Author Archives: Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
CONVERSIONS & EQUIVALENTS
I love the fact that the site is a global community, but of course it does raise issues and problems and another thorny area is weights and measures. Obviously, when you move from one system of measurement to another, you are obliged to round up or down, so it’s always going to be an approximation, but here is a table of conversions and equivalents, which should at least help!
Equivalents
As we welcome such an international audience to this site you may not recognise some of the ingredients listed in the recipes section. Here is our UK / US equivalents guide to give you a helping hand…
| Double cream | Heavy cream |
| Single cream | Light cream |
| Cornflour | Corn starch |
| Shortcrust | Pie crust |
| Caster sugar | Superfine sugar |
| Icing sugar | Confectioners’ sugar |
| Grill | Broil |
| Aubergine | Eggplant |
| Courgette | Zucchini |
| Mangetout | Snow peas |
| Coriander | Cilantro |
| Clingfilm | Saran wrap |
| Beef mince | Ground beef |
| Prawns | Shrimp |
| Digestive biscuits | Graham crackers (substitute) |
| Sultanas | Raisins |
| Trifle sponges | Ladyfingers |
| Spring onions | Scallions |
| Semi-skimmed milk | 2% milk |
| Dark/plain chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids) | Bittersweet chocolate |
| Milk/plain chocolate (less than 70% cocoa solids) | Semi-sweet chocolate |
| Bicarbonate of soda | Baking soda |
| Horlicks | UK brand of malted milk powder |
| Maltesers | UK brand of malted milk balls |
TEMPERATURES
| Gas Mark 1 | 140C | 275F | Very cool |
| Gas Mark 2 | 150C | 300F | Cool |
| Gas Mark 3 | 160C | 325F | Warm |
| Gas Mark 4 | 180C | 350F | Moderate |
| Gas Mark 5 | 190C | 375F | Fairly Hot |
| Gas Mark 6 | 200C | 400F | Fairly Hot |
| Gas Mark 7 | 210C | 425F | Hot |
| Gas Mark 8 | 220C | 450F | Very Hot |
| Gas Mark 9 | 240C | 475F | Very Hot |
VOLUME AND LIQUID MEASUREMENTS
| 5 ml | one-sixth fl oz | 1 teaspoon |
| 15ml | half fl oz | 1 tablespoon (NOTE: Australian tablespoon = 20ml) |
| 30ml | 1 fl oz | 2 tablespoons |
| 45ml | 1 and half fl oz | 3 tablespoons |
| 60ml | 2 fl oz | quarter cup |
| 75ml | 2 and half fl oz | one-third cup |
| 125ml | 4 fl oz | half cup |
| 150ml | 5 fl oz | two-thirds cup |
| 175ml | 6 fl oz | three-quarters cup |
| 250ml | 8 fl oz | 1 cup |
| 600ml | 1 pint | 2 and half cups |
| 900ml | 1 and half pints | 3 and three-quarter cups |
| 1 litre | 1 and three-quarter pints | 4 cups |
SOME USEFUL CUP CONVERSIONS
Please note that these are approximations
| 1 cup sugar | 200g |
| 1 cup icing sugar | 125g |
| 1 cup flour | 140g |
| 1 cup rice | 200g |
| 1 cup frozen peas | 125g |
| 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs | 70g |
| 1 cup grated cheese | 100g |
| 1 cup chocolate chips | 175g |
| 1 cup sultanas | 150g |
| 1 cup honey/syrup | 300g |
| 1 stick of butter | 110g 4oz |
WEIGHT CONVERSIONS
| 15g | half oz |
| 30g | 1 oz |
| 45g | 1 and half oz |
| 60g | 2 oz |
| 75g | 2 and half oz |
| 90g | 3 oz |
| 100g | 3 and half oz |
| 125g | 4 oz |
| 150g | 5 oz |
| 175g | 6 oz |
| 200g | 7 oz |
| 250g | 8 oz |
| 275g | 9 oz |
| 300g | 10 oz |
| 325g | 11 oz |
| 350g | 12 oz |
| 375g | 13 oz |
| 400g | 14 oz |
| 450g | 15 oz |
| 500g | 1 lb |
CAKE TINS SIZES
| 20cm | 8 inch |
| 23cm | 9 inch |
| 25cm | 10 inch |
LOAF TIN SIZES
| 450g | 1lb |
| 900g | 2lb |
NAAN KHATAI
NAAN KHATAI
Ingredients:
500ml plain flour
250ml ghee (approx)
250ml sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
For garnishing
1 egg, beaten
Pistachio nuts or
Almonds or
Cherries or
Strawberry jam as required
Method:
In a mixing bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder
Add vanilla essence and ghee, little at a time
Add enough ghee to combine the mixture, you’ll need less than a cup
Add the milk to soften the dough to a malleable dough.
Shape into little round balls and flattened slightly onto a baking tray
Lightly and carefully brush each biscuit with egg wash
Decorate with nut, cherries or jam
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 18 – 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Do not overcook the biscuits as it’s a very delicate biscuit and will crumble easily.
