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Seafood Akhni

Seafood Akhni
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive since 2011!
Ingredients:
1kg seafood
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 finely chopped tomatoes
50g butter or margarine
5 large whole fresh green chilli, slit open. You may use more or less, depending on your taste
1 Tbsp finely chopped or grated garlic
1 tsp finely chopped or grated ginger
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
2 tsp salt, to taste
1 Tbsp red leaf masala/roasted masala
2 tsp seafood / fish masala mix*** see note
1 tsp chilli powder or chilli flakes
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
1 heaped tsp turmeric
3 cups of basmati rice or long grain white rice
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 bay leaves
3 cardamom pods
2 pieces of stick cinnamon
3 all-spices
3 cloves
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/2 cup of plain yoghurt, Greek yoghurt
Method:
Cook rice 3/4 finish and put aside.
Warm a pot on the stove. Add butter and oil. Braise the onions with the whole spices and garlic. Add the dry spices, the tomatoes, lemon juice and cook for about 15 minutes before adding a cup of water and the yoghurt. Stir through.
Add rice and mix well. Layer seafood on top of rice add another 1/2 to 1 cup of water, depending what kind of rice you using. I always use basmati or a long grain white rice for akhnis or breyanis.
Dot with butter and sprinkle a good handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves. Cover with lid. Cook on high for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off, leave covered for a further 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
I cooked this akhni over the BBQ coals outside. The exact same method can be use to cook on the stove top.
Find my fish masala recipe here ➡️ https://capemalaycookingdelights.com/category/seafood/

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Seafood Curry

Here we are making a delicious seafood curry. Quick and easy to make! Hope you’re going to make it soon and do let me know what you think of my recipe.
Serve with white boiled rice or roti.
Ingredients:
1 kg mixed seafood
500g fish, any firmed flesh fish will do
Oil, mustard oil goes well with fish
Mustard seeds
Stick cinnamon
Cardamom
Curry leaves
2 large onions
4 large tomatoes
Ginger
Garlic
Chillies
Roasted masala
Fish masala, see my recipe below
Coriander
Cumin
Tamarind
Coconut milk
Follow my recipe and method below for best results.
Salwaa’s Homemade Fish Masala Blend
Use for fish curries, seafood curries, paellas, fish or seafood breyanis or akhnis as well as a rub for fried fish or braais. Double or triple the recipe if you like but small batches in my opinion is better to maintain freshness
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
Mix well and store in a airtight container. For a better more flavourful spice mix use fresh whole spices instead. Slightly roast the whole spices and pound it using a pestle and mortar or a grinder until fine.
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Paella
Salwaa’s Paella
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive!
Ingredients:
1kg seafood mix
2 chicken fillets, cubed
3 large onions, finely sliced
Oil for frying
3 cups uncooked white / basmati rice
Salt and Tabasco sauce to taste
Few strands of saffron
Fresh chopped parsley for garnishing (optional)
Shelled mussels for garnishing
Marinade
3 Tbsp peri-peri, chilli or chutney sauce
2 tsp crushed garlic
3 tsp Paella spice
Salt to taste
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
#capemalaycooking
Method:
Put saffron strands in a cup of boiling water.
Combine marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl, add seafood mix and marinate for about 1 hour.
Stir fry cubes chicken until cooked in little olive oil and set aside.
Meanwhile, fry onions in hot oil until golden brown. Remove onions from pan and set aside.
Transfer seafood and marinade to frying pan, stir fry for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil rice in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse using a colander.
Layer ingredients in a large saucepan as follows: first rice, then seafood mixture and fried chicken. Continue layering until all ingredients have been used, sprinkling each layer with a little salt and Tabasco sauce.
Lastly pour the saffron water over the rice.
Garnish with a few shelled mussels. Steam, covered, over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Saucy Tiger Prawns Served With Lemon Rice

Saucy Tiger Prawns
Quick and easy way of cooking prawns, this recipe can also be used for crayfish tails. Marinade the night before.Ingredients:
18 extra large tiger prawns (approximately 1kg)
1 Tbsp seafood masala (I used the one of Simply Spice)
1/4 cup Nandos lemon & herb sauce
1/4 cup peri-peri Spur sauce
1 Tbsp tomato sauce (optional)
#capemalaycooking
Method:
Slit the prawn on top half way threw and devein, wash and allow all the water to drain off in a colander. Rub seafood masala in each prawn. Marinade for a few hours or better still overnight in the fridge. Cook in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
Mix together the sauces and pour over the prawns and cook a further 10 minutes. Serve with lemon rice.

