Author Archives: Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
SPINACH OMELETTE
Spinach Omelette
Ideal for Suhoor
Serves 4
Ingredients:
200g bag spinach leaves
2 dessert spoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely sliced
1 large potato, peeled and finely sliced
5 eggs
Method:
Tip the spinach into a large colander and bring a kettleful of water to the boil. Slowly pour the water over the spinach until wilted, then cool under cold water. Squeeze all the liquid out of the spinach and set aside.
Heat grill to high. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and gently cook the onion and potato for about 10 minutes until the potato is soft. While the onion is cooking, beat the eggs together in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Stir the spinach into the potatoes, then pour in the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly set, then flash the omelette under the grill to set the top. Ease the omelette on to a plate, then flip over back into the pan. Finish cooking the omelette on the underside and turn out onto a board. Serve cut into wedges.
Halfmoons
Salwaa’s Halfmoons
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive!
Halfmoons
Ingredients:
Makes 40
2 ½ cups boiling water
60g butter
Pinch salt
2 cups cake flour
Bread crumbs or crushed cornflakes
Milk 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 filling of choice in half of the circle***
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
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.
CHICKEN PIE FILLING
PIES / ROLLS –SAUCY CHICKEN FILLING
Chicken fillets can be made very quickly so you need to stir-fry cubed fillets with a mixture of vegetables of your choice. The following recipe, however, should help you:
750g chicken fillets, (cubed)
30g butter
1 medium onion, sliced
3 -4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 sprigs thyme
200g button mushrooms, sliced
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon flour
¾ cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped dhanya
Heat the butter
Fry onion until lightly brown 1 – 2 minutes
Stir in chicken and sauté
Add garlic, thyme, mushrooms and peppers
Cook uncovered stir frequently for 7 – 10 minutes
Sprinkle in flour and stir well
Stir in milk and cook until sauce is smooth
Season well
Add chopped dhanya and allow cooling before filling pie.
PUFF PASTRY
PUFF PASTRY
This is the richest of all pastries and benefits from being made the day before use.
Ingredients:
450g cake flour
Pinch salt
450g firm butter or margarine
250ml cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice (approximate)
Method:
- Mix the flour and salt together. Place butte on a place and work with a knife until soft. Rub a small knob of butter into the flour.
- Add water and lemon juice to form a fairly soft, elastic dough.
- Knead lightly on a floured surface until smooth
- Form the rest of the butter into an oblong, see “cook’s tip”. Roll pastry into a square.
- Place the block of butter on one half of the square, fold other half of pastry over it. Seal edges. Turn the pastry so the fold is on one side, then roll out a strip three times longer that it is wide. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down and seal edges.
- Cover pastry with greaseproof paper and leave to rest in a cool place for approximately 20 minutes.
- Turn the pastry so that the folds are to the sides and roll, fold and rest as before until this has been done about six times altogether. After final resting, shape pastry as required. Bake at 230C
Cook’s Tip:
- To form the block of butter into an oblong, roll out butter between two sheets of greaseproof paper.
- Always take care to roll out the pastry away from you and do not break the air bubbles that will rise.
- Ensure the butter used is cold and hard, if necessary chill for 20 minutes after dividing into four portions.
- If the butter comes through the pastry and sticks to the surface put the mixture back in the fridge to harden as the butter has become too soft with rolling and handling.
- If the pastry rises unevenly, it may be due to the pastry being badly rolled and folded. When rolling keep sides straight and always fold into a true oblong.
FLAKY PASTRY
FLAKY PASTRY
Light crispy pastry ideal for pies
Ingredients:
450g cake flour
Pinch salt
350g butter or margarine
250ml cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice (approximate)
Method:
- Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl, divide the butter into four portions on a plate. Put one quarter into the flour and rub it in.
- Mix to a pliable dough with lemon juice and cold water and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead well.
- Roll into an oblong about 36 x 15cm keeping the sides quite straight and the top flat.
- Mark the pastry into three equal portions with cutting it up. Dot the second quarter of butter over the top two-thirds, then fold the bottom third up over the middle and the top third down.
- Seal the open ends with a rolling pin and give the pastry a quarter turn so that the folded end is to the right or left.
- Repeat numbers 3, 4 and 5 with the remaining two quarters of butter. Cover and chill after each rolling.
- Roll out once more and fold up as before, cover and leave in a cold place for at least 30 minutes before use.
Cook’s Tips:
- Always take care to roll out the pastry away from you and do not break the air bubbles that will rise.
- Ensure the butter used is cold and hard, if necessary chill for 20 minutes after dividing into four portions.
- If the butter comes through the pastry and sticks to the surface put the mixture back in the fridge to harden as the butter has become too soft with rolling and handling.