CHEESE SAMOSAS
Cheese samosa filling:
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cheese, grated
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon oil
Salt to taste (optional)
Oil for frying
Method:
Heat the oil in a pan.
Add chopped onions and fry till brown colour.
Add chopped chillies to it.
Fry for 3 – 4 minutes.
Let it cool for some time.
Add grated cheese and salt, if using, to the mixture.
Mix well and fill your samosas as usual.
3 CHEESE SAMOSA
3 Cheese Samosa
Ingredients:
½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated
½ cup processed cheese, grated
½ cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon crushed red chillies
3 tablespoons fresh dhanya, chopped
Mix all the ingredients together, ready for filling your samosa leaves. Fry as you normally would.
SAMOSAS
Samosa strips:
500ml (2 cups) cake flour
3ml (1//2) teaspoon salt
190ml water
corn flour as needed for sprinkling
oil as needed for smearing
Method:
Sift flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
Add water and mix into a stiff dough.
Knead well, cover with a damp cloth and leave aside for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 8 portions.
Roll out each portion to the size of a saucer.
Smear oil edge to edge onto 6 of the rolled-out pastry.
Sift corn flour lightly on each oiled pastry.
Make two stacks of pastry into a large disc. Roll out thinly.
Toss each stack on a heated griddle for a few seconds, turning frequently, until they loosen into individual pastries.
Place on tray and cover with a damp cloth.
Complete tossing the second lot in the same way.
Cut through stack with kitchen scissors or sharp knife to desired width.
Snip off the uneven ends to form an even pastry.
Chicken samosa filling
500g chicken mince or chicken breast chopped finely
3 large onions, chopped finely
1 teaspoon ground jeera
1 teaspoon ground koljana
2-3 teaspoons crushed chillies
salt to taste
Wash and drain mince. Brown the mince in a large pan until brown and dry. Remove from heat. Add the onions and spices and mix well. Fill approx 30 samosas
Potato and pea filling:
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
100g frozen peas
1 tsp whole jeera
1 tsp whole koljana
2 tsp crushed chillies
salt to taste
Braise onion until golden brown 5-10 minutes. Add whole jeera and koljana. Add the potatoes and cook until soft adding water if necessary. The mixture should be dry so keep stirring to ensure it does not burn. Add crushed chillies and salt. Lastly add the frozen peas and cook a further 5 minutes. Cool and fill samosa leaves.
Fills approx 20 samosas
Mutton Mince for Samoosas
Ingredients:
1kg mutton mince
4 large onions finely chopped and water squeezed out
2 tablespoon green chillies crushed
2 bunches dhanya cut finely
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon ginger and garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
Wash and drain mince. Put in a pot in the stove on medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Now add in ginger and garlic, salt, turmeric and pepper. Cook for a further 20 minutes stirring now and then and breaking lumps. When mince is cooked remove from heat, the mince should be dry. Add onions, chillies and dhanya to this. Your mince is now ready.
Daltjies
Daltjies
Ingredients:
250ml pea/chana flour
30ml cake flour
1 small onion, grated
1 small potato, grated
1 teaspoon jeera
1 teaspoon koljander (coriander)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 level teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons crushed dried red chillies
1 cup chopped spinach
100ml water to mix
Oil for deep frying
Method:
Add the flours, jeera, koljander, salt, turmeric, baking powder and dried chillies into a mixing bowl.
Add the grated onion, potato, chopped spinach and enough water to make a stiff mixture. Heat the oil until moderately hot. Do not over heat the oil as the daltjie will brown too quickly and the inside will not have cooked completely. Drop spoonfuls into the hot oil, fry for approximately 3 minutes turning all the time. Drain on absorbent kitchen towels, serve warm with chutney.
Halfmoons
Salwaa’s Halfmoons
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive!

