumpkin Pips, page 71). Arrange the pumpkin slices in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the cinnamon or ginger sugar. Add the water and bake at 180 °C for approximately 45 minutes.

Serves 6

PUMPKIN FRITTERS

These fritters, which are still a South African favourite, were served either as a vegetable or as a dessert.

• 500 ml cooked, drained and mashed pumpkin
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 30 ml cake flour
• 5 ml baking powder
• 1 ml salt
• butter or sunflower oil
• Cinnamon Sugar (page 21)
• lemon slices

1. Combine the pumpkin, egg, flour, baking powder and salt. Heat the butter or oil in a frying pan and drop in spoonfuls of the pumpkin mixture. Fry the fritters for about 5 minutes on either side, or until golden. Serve hot, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and garnished with lemon slices.

Serves 4

PUMPKIN SEEDS (PAMPOENPITTE)

1. Nutritious pumpkin seeds are a popular health snack. Traditionally, the Sotho people liked them fried, Portuguese people baked (dry-roasted) them, and they were an important source of nutrition to the early settlers in many parts of our country. In years gone by, you could only buy them at street markets, such as the Grand Parade in Cape Town, but they are freely available today. To make your own, bake cleaned pumpkin seeds at 150 °C until dry. Eat as is, or sprinkle with salt and serve as a snack with drinks.

FRIED GREEN MEALIES

Traditionally mealies cut from the cob were cooked this way, but this updated version uses very young mealies.

• 12 whole baby mealies
• sunflower oil
• salt
• chopped fresh chives

1. Fry the mealies (allow 3 per person) in a little sunflower oil until golden, shaking the pan occasionally. Sprinkle with salt and chives and serve.

Serves 4

STEWED SWEET POTATOES (GESTOOFDE SOETPATATS)

Naartjie peel adds a distinctive and traditional South African flavour to these sweet potatoes.

• 1.5 kg sweet potatoes, sliced
• 100 g butter
• 200 ml water
• 3 pieces Dried Naartjie Peel (page 97)
• 2 sticks cinnamon or 1 piece root ginger, crushed
• 5 ml salt
• 250 g brown sugar
• 30 ml honey

1. Place all the ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan. Stew over moderate heat until all the water has evaporated, shaking the saucepan occasionally to prevent sticking and burning. Remove the naartjie peel and cinnamon sticks or ginger before serving.
2. MICROWAVE OVEN Place all the ingredients in a glass or microwave dish and microwave at 100 per cent power for 2–4 minutes.
3. NOTE Small yellow-skinned ‘borrie patats’ are the best variety to use, but if they are unavailable, white ‘wurgpatats’ may also be used.

Serves 6

YELLOW RICE WITH RAISINS (GEELRYS)

Despite repeated efforts to grow rice at the Cape, Jan van Riebeeck had to admit defeat. This did not sit well with the Here Sewentien in Holland; rice was a staple food for the slaves who worked in the colony, which meant that it had to be imported. Another name for Yellow Rice was funeral rice (begrafnisrys) because – in both the Malay and Dutch communities – it was always served at the meals held after funerals, a custom which persists today. The practice of colouring rice with turmeric (borrie) was introduced to this country by Indian immigrants.

• 250 ml uncooked white rice
• 10 ml turmeric
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 5 ml salt
• 30 ml yellow sugar
• 125 ml seedless raisins or sultanas
• 10 ml butter

1. Place the rice, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Cover with water and boil for about 15–20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the moisture has been absorbed. Add the raisins or sultanas and steam the mixture in a colander over a saucepan of boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick, fluff the rice with the butter and serve with curries or Bobotie (page 45).

Serves 6

SALTED GREEN BEANS

1. In the past, preserving fruit and vegetables for use in winter when fresh produce was not available was an important task of every housewife. Beans were sliced and layered in an earthenware or stone jar alternately with coarse salt. When needed, they were washed well to remove as much salt as possible and used in dishes like Bean Bredie (page 51).

WATERBLOMMETJIE STEW

Waterblommetjies, found along the waterways of the Cape Peninsula and Boland, are uniquely South African. Widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries, waterblommetjies are once again popular.

• 500 g waterblommetjies
• 1 potato, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 5 ml salt
• 2 ml milled white pepper
• 100 ml water
• sorrel to taste, 1 grated tart green apple or 5 ml lemon juice

1. Trim the waterblommetjies and wash very well. Place the waterblommetjies, potato, onion, salt and pepper in a saucepan. Add the water and simmer for approximately 30–40 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Add the sorrel, apple or lemon juice for flavouring and serve the stew with cooked rice.

Serves 6

GREEN BEANS IN EGG SAUCE

A traditional salad in which the crispness of green beans combines perfectly with the piquant sweet-sour taste of an egg and vinegar sauce.