- If the pastry rises unevenly, it may be due to the pastry being badly rolled and folded. When rolling keep sides straight and always fold into a true oblong.
CINNAMON BUNS
CINNAMON BUNS
These buns are so good hot from the oven when they’re gooey and warm.
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup milK
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans, divided
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
Directions
In a small bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup butter and salt; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs and 1½ cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
While dough is rising, melt ¾ cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in ¾ cup brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Pour into greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with ½ cup pecans; set aside. Melt remaining butter; set aside. Combine remaining ¾ cup brown sugar, ½ cup pecans, and cinnamon; set aside.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, roll into an 18×14 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter, leaving ½ inch border uncovered; sprinkle with brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Starting at long side, tightly roll up, pinching seam to seal. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. With serrated knife, cut into 15 pieces; place cut side down, in prepared pan. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume. Meanwhile, preheat oven to190 degrees C.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto serving platter. Scrape remaining filling from the pan onto the rolls.
MINI SAUSAGE ROLLS
MINI SAUSAGE ROLLS
Makes 16
Ingredients:
500g ready-made puff pastry
Flour for dusting
1 egg, beaten
8 good quality sausages cut into two
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Small handful fresh thyme leaves
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C
Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to a rectangle of about 48x32cm.
Cut the large rectangle in half lengthways, then cut both smaller rectangles into eight equal sections. You now have 16 rectangles in total. Brush one end of each rectangle with a little of the beaten egg, lay a piece of sausage at the other end, then season the sausage with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Roll the sausage up in the pastry to enclose and repeat with all the sausages. Put the sausage rolls in the fridge for 20 minutes for the pastry to harden.
Once the pastry is hard, remove the sausage rolls from the fridge and score the tops with a sharp knife for decoration, or prick with a fork. Brush well all over with the rest of the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes, or until the pastry has turned golden-brown and looks crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before serving.
SAVOURY CUPS
Savoury cups (savouries)
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked chicken pieces
1 cup cubed onions
1 cup cubed tomatoes
1 cup cubed red and green peppers
2 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
salt
pepper
Method:
Mix all the above ingredients
Drop mixture in greased muffin pans and bake at 160C for about 10 minutes.
Savoury Tartlets
Savoury Tartlets
Makes 28
Baked tartlet cases can be frozen, defrost at room temperature.
Ingredients:
For the pastry shells
500g ready made shortcrust pastry
Flour, for dusting
1 egg, beaten with a good pinch of salt
3 tablespoons finely grated hard cheese (use any hard cheese of your choice)
Hummus & roasted tomato
7 cherry tomatoes, halved
200g ready made hummus
Few chives
250g soft cheese
85g smoked salmon
Dill sprigs
Method:
Heat the oven to 200C. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to a large oblong measuring 30x40cm. Cut 24 rounds with a 6.5cm round cutter, then carefully place them in hertzoggie or muffin tins to form tiny tarts. Prick the bases with a fork.
Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, add a bit of the grated hard cheese on top of each disk and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. Scrunch the pastry trimmings together, then re-roll and cut out more rounds until all the pastry has been used. Glaze and bake as before. When all the pastry cases come out of the oven, roast the cherry tomato halves on a baking tray for 8 minutes. The cases will keep in a tin for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.
To serve, fill some cases with a teaspoon of hummus, a cherry tomato and a few snipped chives. Fill others with soft cheese, a twirl of salmon, dill and black pepper.
VARIATIONS:
You can also fill these tartlets with prawn cocktail, pate and chutney….whatever takes your fancy.
SAVOURY PARMESAN TARTLETS
SAVOURY PARMESAN TARTLETS
Makes 28
Freeze baked cases only
Ingredients:
For the parmesan pastry shells
375g ready made shortcrust pastry
Flour, for dusting
1 egg, beaten with a good pinch of salt
3 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
Hummus & roasted tomato
7 cherry tomatoes, halved
200g ready made hummus
Few chives
Smoked salmon & dill
250g soft cheese
85g smoked salmon
Dill sprigs
Method:
Heat the oven to 200C. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to a large oblong measuring 30x40cm. Stamp out 24 rounds with a 6.5cm round cutter, then carefully place them in hertzoggie or muffin tins to form tiny tarts. Prick the bases with a fork.
Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, scatter with the parmesan and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. Scrunch the pastry trimmings together, then re-roll and stamp out 4 more rounds. Glaze and bake as before. When all the pastry cases come out of the oven, roast the cherry tomato halves on a baking tray for 8 minutes. The cases will keep in a tin for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.
To serve, fill some cases with a teaspoon of hummus, a cherry tomato and a few snipped chives. Fill others with soft cheese, a twirl of salmon, dill and black pepper.
VARIATIONS:
You can also fill these tartlets with prawn cocktail, pate and chutney….whatever takes your fancy.
Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights - Salwaa Smith 
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