Traditional South African Cooking

POTTING AND SEALING PICKLES

Fill clean jars – warm for cooked pickles – to within 2.5 cm of the top with pickles. If using raw vegetables, drain off any water that may gather at the bottom of the jar before adding the spiced vinegar. Cover the pickles with spiced vinegar – hot for cooked pickles and cold for raw pickles – to at least 1.5 cm over the vegetables. Vinegar evaporates during storage, and any pickle that is exposed will discolour. Cover and seal the jars, airtight, immediately.

POTTING AND SEALING CHUTNEYS

Pour the chutney into clean, warm jars while hot. Fill to within 1.5 cm of the top and cover tightly with airtight, plastic screw-on or pop-on lids, not metal ones, which will corrode from the action of the spices and vinegar. Leave to mature in a cool, dry, dark place for 6–8 weeks before use, or as directed in the recipe.

SPICED VINEGAR

Spiced vinegar is used as a preserving medium for many vegetable and fruit pickles.

1 litre white or brown vinegar
1 stick cinnamon
10 ml whole cloves
10 ml allspice berries
10 ml black peppercorns
10 ml mustard seeds
2–3 bay leaves

Place the vinegar and spices in a saucepan. Cover and bring to the boil, but do not allow to bubble. Remove from the stove and set aside for 2¹⁄₂–3 hours to infuse. Strain the vinegar into clean, dry jars and seal with plastic screw-on or pop-on lids.

Makes 1 litre

HERB VINEGAR

Herb vinegar is used as the preserving medium for Traditional Pickled Cucumbers (see below).

200 g freshly gathered tarragon, sage, rosemary, mint, basil or other herbs
750 ml white wine vinegar

Pick the herbs just before they flower. Wash the leaves and tender parts of the stalks. Place the herbs in a large clean jar and bruise them with a wooden spoon. Fill the jar with white wine vinegar, cover with a cloth and leave to steep for 2–3 weeks. (If using a clear glass jar, stand it in a dark cupboard to prevent colour loss.) Strain the vinegar through clean muslin into a clean jar. Place a fresh, washed sprig of the chosen herb in the jar and seal it with a plastic screw-on or pop-on lid. Leave to mature for 2–3 weeks before use.

TRADITIONAL PICKLED CUCUMBERS

These pickles came to South Africa with German settlers, where they became popular served with cold meats. Small, whole gherkins can be used instead of cucumbers.

2 kg pickling cucumbers
250 g salt
ice cubes and iced water
100 g white sugar
750 ml Herb Vinegar (see above)
65 ml dill seeds
18 peppercorns

Wash and chop the cucumbers, or slice them thickly. Place them in a deep dish and sprinkle with the salt. Cover with ice cubes and iced water and set aside for 4 hours. Drain and rinse the cucumbers in cold water. Place the sugar and herb vinegar in a stainless-steel saucepan and stir to dissolve. Add the cucumbers and heat slowly to boiling point. Boil, uncovered, for about 5–6 minutes. Divide the dill seeds and peppercorns among six clean, warm jars, and then fill the jars with cucumbers and boiling vinegar. Seal immediately (see Potting and Sealing Pickles, above).

Makes about 3 kg

PICKLED BEETROOT

Sunday lunch was the time to bring out the pickled beetroot, said my grandmother, because it went so well with the roast meat and geelrys (yellow rice). These days, we serve pickled beetroot as a salad with cold meats or at a braai.

6 medium beetroot
200 g white sugar
1 litre white vinegar
250 ml water
3 small dried red chillies (optional)
1 star anise
6 black peppercorns

Wash the beetroot and cut off the leafy tops, without breaking the skin. Place the beetroot in a large saucepan of boiling water and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, or until the skins can be removed easily (or cook in a pressure cooker for about 30 minutes). Cool the beetroot, halve them and pack into clean jars. Combine the sugar, vinegar, water, chillies (if using), star anise and peppercorns in a saucepan and simmer, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Cool and strain the liquid over the beetroot, covering them completely. Seal the jars (see Potting and Sealing Pickles, page 134).

Makes about 1 kg

RAISIN PICKLE

A common sight on Boland farms, a few decades ago, were the beds of fruit, like apricots, peaches and grapes drying in the sun. Raisins had many uses: to make yeast for baking, as a fermenting agent when making drinks like Pineapple Beer (page 140), as a baking ingredient, for adding to stewed fruit compôte, in chutneys and sauces, and also in this sweet and sour pickle.

250 g seedless raisins
200 g light brown sugar
250 ml brown vinegar
10 ml mustard seeds
2 ml ground black pepper
1 stick cinnamon
10 medium Pickled Cucumbers (page 134), drained and diced

Remove the stalks from the raisins, if necessary. Boil the sugar, vinegar and spices together for approximately 5 minutes. Add the raisins and cook until they are shiny and plump. Add the cucumbers and boil for about 5 minutes, then spoon the pickle into clean, hot jars and seal immediately (see Potting and Sealing Pickles, page 134).

Makes about 500 g

PICKLED RED CABBAGE

From top left: Herb Vinegar, Traditional Pickled Cucumbers, Raisin Pickle and Pickled Beetroot.