Ingredients:
Makes 40
2½ cups boiling water
60g butter
Pinch salt
2 cups cake flour
Bread crumbs or crushed cornflakes
Milk or whisk egg for dipping
Method:
In a large saucepan bring to the boil water, butter and salt.

Remove from heat, add flour and mix with a spoon until dough forms into a ball of dough.


Roll out hot pastry thinly and cut into circles using a round cookie cutter.

Put a teaspoon filling of choice in half of the circle*** here I used left over quiche filling ⤵️

Fold pastry over with filling inside to form a half moon, using a fork to seal the edges.

Transfer onto a tray and leave to set in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Dip the half moons in milk or egg.

Roll in bread crumbs or crushed cornflakes

Fry in moderately hot oil until golden brown.
****Filling****
Chicken or Steak Filling
Ingredients:
500g chicken breast, fillet and cubed (or steak cubed)
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup frozen sweet corn
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chillies
1/2 teaspoon jeera/cumin powder
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
Whites Suace For Filling
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon maizena/cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Make filling by placing cubed chicken, onions, green peppers and corn in a pot. Add spices and cook till all moisture is evaporated.
Make sauce by mixing milk and maizena and boiling till thick add salt and pepper to taste. Now add to the filling and combine. Let cool then add some chopped dhanya.

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BRIOCHE BUNS
No-knead brioche buns
Ideal for Suhoor
Mix up these breakfast treats the night before, then all you have to do is bake and eat them warm from the oven
Makes 12
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes plus overnight proving
Ingredients:
200g butter, very soft
2 tablespoon caster sugar
3 eggs, plus 1 beaten for glazing the next day
500g strong white bread flour
½ teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
200ml whole milk
Method:
Mix the butter, sugar and eggs in a large bowl – they’ll look a mess rather than coming together nicely. Add the flour, yeast and salt and pour on the milk. Stir the mixture to make a sticky dough (use you hands if you prefer), cover the bowl and leave somewhere cool for the whole day or overnight.
Heat the oven to 190C. Butter a 12-hole muffin or bun tin. Pull off lumps of dough (flour your hands if it’s sticky) and form into a ball. Drop into one of the holes and repeat. Brush the tops with egg and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
Cook’s Tip
THREE THINGS TO ADD TO BRIOCHE DOUGH
1. Push a plain chocolate button into the centre of each roll and smooth the dough over before baking.
2. Leave out the sugar, add a pinch of paprika to the flour and sprinkle the tops with grated parmesan before baking.
3. Add grated lemon zest to the dough and don’t brush with egg. Instead, once cooked, brush the tops of the rolls with lemon juice mixed with golden caster sugar.
TOMATO BAKED EGGS
Tomato baked eggs
Serves 4
Cooking Time: 1 hour includes 45-50 minutes in the oven
Ingredients
900g ripe vine tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 large free range eggs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Method:
Preheat the oven to fan 180C. Cut the tomatoes into quarters or thick wedges, depending on their size, then spread them over a fairly shallow 1.5 liter ovenproof dish. Peel the garlic, slice thinly and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Drizzle with the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and stir everything together until the tomatoes are glistening.
Slide the dish into the oven and bake for 40 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and are tinged with brown.
Make four gaps among the tomatoes, break an egg into each gap and cover the dish with a sheet of foil. Return it to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the eggs are set to your liking. Scatter over the herbs and serve piping hot with thick slices of toast or warm ciabatta and a green salad on the side.
ONE PAN BREAKFAST
One pan breakfast
Ideal for Suhoor
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
4 sausages, chopped
140g button mushrooms
6 eggs, beaten
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful grated cheese (optional)
1 tablespoon snipped chives
Method:
Heat the grill to high.
Heat a medium non-stick frying pan suitable to go in the oven, add the sausages and fry for 3 minutes. Tip in the mushrooms and continue to cook for a further 3-5 minutes. Drain any excess fat and move the ingredients so they are evenly spread out.
Season the eggs, then add to the pan, swirling to fill the spaces. Gently move with a fork for 2 minutes over a low-medium heat until beginning to set. Scatter over the tomatoes, cheese, if using, and chives, then grill for 2 minutes until set. Cut into wedges and serve with your favourite sauces.




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