To The Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights Online Store
Please note; due to coronavirus (Covid-19) our physical shop is still closed to the public. However, you can still shop online, chose delivery or you may collect in Newfields at a pre-arranged time.
As usual, we are taking extra precautions during these trying times. We have implemented new operational and social distancing safety measures to ensure the continued protection of clients, third party delivery and the wider communities in which we serve.
We are operating with a reduced menu, with a selected menu of favourites, with the full menu being introduced as and when we can.
Chicken and Corn Quiche – Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
With Ramadaan fast approaching I thought I’d share with you my quick and easy quiche recipe. Mini quiches can be made in advance and stored for up to 3 months in the freezer. My mini quiche recipe is a brilliant and tasty way of using left over cooked chicken. Use polony, fish or shredded meat as an alternative.
Mini Quiche
Makes one large quiche or 24 mini quiches
Ingredients: 3 extra large eggs 2 deboned chicken breast, cooked and diced 1 small onion 100g grated Cheddar cheese 1 cup sweet corn 500g puff pastry Salt and pepper to taste 100ml fresh cream A sprinkle of dried herbs #capemalaycooking
Method: Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Lightly grease a baking tin/Pyrex with butter
In a bowl, mix the eggs, chicken pieces, onion, corn, cheese, cream, salt and pepper with a fork until mixed together well.
Roll the pastry to fit your Pyrex. Line your dish with the pastry, cutting the excess pieces off or line your muffin tin or foil cases with pastry using a cookie cutter or glass to fit.
Spoon the chicken mixture on top of the pastry. Top with extra cheese, optional. Sprinkle the dried herbs on top. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Homemade Corned Beef (Sout Vleis)
Corned beef served with homemade bread or homemade bread rolls are traditionally served on Eid mornings for breakfast. Very often this will be accompanied by pastei (a large minced meat or steak and kidney pie)
There’s still a couple of days left if you want to start making your own corned beef. 🙂 Homemade corned beef is very easy to make and very inexpensive compared to shop bought corned beef.
Homemade bread rolls filled with homemade corned beef
Ingredients:
4 ½ litres water
2 cups salt
½ cup sugar
5 tsp pink salt*
2 tsp garlic (crushed)
4 Tbsp pickling spice**
2 ½ kg beef brisket, topside or silverside
Spices
Method:
Combine the water, salt, sugar, pink salt, garlic and 2 tablespoons pickling spice in a large deep pot. Bring it to a simmer, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate the mixture until it’s completely chilled.
Place the brisket in the mixture (brine). Put a plate on top of the meat to keep it submerged in the brine. Refrigerate and leave to marinade for 7 days.
Submerge the beef in the brine for seven days.
Remove the corned meat from the brine and rinse it thoroughly under cool running water.
Ready to be cooked
Cooking the corned beef:
Place the brisket in a pot large enough to hold it and add enough water to cover the meat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 3 hours or until the brisket is soft and tender. Ensure the brisket is covered with water all the time whilst cooking. Add more water if it gets too low.
Remove the corned beef from the water. Allow to cool, slice the corned beef and serve warm or cool, then wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. Corned beef can be refrigerated for up to a week.
A traditional South African Cape Malay recipe, the taste is so rich and sugary. Boeber is made of milk, vermicelli, sago, sugar or condensed milk flavoured with cardamoms, stick cinnamon and rose water. If you like a “thicker” boeber add more sago. Boeber is traditionally served on the fifteenth night of Ramadan to celebrate the middle of the fast. The evening of the 15th day of Ramadaan is special for those who had fasted the first 15 days. They are known as people who are ‘op die berg’ Many, many years ago after the taraweegh salaah, boeber was served at the mosques. Every family also made boeber for this particular night. After Taraweegh salaah, boeber was also sold at boeber houses at two pence a glass. There, friends would assemble and, if it were a Friday or Saturday, would stay up until sower (suhur) and then go to the masjid for Fajr.
To make boeber you will need the following:
50g butter
3/4 cup sago
200 ml water to soak the sago
250 ml vermicelli
3 cinnamon sticks
5 cardamoms
50 g sultanas (optional)
1.5 – 2 liters milk
1/2 tin condensed milk or sugar to taste
1 tin evaporated milk (optional)
1/4 cup of desiccated coconut
15 ml rose water (optional)
50 g blanched almonds (optional)
Method:
Soak the sago in the water for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan.
When it has melted, add the vermicelli and toss it so that the butter covers it and it starts to go golden brown.
Add the cardamom, cinnamon and the sultanas.
Stir before pouring the milk into the pan.
Bring to the boil before adding the pre-soaked sago and then simmer for about 30 minutes stirring constantly otherwise it will stick. Add evaporated milk. The sago should become transparent.
Add the rose water (if using), condensed milk, coconut and almonds and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Serve hot and enjoy this rich, spicy drink…
Salwaa Smith – Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
From My Kitchen To Yours – keeping our heritage alive!
That time of the year is upon us – Ramadaan. The ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the first revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and lasts between 29 and 30 days. Fasting is obligatory for adult Muslims, except those who are suffering from an illness, travelling, are elderly, pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating.
The fast is from dawn to sunset, with a pre-dawn meal known as Suhur and sunset meal called Iftar.
As well as fasting, abstaining from eating and drinking during daylight hours, Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Quran throughout the month. Muslims should engage in increased prayer and charity during Ramadaan. Ramadaan is also a month where Muslims try to practice increased self-discipline and self-restrain.