• 500 g whole young green beans,

SAUCE

• 60 ml water
• 30 ml brown vinegar
• 15 ml sugar
• 2 ml salt
• 2 ml milled white pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten

1. Top and tail the beans, then cook them in boiling salted water for about 15 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and leave to cool. To make the sauce, beat together the water, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the egg, still beating. Place the bowl over boiling water and beat until it thickens. Pour over the beans and serve.

Serves 6

GREEN BEAN AND POTATO STEW

This dish is a typical example of the hearty, homely fare Afrikaners refer to as boerekos.

• 500 g green beans, topped and tailed
• 1 potato, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 5 ml salt
• 2 ml milled white pepper
• 100 ml water
• 2 ml freshly grated nutmeg

1. Slice the beans into a saucepan. Add the potato, onion, salt and pepper. Add the water and simmer the mixture, covered, for 30–40 minutes, or until cooked. Sprinkle with the grated nutmeg and serve as an accompaniment to meat dishes.
2. MICROWAVE OVEN Par-cook the beans in a glass dish with 50 ml water and a little salt. Cover with vented plastic and microwave at 100 per cent power for 10–12 minutes, or until tender.
3. VARIATIONS

• Use 500 g grated cabbage instead of the beans. Add 5 ml lemon juice or a grated tart green apple.
• Use 500 g chopped spinach, omit the water and add a little sorrel for flavouring.

Serves 6–8

VEGETABLE CURRY

The hot vegetable curries of India and other parts of the East get the subtle and aromatic Cape treatment with the addition of dried peaches.

Vegetable Curry, Green Bean and Potato Stew and Yellow Rice with Raisins.

• 50 ml sunflower oil
• 1 piece root ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 7 ml turmeric
• 5 ml salt
• 10 ml curry powder
• 750 g sliced mixed carrots, beans, cauliflower and green sweet pepper
• 200 g waterblommetjies
• 200 g peeled dried peaches, soaked overnight in water and drained
• 125 ml water

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the ginger and garlic briefly. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until transparent. Stir in the turmeric, salt and curry powder, then add the mixed vegetables, waterblommetjies, peaches and water, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve the curry on cooked brown rice, with desiccated coconut and Fruit Chutney (page 136).

Serves 6

MEALIE PORRIDGE (STYWEPAP, PUTUPAP)

Mealie meal, from which this porridge is made, is the staple food of many South Africans. It is a favourite a braai accompaniment.

• 10 ml salt
• 750 ml to 1 litre boiling water
• 500 ml unsifted mealie meal
• 125 ml cold water

1. Add the salt to the boiling water, then add the mealie meal to the centre of the saucepan, without stirring. Cover and simmer for 45–60 minutes. Stir with a fork or wooden spoon, add the cold water and simmer for a further hour. Serve with tomato and onion sauce or gravy.

Serves 6

CRUMBLY MEALIE PORRIDGE (KRUMMELPAP)

This crumbly mealie porridge is a staple for many people in South Africa, and as popular a braai accompaniment as stywepap.

Mealie Porridge (top) and Crumbly Mealie Porridge.

• 250 ml water
• 5 ml salt
• 500 ml coarse yellow mealie meal

1. Boil the water and salt. Sprinkle the mealie meal over the water and boil for 15 minutes. Stir the porridge with a fork or wooden spoon to obtain a crumbly consistency and then simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.

Purslane (posteleinblaar)

The leaves of the herb purslane were a popular flavouring in the past, but they were also braised with ginger, mace, pepper and wine and served with rice and potatoes.

Oils for cold sauces

Just about the only cold sauce (or dressing) made in the early days of the Dutch settlement at the Cape was sour sauce, made by beating together egg, vinegar, salt and pepper. The reason for this was that there was a scarcity of locally pressed vegetable oils. Coconut oil and the various seed oils were imported from the East, but were expensive. Some alternative had to be found, so the colonists started extracting the oil for sauce-making of all kinds from fats. One of the most widely used methods was to skim the oil from the surface of the first boiling of trotters or meat containing tendons or fat. This was clarified, bottled and used to make salad dressings.

Serves 6

BAKED SWEET POTATOES (GEBAKTE PATATS)

This is one of the simplest traditional ways to prepare sweet potatoes, which was used to make either yellow ‘borrie patats’ or the larger white sweet potatoes, called ‘wurgpatats’.

• 6–12 small yellow sweet potatoes (borrie patats)
• sunflower oil or butter

1. Wash the unpeeled sweet potatoes and pat them dry. Rub them with sunflower oil or butter and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 150 °C for 1¹⁄₂–2 hours, or until soft. Test with a skewer, or press the potatoes lightly: they are done if the flesh gives slightly. Serve with butter.
2. NOTE Braaied Snoek (page 25) was traditionally accompanied by baked sweet potatoes, wholewheat bread and korrelkonfyt (see Grape Jam, page 130).

Serves 6

SAMP AND BEANS

Mealies and beans were (and still are) staple foods in Africa, and this dish is basic to many daily diets.