Lemon Rice
Lemon Rice
4 cups cooked rice, preferably long grain or basmati
2 tsp coriander / koljana seeds
2 Tbsp sunflower oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
8 curry leaves
3 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
1 ½ tsp turmeric / borrie
Juice of 2 lemons
Gently roast and then coarsely powder the coriander seeds. Keep aside. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Fry till the spluttering stop, taking care not to burn the spices. Add the turmeric powder and turn off the heat.
Add the lemon juice and mix well. Add the rice, roasted coriander powder and mix thoroughly. Reheat the rice if necessary.
© Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
Crayfish Curry

Crayfish Curry

Crayfish Curry

Crayfish Potjie

Crayfish Potjie
Paella
Serves 6
1kg seafood mix
3 large onions, finely sliced
Oil for frying
200gr mushrooms, sliced
1 large green pepper, finely sliced
1 large red pepper, finely sliced
1 large yellow pepper, finely sliced
3 cups uncooked basmati rice
Salt and Tabasco sauce to taste
Fresh chopped parsley for garnishing (optional)
Marinade
2 tbsp peri-peri, chilli or chutney sauce
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
5ml Tabasco sauce
Combine marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl, add seafood mix and marinate for about 1 hour. Meanwhile, fry onions in heated oil until golden. Add mushrooms and fry a further 5-10 minutes, or until softened. Remove onions and mushrooms from pan and set aside. Fry peppers in oil for 5 minutes, remove from pan and set aside. Transfer seafood and marinade to frying pan and fry for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil rice in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse. Layer ingredients in a large saucepan as follows: first rice, then onions and mushrooms (reserving some onion and mushroom for garnishing) then the peppers and finally the seafood mixture. Continue layering until all ingredients have been used, sprinkling each layer with a little salt and Tabasco sauce. Steam, covered, over medium heat for 30 minutes. Garnish with reserved onions, mushrooms and chopped parsley if using. Serve with lemon atchar and enjoy

Seafood Paella
© Cape Malay Cooking
Prawn Breyani
Prawn Breyani
Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
500g Basmati rice
1 kg large prawns shelled and deveined
To marinate prawns:
1 cup yogurt
Juice of 1 lime/ lemon
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
Salt to taste
To fry: 4 large onions sliced thinly (divided into 3 equal portions)
3 large tomatoes chopped finely
For dry masala/ spice mix:
2 tablespoons whole koljana/coriander seeds
1 tablespoons whole jeera/cumin seeds
1 tablespoon saunf/ aniseed/ fennel seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 pieces of cinnamon
5 cloves
5 green cardamom
10-12 black peppercorns
2 dry red chillies
For wet masala: 2 green chillies
1/2 cup fresh dhanya leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
3-4 tablespoons fresh chopped dhanya/coriander leaves
4-5 tablespoons cooking oil
Preparation:
Wash the rice. Soak it in warm water for 30 minutes.
Cook the rice till almost done. Drain remaining water (if any) and keep aside.
Marinate the prawns with the marinating ingredients.
Heat a flat pan on a medium heat and gently roast all ingredients mentioned under “For dry masala/ spice mix” till they start to become slightly darker and give off a faint aroma.
Now grind all the roasted ingredients to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder or use a mortal & pestle.
Grind the ingredients mentioned under “For wet masala”, to a smooth paste in a food processor.
Heat the cooking oil in a deep pan till hot and then fry 1 of the 3 portions of sliced onions till crispy and golden. When done, drain and remove from the oil and keep aside on paper towels to garnish breyani later.
In the same oil, add the remaining sliced onions and fry till soft. Now add the tomatoes and fry till soft.
Add all the dry and wet masala ingredients prepared earlier and fry till the oil begins to separate from the whole mix.
Now add the prawns and all the marinade to this spice mix. Stir and allow to cook till the prawns are done. Do not overcook as the prawns will get rubbery in texture. Season with salt if required.
Remove from heat.
Take a large, deep baking dish/ ovenproof dish (it MUST have its own cover) and grease lightly with cooking oil. Layer the rice and prawn as follows: rice – prawn – rice. End with a layer of rice.
Garnish with the crispy fried onions, chopped dhanya leaves. Cover the dish and seal tightly.
Bake in a hot oven for 30 minutes.
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