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Roast Leg Of Lamb
Roast lamb
Serves 6 – 8
Serve this tender lamb with your favorite gravy and vegetables.
Ready in 3 hours – 3 1/2 hours, dependent on the size of your leg of lamb
Ingredients:
1 large head of garlic, lightly crushed
10 cloves
10 allspice berries
7 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 whole large leg of lamb, bone in (about 2.5kg)
Salt & pepper to taste
Trim excess fat and rinse the leg of lamb under running water.
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Put the lamb into a large roasting tin /Pyrex dish . Using a sharp knife, make cuts in the lamb, about 1.5cm apart, all the way to the bone.
Rub salt and pepper all over the leg of lamb, don’t skimp on the pepper!
Lightly crush a head of garlic, not necessary to peel but do remove excess peels.
Scatter the head of garlic, cloves, allspice, bay leaves around the leg of lamb.
Top with the sprigs of rosemary.
Add a cup of water. Cover with foil. Cook in a preheated oven at 190C for 3 – 3 1/2 hours.
In the meantime prepare your vegetables. Remember you can use any vegetables you like.
Wash and half, if necessary, 1 kg baby potatoes. Drain excess water. Add the potatoes in a roasting / Pyrex dish. Add salt and crushed black pepper to taste. Drizzle a tablespoon or two olive oil over the potatoes and add a quarter cup of water. Cover with foil. Pop in the oven an hour before the leg of lamb is done. The potatoes will turn out crispy on the outside and soft in the inside.
Leg of lamb halfway through the cooking time.
Peel, de-seed and slice butternut into small pieces. Peel carrots and cut into smaller pieces. Melt 50g unsalted butter and 50ml vegetable oil in a saucepan. When the butter/oil begins to bubble add a a couple of stick cinnamon and the butternut pieces. Brown on each side.
Add the carrots, toss lightly so that the carrots are coated with the butter/oil mixture. Season to taste (salt and a bit of pepper will do) Cover and allow to steam over low heat until the vegetables are soft but not mushy.
Roasted potatoes.
Butternut and carrots, cooked.
Ready to eat 🙂
Serve with homemade peppercorn sauce
Ingredients:
3 – 4 tablespoons black peppercorns
80g butter
1 large onion, minced
120ml beef stock
100ml fresh cream
salt to taste
Method:
Crush the peppercorns slightly, either using a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the peppercorns and boil for another 3 minutes. Add beef stock and boil another 3 minutes.
Just before serving, add the cream and reduce the heat to medium. Heat through, but don’t allow the peppercorn sauce to boil. Once the sauce is at your desired thickness, test for seasoning. Add salt if necessary, then serve immediately.
Enjoy 🙂
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Eid Recipes
Here follows a quick round-up of popular Eid dishes.
Click on the links for the recipes. Read the rest of this entry
Shepherd’s Pie (Oond Frikkadel)
Shepherd’s Pie also known as Oond Frikkadel or Cottage Pie is a classic dish which pretty much everyone I’ve ever met has their own way of making. This is my way which I’ve kept really simple and it’s a winner every time I make it. Make sure you buy the best quality mince you can afford, as it really makes the dish, there’s nothing worse than an oily and fatty cottage pie. This recipe serves 6.
Shepherd’s pie” is made from lamb (hence “shepherd”), while “cottage pie” is made with beef.

Ingredients:
500g fat free minced meat
1 medium onion
1 small green pepper
1 medium tomato
1/2 bunch dhanya
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
5 cloves garlic, grated
1 slice bread soaked in water (preferably day or two old)
1 large 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, dhanya finely.
Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly using your hands.
Transfer the mixture into an oven proof dish.
Bake in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes at 180C.
Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with grated nutmeg.
Grill in the oven until top is slightly browned.
Serve with yellow rice, steamed vegetables or fresh salad.

