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Puris / Pooris
Poori or Puri is a traditional Indian fried bread that is delicious to enjoy with almost any main dish, normally curry. It’s a simple unleavened bread made from just self-raising flour, salt, sugar and buttermilk.
We grew up eating puris with mince curry or dhal curry. My mom learned to make the loveliest puris from our Indian friends. As we were a big family and my mom had to do lots of cooking, she would just roll the dough out as thinly as possible on the table and cut into shapes using a sharp knife. I used the same method as well as using a large round cookie cutter or glass.
It’s important to get the dough right, so that your puris are not dry and tough. Leave the dough to rest for at least half hour before rolling.
Add a bit of salt to your oil before frying the puri in it, to avoid making the finished product extremely oily.
Leave to drain on kitchen towels after frying.
The sugar caramelises to give your puris a beautiful colour. Also, make sure to get the temperature of the oil just right. Frying puris in very hot oil can burn them. Fry over medium/high heat.
Ingredients:
4 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 & 1/2 cups buttermilk
Oil for deep frying
Method:
Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Knead dough for a few minutes until dough no longer sticks to your hands or surface.
Cover and leave the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out very thinly, cut into circles, rectangles, any shape that takes your fancy!!
Fry in medium to hot oil until puri puffs up, 2 minutes, turn and fry the other side.
***To make your own buttermilk ***
1 & 1/2 cups milk, add 3 tablespoons of either vinegar or lemon juice and let it stand for a few minutes before using.
During Ramadan my mom used to make treats for us by filling the puris with slices of viennas or left over mince curry to be enjoyed when breaking our fasts.
Eggless Banana Muffins
Delicious Eggless Banana Muffins that will satisfy any muffin craving. Make these muffins without eggs if you are caught without eggs. These muffins are perfect for those who don’t or can’t eat eggs.
So easy to make, involve kids and make it a fun process. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and freeze them. They keep really well, enjoy the treat whenever you’re craving for.
Most importantly, there are no fancy ingredients required, you might have everything in your kitchen cupboards if you do baking.
Eggless Banana Muffins Recipe
Ingredients:
60g (quarter cup) soft butter
1/2 cup sugar (brown or white)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 cups self-raising flour
3 bananas, mashed
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cakes.
In a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar.
Mix in mashed bananas.
Add flour, cinnamon, bicarb and buttermilk, mix into a thick batter.
Pour into the prepared muffin cases.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.
Cook’s Tip:
Optional extras, add a handful of chocolate chips, raisins or walnuts.
Make your own buttermilk by adding 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
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How To Make Homemade Bread
Salwaa’s Homemade Bread Video Tutorial
Here I share with you my homemade bread recipe. Traditionally homemade bread was made every Sunday in most households for a light supper in the evening. I serve my bread with corned beef, polony, cheese or left over Sunday roast.
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive since 2011!
Ingredients:
4 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast (1 packet yeast)
3 tbsp oil
1½ – 2 cups lukewarm water
Follow my tutorial below for flop proof homemade bread
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Malaysian Pudding
This is a delicious and refreshing pudding to enjoy on a hot summers day!
I’m not sure where this recipe originated from, if anyone can shed some light please comment below. I’m thinking this recipe was created because the pudding feeds a lot of people using inexpensive ingredients. What do you think?
This pudding is made using flavoured yoghurt, condensed milk, dessert cream (in the tin), tinned fruit. Fresh fruit is also used.
Here’s my take on this popular Cape Malay Malaysian Pudding.
Malaysian Pudding – Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
A refreshing quick and easy dessert. End your dinner party with this no fuss treat. Use any flavour yoghurt and canned fruit combination. Cocktail canned fruit can also be used for a burst of fruit when eating. For a sweeter taste add one or two tablespoons condensed milk, to taste. This recipe serves 6 but you can easily double it to cater for more people.
Ingredients:
500ml yoghurt
2 or more Tbsp condensed milk (to taste)
1 x 155g tin dessert cream
1 x 410g canned fruit of choice
2 Tbsp pistachio nuts
250ml fresh cream
Fresh fruit,
Method:
Drain the canned fruit. Using a large mixing bowl, stir the dessert cream to loosen it up. Add the yoghurt, start by adding 2 tablespoons condensed milk then add more if you want a sweeter taste, drained canned fruit and nuts. Whisk the fresh cream in a separate bowl until double in volume. Fold the cream into the yoghurt mixture. Transfer into a serving dish and refrigerate until needed. Garnish with fresh fruit and extra pistachio nuts, optional.
For this pudding I used mango and apple yoghurt as well as guava canned fruit. I also added chopped a banana and strawberries for extra flavour. Makes 6 servings.
© Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
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3 Ingredient Fruit Cake
Introducing my 3 ingredient fruit cake made from dried mixed fruit, cold coffee and self raising flour. This cake can be stored for up to 2 weeks. To store, simply wrap in foil or place into an airtight container at room temperature. Serve on it’s own at room temperature or warm, with a dollop of cream or custard.
You can substitute coffee with:
Juice (orange, apple or pineapple)
Black tea
Chocolate milk
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Brownie Cheesecake
Brownie Cheesecake
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
Love brownies? Love cheesecake? Now, you can have both at the same time! This is a baked cheesecake with a brownie mixture as the base. Absolutely divine.
