A Cape Dutch South African meal: I need some help

[Darienne]

Easter our guests will be two, a daughter and her just-turned 99 year old Father, Cape Dutch from South Africa.  The Father was born in Malang, Java.  The daughter moved to Canada many years ago and her parents followed much later.   They eat only North American foods now.

 

The daughter, a fellow dog lover, has picked Melk Tert for dessert, but I am still nowhere on the mains.  I have found several recipes for Bobotie which sounds like a possibility.  I've made it before but decades ago.  On rice I guess?

 

Any other suggestions?  Thanks.

[andiesenji]

A few years ago I was referred to the site sbs.com.au for authentic SA recipes by an ex-pat from Capetown who now lives in Lancaster. I tried several and was able to get most ingredients or find acceptable substitutes.u

Edited March 19, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[Darienne]

Thanks Andie.   A plethora of choices.

[JohnT]

Here is a bobotie recipe for you - you can scale it down and it also can be frozen and reheated.

BOBOTIE

Yield: 1 x 23cm x 33cm baking pan - 12 portions

Ingredients:

3 onions, diced

90g butter

1.5 kg lean mince

2 thick slices white bread

375g full cream milk

3 large eggs

22.5ml medium curry powder

37.5ml sugar

15ml salt

3.5ml pepper

10ml turmeric

45ml white wine vinegar

120g seedless raisins

8 lemon leaves

60ml chutney

Serve with yellow rice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160° convection oven).

Peel and dice the onions then fry lightly in the melted butter until soft. Add the mince and fry with the onion until crumbled and just browning.

Soak the bread in the milk and squeeze out the milk, retaining it. Mash the bread.

Mix in all the ingredients except half the remaining milk, half the eggs and the lemon leaves.

Spoon the mixture into the greased pan, insert the lemon leaves into the mixture, just sticking out for ease of removing when serving.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Beat the milk and remaining eggs together and pour over the meat and bake for a further 30 minutes or until cooked.

Serve with rice and chutney.

[Darienne]

Thank you so much JohnT.  Straight from South Africa itself.  I still have to get some chutney or make some.  You don't by any chance have a favourite chutney recipe, do you? 

 

Thanks again.

[gfron1]

If you have access to the current issue of the Art of Eating, you'll find a great story from Mandela's authorized biographer about South African food. Might be useful, certainly interesting.

[CeeCee]

Probably not easy to get your hands on boerewors in Canada, but here's a SA version of Scotch eggs.

[JohnT]

Thank you so much JohnT.  Straight from South Africa itself.  I still have to get some chutney or make some.  You don't by any chance have a favourite chutney recipe, do you? 

 

Thanks again.

Yes, I do, but it is somewhere on my laptop, which I will retrieve for you and post in the morning - getting late here now and using the iPad in bed at the moment.

[Anna N]

Probably not easy to get your hands on boerewors in Canada, but here's a SA version of Scotch eggs.

South African butcher right around the corner from me

click

[Darienne]

Thanks for the butcher's site, Anna.  I'll certainly pass it on to my friend. 

[Anna N]

Thanks for the butcher's site, Anna.  I'll certainly pass it on to my friend.

I was quite surprised to discover that it no longer appears to do online sales. I posted the link so that you might have an online source so I'm sorry it's no longer viable for that purpose.

[JohnT]

Here is a recipe for a quick apricot chutney that makes a small amount. I do have a recipe for apricot chutney for bottling, but it uses massive quantities of apricots. However, to make a cup or so of chutney, this is a quick method. Hope it is of use!

QUICK APRICOT CHUTNEY

Ingredients:

250ml apricot jam (I prefer the chunky type)

2.5ml salt

0.6ml cayenne pepper

2,5ml ground ginger

190ml white wine vinegar

Method:

Mix the first four ingredients well and then stir in the vinegar to taste.

Boil until the mixture is thick enough.

Cool and serve.

[Darienne]

Thanks so much to everyone who has replied to my call for help and even sent recipes.  I am grateful.  I'll report back how the dishes work out for me and if my guests like them or find them familiar.  Thanks again.

 

ps.  I even have apricot jam.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Darienne (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

If you want to skip making the chutney you could buy Mrs Ball's.