With this in mind many of us have already started planning and stocking their freezers weeks and months before in preparation of welcoming this blessed month. Samosas, pies, quiche, spring rolls, doughnuts and traditional Cape Malay koesisters all of which can be made in advance and frozen for up to six months. This savouries and sweet treats can be fried, baked or sugared before iftar and served with a healthy soup for family and friends.
Even though Ramadaan might seem like it’s not all that close, the earlier you are prepared, the better. Thinking of what to cook takes about as much time and effort as the actual task. Make the most of your time now to browse through recipes and try out dishes to assess the cooking time and the amount of effort required. Make a schedule for one or two weeks and rotate it during the month, or make it for all 30 days! You’ll save a lot of time during Ramadaan doing the prep beforehand. If you have older children get them involve peeling and chop onions, garlic, ginger, dhanya, etc. Freeze them in portions ready to use. Likewise, vegetables for soup can also be prepared now, peel, chop, liquidise pour into freezer bags.
Before sunset children will be seen going from house to house taking barakats (plates of food or treats) to the immediate neighbours. In a typical Cape Malay home Iftar will consist of dates, soup and savouries. Boeber, a milk drink, will typically be served with something sweet e.g. koesisters or fritters. After the prayer, a light meal will be served.
Kebabs or burgers can be made, pre-baked and frozen. Homemade, no preservatives. You’ll get approximately 18 burgers from a kilogram of chicken mince. You may substitute the chicken mince with steak mince. Make chicken mince by shredding fillets in a food processor.
My recipe for kebabs or burgers
Ingredients:
1kg fresh chicken or steak mince
3 large onions, finely grated
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced ginger
1 Tbsp. minced green chillies or to taste
1 heaped Tbsp. jeera/cumin powder
2 tsp salt or to taste
1 bunch dhanya, finely chopped
Method:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight for the flavours to develop. Next day shape the mixture into burgers or use a burger shaper. Separate the burgers with round pieces of greaseproof paper, big enough to cover the whole burger. Freeze until needed. This mixture can also be used to make chicken kebabs. Pre-bake for about 6 minutes in the oven to hold the shape (can be frozen at this point) before putting the kebabs on the grill. Cook from frozen. Serve with naan bread and a healthy salad for a scrumptious meal.
For Ramadaan we all want quick and easy recipes, the following recipe is no exception. This two ingredient recipe can be used to make naan bread as well as pizza bases.
2 Ingredients Naan Bread
500g self-raising flour
2 cups full fat Greek yoghurt
Method:
Mix the self-raising flour and yoghurt in a bowl until the mixture forms a dough. Leave to rest for 15 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface into the desired shape or size. Brush with a mixture of melted butter and oil on both sides. Alternatively add garlic paste to the oil mixture to give it a garlic flavour, garnish with freshly chopped dhanya. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 200C for 10-15 minutes. For naan bread turn half way through baking. Makes 2 large pizza bases or 8 naan breads.
A meal idea for Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) is to make mini Frittatas which can be prepared the night before and pop into oven in the morning.
Ingredients:
1 medium diced onion
1 large carrot, grated
1 medium chopped tomato
5 chopped mushrooms
2 chopped spring onion
1 finely chopped chilli
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup of grated mature cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp. self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Dry parsley for garnishing
Method:
Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl. Spoon into a greased muffin tray. Bake at 180C for 15 minutes. Makes 12 Frittatas.
Cooks tip: substitute with any other vegetables of choice. Left over sausages, chicken or meat can be added as well.
Another easy and quick meal is lamb or mutton chickpea pilau. The meat can be substituted with chicken pieces which reduce the cooking time significantly. No potatoes are added instead chickpeas are used.
Lamb/Mutton or Chicken Pilau Rice.
Ingredients:
750 gram lamb / mutton pieces cleaned and cut into small pieces
4 cups long grain or basmati rice
1 tin chickpeas (400gram tin)
2 large onions, diced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
60g butter
2 stick cinnamons
5 cardamoms
2 star anise
3 tsp garam masala
2 tsp jeera / cumin
2 tsp salt
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp crushed ginger
3 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
Chopped dhanya for garnishing
Method:
Soak the rice in hot water to cover for 30 minutes. Meanwhile using a large heavy based pot melt the butter with the oil. Fry the onions until golden. Add the lamb, mutton or chicken pieces and spices and cook until done. This will take approximately 20 – 40 minutes depending on the type of meat. Add the chickpeas.
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Add the rice to the lamb, mutton or chicken and chickpeas. Stir gently to combine. Dot with butter (optional) and chopped dhanya. Add 4 cups of hot water. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to low and steam until the water has evaporated and the rice has cooked. Serve with dhai or atchar. Serves 6
Salwaa Smith is the author of Cape Malay & Other Delights Cookbook. Salwaa is the third generation Cape Malay cook in her family and is the founder of Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights on Facebook and other social media. Salwaa offers Cape Malay cooking experiences for locals and tourists at her purpose build kitchen in Newfields on the Cape Flats. In addition, she also founded the popular Little Chef Cooking and Baking Club for children which is held during school holidays. Salwaa has her own range of pre-mixed cooking sauces and spices which can be purchased online at https://capemalaydelights.store or from her kitchen in Newfields.
Salwaa’s Crustless Milk Tart
I made this quick and simple version of milk tart the other day. Allthough it’s no where as delicious as the traditional milk tart, everyone enjoyed it and it disappeared as quickly as it was made. When it came out of the oven it was quite high but it sinks and becomes denser as it cools. This recipe serves 4 and can easily be doubled if a larger quantity is required.
Ingredients:
¾ cup self-raising flour
2 cups milk
3 large eggs
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 Tbsp butter, melted
Pinch salt
½ tsp fine cinnamon