For the brownie base you will need:
100g chocolate
50g butter
Melt over a double boiler and allow to cool
1/3 cup cake / plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Sieve and set aside
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 large egg
Cream together and fold into the cooled butter and chocolate mixture
Fold in flour/ cocoa
Spray a 18cm loose bottom tin (spring form tin) with spray and cook and pour the brownie mixture in. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
For the filling you will need:
600g smooth cream cheese
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 Tbsp cake flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
Finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon
1 & 1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 large eggs
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
Topping:
Whipped fresh cream
Fruit of choice
Method:
Mix the cream cheese, castor sugar until smooth. When the cream cheese is smooth add the yoghurt, vanilla essence an lemon rind. Add the eggs 1 at a time mixing gently after each egg has been added. Mix well until the eggs have incorporated into the mixture. Grease the sides of the tin with the brownies . Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the base. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 140°C and bake for a further 60 minutes more. Turn the oven off, leaving the cheesecake in the oven with the oven door slightly ajar until the cheesecake has cooled down.
Refrigerate for four hours or overnight. Remove the cheesecake from the spring form tin before serving and decorate with whipped cream and fruit of choice.
to remove the cheesecake, run a round-bladed knife around the sides of the tin to loosen any stuck edges. Unlock the side, slide the cheesecake off the bottom of the tin onto a serving plate.
Cook’s Tips:
- ALL THE INGREDIENTS NEED TO BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
- BAKING TEMPERATURE DETERMINES THE TEXTURE
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER BAKE
- CHILL WELL BEFORE SLICING AND SERVING
TIPS FOR A BETTER CHEESECAKE
Mix gently. Don’t be tempted to mix ingredients at a high speed or to use a whisk attachment instead of a paddle attachment in an effort to get rid of lumps. This aerates the batter and can ruin that cake’s final texture. Starting with softened cream cheese and being patient while mixing on low speed is the best way to ensure a smooth filling.
Scrape down the bowl after mixing in each ingredient. When mixing the ingredients together the consistency starts off quite thick with the cream cheese and thins out with the addition of each ingredient. The batter that sticks to the sides of the bowl—and hides in the bottom of the bowl—needs to be scraped down completely so it combines evenly. If the bowl isn’t scraped consistently, the batter will be lumpy.
Here’s another cheesecake recipe for you ⤵️
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Tomato Frikkadel / Spaghetti with Meatballs
Comfort food at it’s best! A delicious meal to make on a rainy and cloudy day. Serve with spaghetti for the kids and white rice for the older family members (If they like my husband whose not fond of pasta)
Spaghetti with meatballs is an Italian-American dish consisting of spaghetti, tomato sauce and meatballs. It has become a South African favourite as well, with the older generation preferring the rice over the spaghetti.
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive for the past 10 years!
Serves 4 – 6
Frikkadel Ingredients:
- 500g fat free minced meat
- 1 onion
- 1 small green pepper
- 1 tomato
- ½ bunch coriander
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 slice one day old bread soaked in water
- 1 medium egg
- Salt & pepper to taste
Method:
Wash and drain minced meat well.
Soak bread in water and squeeze excess water out.
Chop onion, pepper, tomato, coriander finely.
Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly using your hands.
Heat your oven to 220°C.
Roll mince mixture into small golf ball size meatballs.
Arrange the meatballs onto a slightly greased baking tin or line your baking tin with greaseproof paper then you don’t need to use any oil.
This is to prevent the meatballs from sticking onto your tray.
Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 until browned.
Meanwhile, make the sauce.
Tomato sauce ingredients:
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 level teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried crushed red chillies or to taste
700g soft, red tomatoes, liquidised or 2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon tomato paste
A handful fresh rosemary, chopped
Sugar to taste
Method:
In a large saucepan heat the oil and braise the onion until golden brown.
Add the garlic, salt, chillies, tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar and simmer over low heat until the sauce has slightly thickened, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the rosemary, stir through.
Add the cooked meatballs (drain any excess fat) to the tomato sauce to keep warm while you boil the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet.
Spoon the sauce and meatballs over spaghetti, or stir them all together and serve with cheese of your choice, optional.
Garnish with rosemary sprigs.
Variation:
Serve with white plain boiled rice.
Tip:
Prepare a double batch of meatballs and freeze half. Ideal for busy cooks, unexpected visitors (after the pandemic or when it’s safe to receive visitors😊) or when you want to whip up a nutritious meal for your family.
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Spicy Yoghurt Chicken
Hi / Salaam friends!
Just popping in to share my Spicy Yogurt Marinated Chicken recipe with you!
Spicy Yogurt & Coriander Chicken
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive since 2011!
Here’s a great alternative recipe for your Sunday roast.
Try a spicy twist with your chicken, this dish works well served hot with rice or naan, roast potatoes and a garden salad.
The yoghurt tenderises the chicken much more gently and effectively than regular marinades.