Yellow Rice Recipe
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked basmati rice
¼ teaspoon turmeric
5 cardamom pods, crushed
3 stick cinnamons
50g butter
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
½ cup raisins, optional
Method:
I always parboil my rice and then rinse as I don’t like the starch on the rice.
Using a large saucepan parboil the rice until half cooked approximately 5- 7 minutes.
Pour into a colander, rinse and return to the saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients with a cup of water. Stir gently. Heat your saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 6 minutes. Stir with a fork to fluff and loosen the grains, turn the heat off. Leave the sealed saucepan on the stove, the retained heat will complete the cooking process and any water left will be absorbed leaving you with fluffy and tender yellow rice.
Perfect with bobotie, frikkadel, roast, etc…
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Denning Vleis / Meat
Denningvleis
This lamb dish is one of the oldest recorded recipes in South African cuisine. It has a sweet – sour taste and its spices are very evocative of Indonesian cuisine. Serve with yellow or savoury rice, mashed potatoes and boiled vegetables.
**Savoury rice recipe below**
Ingredients:
1.5-2.0kg boneless lamb pieces
3 large onions (or 5 regular size onions)
50ml oil for frying the onions
Marinade:
6-8 big cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
6-8 whole cloves
6-8 whole allspice
1 teaspoon mustard seed
4 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar
20ml sugar (optional)
Method
Trim the fat from the meat, remove the bones and cut the meat into pieces. Wash and drain.
Roughly chop the onions.
Combine marinade ingredients, add meat. Marinade the meat for at least one hour.
Heat a little oil in a heavy based pot and fry onions until golden brown.
Add the marinated meat to the onions and cook until meat is very tender and juicy. If you have the time, let it simmer on very low heat for a further half hour. If the meat gets too dry add some water.
Delicious served with yellow rice, mashed potatoes and boiled squash.
Cook’s tip:
Soak 50ml tamarind in 100ml water and add to marinade ingredients instead of vinegar or lemon juice.
SAVOURY RICE
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked long grain rice or basmati rice
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cardamom pods
2 stick cinnamons
100g butter
1 teaspoon salt
Handful chopped dhanya/fresh coriander
Method:
Parboil the rice until half cooked.
Pour into a colander, rinse, leave the rice in the colander whilst preparing the onions.
Heat your saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, melt, add the cardamom and stick cinnamon. Add the onions. Braise the onions until golden brown. Add the half cooked rice, salt and a cup of water. Heat the rice until warmed through. Add the dhanya/coriander, stir with a fork to loosen the grains and turn the heat off. Leave the sealed saucepan on the stove, the retained heat will complete the cooking process and any water left will be absorbed leaving you with fluffy and tender.
VARIATION:
Add a cup of mixed vegetables with the rice before steaming.
Add a tin of drained chick peas with the rice before steaming.
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Dry Spicy Lamb Curry
Dry Spicy Lamb Curry
#capemalaycooking
Ingredients:
Serves 6 – 8
1 kg lamb pieces
1 cup plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons garam masala
salt to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
2 teaspoons koljana/coriander powder
1 teaspoon jeera/cumin powder
2 medium tomatoes, chopped fine
Freshly chopped dhanya to garnish
Method:
Mix the lamb pieces with the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, garam masala and salt to taste, cover and allow to marinade for 3 hours.
Heat the oil in a deep pot on medium heat. Add the green chillies and fry until it stops spluttering.
Add the lamb with the marinade and fry stirring frequently for 5 – 7 minutes.
Now add the tomatoes, koljana/coriander and jeera/cumin powder and mix well.
Sprinkle some water over the meat, cover, lower the heat and cook till the meat is done.
Check occasionally and add more water if needed to prevent sticking and burning. Ideally this dish has a minimal amount of thick gravy.
Turn the heat off, garnish with freshly chopped dhanya.
Serve with warm chapattis (Indian flat breads) or naans.
Potato Curry
Ingredients:
Serves 6
4 large potatoes
1 teaspoon cumin/jeera seeds
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon coriander/koljana seeds (crushed)
1 teaspoon fennel/barishap seeds (crushed)
½ teaspoon chilli powder
2-3 slit green chillies
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Handful Coriander leaves chopped
Salt to taste
30 ml cooking oil
Method:
Peel the potatoes and cut into bite size pieces.
Boil water in a sauce pan and then add the chopped potatoes and salt. Let it cook, but make sure there is still some bite to it.
After it is cooked, drain the water completely and keep aside.
Now heat a small pot and add some oil. Add the cumin/jeera seeds, garlic and ginger. Stir until garlic ginger is cooked and slightly browned.
Now add the crushed fennel/barishap seeds, coriander/koljana seeds, chilli powder and give it a stir.
Add the cooked potatoes, green chillies, salt and stir gently in intervals.
Let this cook for about 6-7 minutes until the sides have browned, spices are coated well. Add drops of water to prevent sticking to the pot and burning.
Finally garnish with coriander leaves.
200g wholemeal flour
75ml warm water
2 tbsp butter
Sift the flour into a medium bowl and make a well in the middle of the flour. Pour in the water and mix to make a dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 -8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place back in the bowl, cover with cling film and leave for 10 –15 minutes.
Roast Leg Of Lamb
Roast lamb
Serve this tender lamb with your favourite gravy and vegetables.
Ready in 2 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients:
10 cloves of garlic
10 cloves
10 bay leaves
1 whole large leg of lamb, bone in (about 2.2kg)
Salt & pepper to taste
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C.
2. Put the lamb into a large roasting tin. Using a sharp knife, make cuts in the lamb, about 1.5cm apart, all the way to the bone.
3. Stuff 1 clove of garlic, clove, bay leave into the each of the cuts. Rub the leg of lamb with salt and pepper according to taste. Add a cup of water into the tin. Cover the tin loosely with foil and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Remove the foil and cook for another 30 minutes.
4. Put the meat on a platter, cover loosely with foil and leave in a warm place to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with gravy, roast potatoes, a selection of vegetables of your choice.
Chops Sosatie
Chops Sosatie