[CeeCee]

Thank you for sharing your recipes!
 

8 lemon leaves
 

If not available, would kaffir lime leaves be an acceptable substitute or would it be wiser to use lemon rind perhaps?

 

[JohnT]

Thank you for sharing your recipes!

 

If not available, would kaffir lime leaves be an acceptable substitute or would it be wiser to use lemon rind perhaps?

Traditionally the Cape Malay folk used bay leaves, so use them instead - dried is fine, but I would then use only six as they are quite pungent. I use lemon leaves as I have a couple lemon trees in my back garden and we seldom find fresh bay leaves here.

[CeeCee]

Now bay leaves I can find both fresh and dried, thanks!

Ps. Lemon trees in your backyard, I'm slightly envious. That must be great...

[Darienne]

Thanks Chris.  John and Elsie have both sent me recipes for the chutney so I think I'll make it. 

 

The small city where we shop, Peterborough, Ontario, is not noted for exotic ingredients (don't tell them I said that) so Mrs. Ball's chutney might not even be carried there.  No doubt I could get it in Toronto.  Still I'll look next week.

[JohnT]

Actually, the chutney known as Mrs Ball's, has its roots in Canada - link to the history. http://www.mrsballs.com/content.aspx?id=2

[Anna N]

Actually, the chutney known as Mrs Ball's, has its roots in Canada - link to the history. http://www.mrsballs.com/content.aspx?id=2

I can get Mrs. Ball's chutney but not in most regular grocery stores or supermarkets. I suspect it would be a challenge to find it in the Peterborough area.

[Darienne]

Wonderful story about the Chutney.  Thanks, JohnT.

 

And Anna, I guess you know Peterborough pretty well.    Certainly you have read my 'complaints' about shopping there a goodly number of times...and often been able to point out to me in which grocery store I can find such and such...usually Metro, where we don't shop as it's way off our beaten path. 

 

This thread is turning out to be quite a treat for me.  Thanks all. 

[Ranz]

Actually, the chutney known as Mrs Ball's, has its roots in Canada - link to the history. http://www.mrsballs.com/content.aspx?id=2

 

Another Saffa

[JohnT]

Another Saffa

Ha, yes. And if Darienne's elderly male guest was from the old Natal province, she could have served a nice bunnychow!

[Darienne]

Finally got hold of my friend and asked her all the pertinent questions.  Father was raised in Java and then Holland.  Came to SA as a married adult only and settled in first Johannesburg and then Gilletts, Durban.   Her Mother was English and cooked English.  She's the one who eaten SA food.   Melk Tert, Malva Pudding, Bunny Chow, Mrs. Ball's Balls (she called it). etc.  She thinks her Father has never eaten Bobotie.  And Father is too old to manage Bunny Chow.

 

So I was way off base.  Sorry.

 

And there's a SA store nearer to the Oshawa/Whitby area but she shies away from going there because she says she always spends a couple of hundred dollars...and then eats all the Biltong driving home in the car.

 

So we will still have Bobotie.  But with her agreement, I am rather leaning towards making Malva Pudding for dessert.

 

Any recipes for Malva Pudding besides the one I found on Epicurious?  Thanks.

[JohnT]

Finally got hold of my friend and asked her all the pertinent questions.  Father was raised in Java and then Holland.  Came to SA as a married adult only and settled in first Johannesburg and then Gilletts, Durban.   Her Mother was English and cooked English.  She's the one who eaten SA food.   Melk Tert, Malva Pudding, Bunny Chow, Mrs. Ball's Balls (she called it). etc.  She thinks her Father has never eaten Bobotie.  And Father is too old to manage Bunny Chow.

 

So I was way off base.  Sorry.

 

And there's a SA store nearer to the Oshawa/Whitby area but she shies away from going there because she says she always spends a couple of hundred dollars...and then eats all the Biltong driving home in the car.

 

So we will still have Bobotie.  But with her agreement, I am rather leaning towards making Malva Pudding for dessert.

 

Any recipes for Malva Pudding besides the one I found on Epicurious?  Thanks.

The ink only dried a few days ago - see http://forums.egullet.org/topic/150338-your-daily-sweets-what-are-you-making-and-baking-2015/?p=2010426 - maybe somebody can let me know how post links actually work!