Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delight
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive since 2001!

Salwaa’s Tomato Trotters / Pootjies In Tamatie / Tomato Paya

In time gone by this dish was almost always served at thikrs, gadats, weddings or any family functions. Nowadays, it’s see as delicacy and not many people make it. Before cooking ensure all the little hairs are removed from the trotters / pootjies. Some butcher shops sell the trotters already cleaned. In the past a razor blade was used to scrape the hair off and then it was further cleaned by burning the small hairs over an open flame.

Ingredients:
8 cleaned sheep trotters or ox trotter cut into pieces. Cover with water, add a few bay leaves. Bring to the boil and cook until the trotters are soft and tender. The trotters will have to cook/simmer over medium heat for at least 2 hours to ensure its tender. Top up with water as needed.

When the trotters are cooked, keep the liquid aside and use the liquid when cooking the tomatoes for extra flavour.

1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 kg red ripe tomatoes, washed, chopped or liquidised

1 tin of chopped tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 large onion, chopped
2 tsp salt or too taste
2-3 chopped green chillies (use more or less according to your taste)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into quarters, optional
2 Tbsp sugar or to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a saucepan, over medium heat.
Sauté the onions in the oil until soft and golden brown.
Add the cooked trotters and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Add the chopped / liquidised tomato, garlic, salt, chillies and tomato paste and simmer a further 30 minutes until the tomato has cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Add the potatoes and cook until the potatoes are soft.
Lastly add the sugar, cook a further 5 minutes.
Serve warm with steamed / boiled white rice.

Cooks Tip:
Use the liquid of cooked trotters in food and not water.
DO NOT add the sugar until the potatoes are completely soft as the sugar will prevent the potatoes from softening.
Prepare the Bredie a day in advance and leave in the refrigerator. Vegetable bredie’s flavour enhances if it eaten the next day. Reheat and serve with boiled rice.