I used a whole chicken which I cut into 8 pieces. You can use chicken legs or chicken fillets. My spicy yoghurt chicken tastes is great cooked on the braai/BBQ too!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 chicken, approx. 1kg
1 cup plain or Greek yoghurt
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp turmeric / borrie
1 tsp cumin / jeera
1 – 2 tsp salt (according to taste)
½ tsp chilli powder
4 large cloves of garlic, grated
1 small piece ginger, grated (approx. 5cm)
50g butter
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 small green pepper, deseeded and chopped
Small bunch dhanya, chopped (keep some of the leaves for garnish)
Method:
Clean and cut the chicken into 8 pieces. Mix together the yogurt, paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt, chilli powder, garlic and ginger in a bowl.
Marinade the chicken with this mixture and refrigerate for at least one hour or for best results overnight.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the chopped onions and braise until golden brown. Add the chopped green pepper. Cook together for about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken pieces (preserve the marinade) and brown on both sides.
Transfer to an oven proof dish. Mix in the extra marinade sauce and chopped dhanya.
Grill in a pre-heated oven until the chicken has cooked through and is golden brown in colour.
Serve with naan or boiled rice, grilled potatoes and green salad.
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Minced Meat Wellington
Minced Meat Wellington
This is my inexpensive version of Beef Wellington. Serve with steamed mixed vegetables and mushroom sauce for a bit of gravy.
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive since 2011!
Ingredients:
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1 celery stick
1 medium potato
4 cloves garlic
5 mushrooms
4 rosemary or thyme sprigs leaves only
2 tbsp olive oil
500g fat free beef mince
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
500g puff pastry
flour for rolling
extra egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 190°C and take the pastry out of the fridge to soften a bit.
Peel onion, carrot and potato. Dice all the vegetables into similar size pieces. Put a frying pan on medium heat with olive oil, chop up the rosemary and mince the garlic and add them to the pan.
Gently sauté everything, stirring occasionally until your vegetables are tender and onions are translucent. It will take about 5-8 minutes. Then transfer your mixture into a bowl and cool completely.
Once it’s cooled enough to touch add the minced meat. Mix everything together adding salt, pepper and beaten egg,
Dust a clean work surface with a handful of flour and roll out the pastry to a 1cm thickness. Shape the mince mixture into a log and place it on the rolled out pastry sheet, brush the edges with the beaten egg. Roll it up tucking the ends inside like a giant burrito, brush with the egg all over and place it on a baking sheet seam down. I used the left over pastry, cut with a lattice cutting roller, for an extra layer of pastry and pretty effect. Bake Beef Wellington in the pre-heated oven for 45 min to an hour depending on your oven until golden.
Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup fresh cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp parsley, chopped
Method:
In a small pot melt the butter and add sliced mushrooms with a pinch of salt, brown over medium heat to get some colour on them. (If mushrooms release too much liquid and are steaming instead of browning, turn up the heat.)
Once mushrooms are browned turned the heat to low, add the olive oil and finely chopped onions, Cook the onions for 10 minutes until they are translucent, stir once in a while to prevent burning. Then add minced garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds.
Pour in the cream, salt, pepper and chopped parsley, stir and let it simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
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Cinnamon Rolls
Salwaa’s Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls. Makes 14 to 16 Rolls
My cinnamon rolls are a must try recipe to enjoy on a cold autumnal day with a hot cuppa. These cinnamon rolls are best served warm.
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive for the past 10 years!
Ingredients:
1 packet dry yeast
1½ – 2 cup milk
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup warm water
¼ tsp vanilla essence
1 large egg
1 tsp salt
¼ cup butter, melted
4 cups cake flour
¼ cup melted butter, to brush over the top before baking
For the Filling,
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
¾ cup soft brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 ½ Tbsp of ground cinnamon
For the Glaze,
¼ cup of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 &1/4 cups of icing sugar
½ tsp of vanilla essence
3- 4 Tbsp of warm milk
Method:
1) In a small bowl, combine the warm water and 1 tsp of the sugar, sprinkle the yeast over the top and set aside for approximately 5 minutes.
2) In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook or knead by hand, mix the egg, milk (start with 1 & 1/2 cups, adding the rest as needed), salt, sugar and melted butter. Add 2 cups of the flour, vanilla and yeast mixture, mix until it’s all incorporated and slowly add about 2 more cups of flour. Knead until you have a smooth dough.
3) Set the dough aside covering the bowl with clean wrap in a warm area for about 2 hours.
4) In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon for the filling, set aside. @capemalaycooking
5) When doubled in size, punch the dough down and roll it out onto a floured surface into a rectangle. Spread the soft butter over the top and sprinkle evenly over the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Starting from one of the long ends, tightly roll the dough. Cut into 14 to 16 slices making sure they are even and place them cut side down in a well-greased baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let put them back into a warm spot to rise for another 1 ½ hours.
6) Pre-heat your oven to 200°C
7) Once risen, brush them with some melted butter and bake them for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
While the cinnamon rolls cool for a few minutes make the glaze. Mix all the ingredients of the glaze in a bowl except for the milk, once the cream cheese is all mixed, slowly add the milk until you get a runny glaze consistency. Immediately pour the glaze over the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights - Salwaa Smith 
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