1 firm red cabbage
100–175 g coarse salt
450–600 ml White Spiced Vinegar (page 134)

Remove any discoloured leaves from the cabbage, quarter and wash well. Remove the tough inner stalk and shred the cabbage. Layer the cabbage and salt in a basin, ending with salt. Leave for 24 hours. Rinse thoroughly in cold water and drain well. Pack into clean jars, cover with cold spiced vinegar and seal at once (see Potting and Sealing Pickles, page 134). Leave to mature for 1 week.

Makes about 2 kg

FRUIT CHUTNEY

Homesick South Africans living abroad generally put at the top of the list of things they miss, a certain well-known brand of chutney. This recipe, while not purporting to be the original, comes quite close in flavour to a bottle of Mrs Ball’s best.

200 g dried pears, chopped
200 g dried apricots, chopped
200 g dates, chopped
200 g dried apple rings, chopped
200 g sultanas
1 litre water
500 ml cider vinegar
400 g brown sugar
2 ml chilli powder
2 ml turmeric
2 ml freshly grated nutmeg
2 ml ground ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed

Place the fruit and water in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and leave overnight. Combine the undrained fruit mixture with the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil then simmer over low heat, uncovered, for about 1¹⁄₂ hours, or until thick, stirring occasionally. Pour into clean, warm jars and cool completely before sealing (see Potting and Sealing Chutneys, page 134).
MICROWAVE OVEN Soak the fruit as described. Combine the fruit mixture with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and microwave at 100 per cent power for about 40 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool completely before potting.

Makes about 2 kg

MANGO ATJAR

Atjar, probably also introduced to this country by the Malays, consists of a variety of vegetables and fruits, boiled and preserved in a very strong chilli pickle. It should be pleasantly sour, with a sweetish aftertaste.

Fruit Chutney (left) and Mango Atjar, relishes of Malay tradition.

1.5 kg green mangoes, peeled, stoned and cut into 2 cm chunks
500 ml white vinegar
250 g white sugar
200 g blanched almonds, chopped
2 onions, sliced
60 ml chopped root ginger
5 ml cayenne pepper
5 ml mustard seeds
2 cloves garlic, crushed
5 peppercorns
5 ml salt

Boil all the ingredients until the mango chunks are tender, but still whole. Pour into clean, hot jars and seal (see Potting and Sealing Pickles, page 134).

Relishes

Chutney, blatjang and atjar can all be classified as relishes, and although similar, they do differ in consistency. Chutney has a similar texture to that of jam, while blatjang is thinner. Atjar is generally more chunky in consistency and the different ingredients are more easily distinguishable.

Makes about 1.75 kg

APRICOT BLATJANG

Blatjang has a thinner consistency than chutney, and is generally hotter. A chopped red chilli can be added for those who really like to eat fire.

2 kg ripe apricots
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
500 g seedless raisins
400 g white sugar
1 ml cayenne pepper
5 ml salt
10 ml ground ginger
5 ml mustard powder
500 ml brown vinegar

Halve and stone the apricots. Mix all the ingredients in a stainless-steel saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Pour into clean, warm jars and seal immediately (see Potting and Sealing Chutneys, page 134).

Makes about 3.25 kg

YELLOW PEACH PICKLE

Fruit pickles like this one illustrate perfectly the South African love of sweet and sour flavours.

3 kg peaches (see Note)
3 onions, sliced into rings
25 ml whole coriander seeds
15 ml peppercorns
10 ml allspice berries
1 piece root ginger
1.5 litres white vinegar
20 ml cornflour
25 ml curry powder
5 ml turmeric
10 ml salt
250 g white sugar

BRINE SOLUTION Make a brine solution by dissolving 100 g salt in 5 litres of water.
To make the pickle: peel, stone and slice the peaches. Soak the peaches and sliced onions in the brine solution for 1 hour. Drain and rinse well in fresh water. Tie the spices and ginger in a piece of muslin. Place the muslin bag and vinegar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Mix the cornflour, curry powder, turmeric, salt and sugar to a paste with 30 ml cold water. Add to the vinegar, stirring constantly. Add the peaches and onions and boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove the muslin bag. Spoon the pickle into warm, clean jars and seal immediately (see Potting and Sealing Pickles, page 134).
NOTE Either yellow cling or loose-stone peaches can be used for this pickle.

Makes about 4.5 kg

PICKLED ONIONS

Pickled onions are a popular relish in South Africa. If the onions are packed in cold vinegar, they will remain beautifully crisp during storage.

2.75 kg pickling onions boiling water
1.5 litres Spiced Vinegar (page 134)

BRINE SOLUTION

500 g coarse salt
5 litres water

Make a brine solution by dissolving the salt in the water. Place the unpeeled onions in the brine, cover with a plate to keep the onions below the surface and leave to soak for 12 hours. Drain the onions, place them in a large bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave for 1 minute, drain, then top and tail and peel the onions. Prepare a second brine solution and soak the onions, covered with a plate, for a further 24 hours. Remove the onions and drain thoroughly. Pack into clean jars, pour over the cold spiced vinegar and seal (see Potting and Sealing Pickles, page 134). Leave to mature for 6–8 weeks.
MICROWAVE OVEN Peel the onions, place them in a little water and microwave at 100 per cent power for 1 minute. Place in the brine solution and continue as described in the recipe.