• 125 g dried beans, soaked overnight in water
• 125 g samp, soaked overnight in water
• 1.5 litres boiling water
• salt to taste

1. Drain the beans and samp and add to the boiling water. Cook over moderate heat for about 3 hours, adding water and salt when necessary to obtain a soft but not watery consistency.

Serves 4

SOUSBOONTJIES

This traditional bean salad is still as popular as ever. In the past, it was a way of preserving beans.

• 200 g dried sugar beans
• 30 ml butter
• 30 ml sugar
• 30 ml water
• 60 ml brown vinegar
• 2 ml salt

1. Soak the beans overnight in cold water to cover. Drain, cover with fresh water in a saucepan and cook for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain, add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot as a vegetable, or cold as a salad. The beans can also be packed into jars, sealed, sterilized and stored. Store in the refrigerator once opened.

Serves 6

WATERCRESS SALAD

Watercress was gathered along the waterways of the Cape Peninsula and the Boland and used as a garnish, as well as for this salad.

• 1 bunch watercress

DRESSING

• 1 hard-boiled egg yolk, mashed
• 100 ml brown vinegar
• 50 ml sunflower oil
• 2 ml mustard powder
• 2 ml salt

1. Wash the watercress and remove the stalks. Place the leaves in a salad bowl. Thoroughly combine all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the watercress just before serving.

Serves 6

ONION SALAD (SLAPHAKSKEENTJIES)

This salad is another example of the combination of sweet and sour flavours.

• 1 kg unpeeled pickling onions

SAUCE

• 5 ml salt
• 10 ml mustard powder
• 15 ml cornflour
• 125 ml sugar
• 3 large eggs, beaten well
• 125 ml brown vinegar
• 200 ml milk
• 250 ml cream

1. Boil the onions in boiling salted water for 15 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, leave to cool, then remove the skins. To make the sauce, combine the salt, mustard powder, cornflour and sugar in a bowl. Add the eggs and beat until creamy. Add the vinegar, beating constantly. Combine the milk and cream and beat it into the mustard mixture. Pour into a saucepan and heat over low heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the stove immediately, pour over the onions and leave to cool.

Serves 8

GLAZED BEETROOT SALAD

My mother always served cucumber salad with Bean Bredie (page 51) and this beetroot salad with curries.

• 12 young beetroot
• 30 ml butter
• 2 small onions, sliced
• 6 pickling onions, chopped
• 15 ml honey
• 15 ml cake flour
• 5 ml brown vinegar
• 5 ml salt
• 5 ml chopped fresh marjoram

1. Scrape and quarter the beetroot. Melt the butter and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes until transparent. Add the beetroot and simmer for 5 minutes, adding a little water if necessary. Combine the honey, flour and vinegar and add to the beetroot and onions. Add the salt and marjoram and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Serve hot as a vegetable or cold as a salad.

Serves 6

QUINCE SAMBAL

Quinces, which grow extremely well throughout the country, have a piquant taste that goes particularly well with curry dishes.

• 1 quince
• 2 ml salt
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
• 30 ml white sugar

1. Peel and grate the quince. Sprinkle with the salt, then mix well with the other ingredients.

Makes about 250 ml

LOQUAT SAMBAL

Loquat trees were once a feature of almost every garden. They yield small, slightly tart yellow fruits.

• 1 kg loquats, peeled and stoned
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 drops Tabasco® sauce
• 2 ml salt

1. Combine all the ingredients well.

Makes about 250 ml

CARROT SAMBAL

• 4–6 young carrots
• 2 ml salt
• 2 ml freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 ml milled white pepper
• 10 ml brown vinegar or lemon juice

1. Grate the carrots and mix with the remaining ingredients until well blended.

Makes about 250 ml

CUCUMBER SAMBAL

Cucumber sambal is a traditional accompaniment to Bean Bredie (page 51) as well as curries.

• 1 large cucmber, peeled and coarsely grated
• 30 ml brown vinegar
• 5 ml finely chopped fresh dill
• 5 ml salt
• 2 ml milled white pepper

1. Combine all the ingredients well.

Makes about 250 ml

APPLE SAMBAL

This sambal is delicious with curries.

Clockwise from the top: Quince Sambal, Cucumber Sambal, Onion Salad, Carrot Sambal, Glazed Beetroot Salad and Apple Sambal. Sambals are usually served with curries.

• 1 tart green apple
• 2 ml salt
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 small chilli, seeded and finely chopped
• 30 ml white sugar

1. Peel and grate the apple and sprinkle with the salt. Mix with the remaining ingredients.

Sambals

The Indians and Malays have been making sambals – chunky, fresh relishes usually served with curries – for centuries. Many sambals are spicy, if not decidedly hot, with the addition of chillies. Most of them will keep for a day or two in the refrigerator, but are best used immediately.

Makes about 250 ml