Chops Sosatie
1kg lamb chops
500g thinly slices onions
Marinade:
15ml crushed garlic
5 bay leaves
5 whole cloves
2ml dried thyme
5ml dried sage
20ml curry powder
60ml lemon juice or vinegar
45ml sugar
5ml salt (or too taste)

Marinated Chops Sosatie
Combine the marinade ingredients and marinade chops for at least 1 hour or longer if you have time. Transfer into a oven proof dish cover with sliced onions and cook, covered, with aluminium foil in a preheated oven (200C) for 50 – 60 minutes.

Ready For The Oven
Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed mixed vegetables.
Savoury / Dhanya Rice

Dhanya Rice
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked long grain rice or basmati rice
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cardamom pods
2 stick cinnamons
100g butter
1 teaspoon salt
Handful chopped dhanya
Method:
Parboil the rice until half cooked.
Pour into a colander, rinse, leave the rice in the colander whilst preparing the onions.
Heat your saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, melt, add the cardamom and stick cinnamon. Add the onions. Braise the onions until golden brown. Add the half cooked rice, salt and a cup of water. Heat the rice until warmed through. Add the dhanya, stir with a fork to loosen the grains and turn the heat off. Leave the sealed saucepan on the stove, the retained heat will complete the cooking process and any water left will be absorbed leaving you with fluffy and tender.
VARIATION:
Add a cup of mixed vegetables with the rice before steaming.
Add a tin of drained chick peas with the rice before steaming.
Mavrou
Mavrou
A Cape Malay traditional dish which is usually served at weddings, on Eid and other special occasions. Mavrou is a very colourful dish and is usually made with steak.

Mavrou
Ingredients:
1 kg cubed steak or goulash
10 ml salt
10 ml ground jeera (cumin)
15 ml ground koljana (coriander)
10 ml barishap (fennel seeds)
15 ml crushed red chillies
3 cloves
3 whole all spice
10 ml ground ginger
10 ml ground garlic
3 cardamom pods
3 cinnamon sticks
Few strands saffron (optional)
4 large onions, thinly sliced
Oil for braising onions
2 large tomatoes, grated
Method:
• Combine all spices and mix well with meat. Marinate for at least an hour.
• Heat oil in large pot and braise onions until soft and golden, adding water when necessary.
• Add meat and cook covered until soft, adding water when necessary.
• Serve with white or savoury rice decorated with boiled eggs cut into quarters.
VARIATION:
Served with steamed mix vegetables of peas.
This weeks recipes posted on Facebook
Here follows a round up of the past week’s recipes posted on Facebook.
Monday 13th May – TOMATO FRIKKADEL
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=541591522546446&set=a.209510085754593.50092.183695408336061&type=1&theater
Tuesday 14th May – CHICKEN WRAPS
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE
Wednesday 15th May – DHAL AND BATTERED FISH FILLETS
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPES
Thursday 16th May – FLAKY ROTI
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE
Friday 17th May – MAQLUBA
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE
Saturday 18th May – DHALTJIES / PAKORAS
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE
MINCED MEAT PIES
MINCE PIES
Fills about 40 – 50 pies
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
500g lean minced meat, washed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, crushed
5 cloves
30g sago soaked in half a cup of water. (You may use more sago for a thicker texture filling, personally I don’t like using a lot of sago)
Water as needed
Puff pastry
METHOD:
Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, for 2 minutes or until onion softens. Add the mince, cloves, salt and pepper and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps. Cook for 10 minutes. Add water if required.
Meanwhile soak the sago in the water for approximately 15 minutes or until sago is transparent. Add to the mince and cook until combined and the mince have thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 200C. Cut circles from rolled out puff pastry sheets. Line mini muffin pans or use a flat baking tray with the circles. Spoon a teaspoon mince mixture into the centre of the pastry. Top each pie with another pastry circle and seal edges. Brush tops with beaten egg.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside in the pans for minutes to cool.
COOK’s TIP:
Remove cloves before filling pastry cases.
You can freeze these pies for up to 1 month. Bake straight from frozen.
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