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Cape Malay Exploration

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    Posted: 05 April 2015 at 06:46
Ever since Ahron posted his Cape Malay themed meal(http://www.foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/south-africa-cape-malay-themed-dinner_topic4216.html) I’ve been fascinated by the people and culture of the West Cape. There are only about 200,000 of these people. Yet, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, never in the history of culinary events have so many been influenced so few.

The simple fact is, the Cape Malayan cuisine has had a widespread effect on the entire African Continent and beyond. You may recall the shrimp curry recipe I’d posted in the East Africa forum. There is no question that that recipe came from Cape Malay. It has all the hallmarks: Locally sourced seafood combined with a liberal use of spices, but without the excessive use of chilies found in most of Equatorial Africa,

To be sure, bird’s eye chilies and piri-piri powder, sauce, and oil do play a role in Cape cuisine. But nowhere near to the degree of other, nearby cultures. Even when they are included, they are used with a very light touch. None of that blow-the-roof-of-your-mouth-off stuff for the Cape Malayans.

Even onions---a common item in Cape cuisine---are treated with salt, boiling water, or both, to remove some of their sharpness. Although I’ve seen this occasionally with other foodways, it’s practically universal with Cape dishes.

Let me put it another way. As a regular reader, you’re aware of how neither my bride, Friend Wife, nor Ron’s wife, the Beautiful Mrs Tass tolerate heat very well. I have yet to sample a Cape Malayan dish that either of them wouldn’t eat and come back asking for more. To put a point on it, we’re talking flavor, not heat.

So, just who are these Cape Malay people, and how did their cuisine develop? The answers to that lie back in the 17th century, when South Africa was a Dutch colony. That overstates it, because the area was actually a fiefdom of the Dutch East India Company, which imported slaves and political dissidents from Southeast Asia. Although some of them did, in fact, come from Malaysia, the bulk of them came from Indonesia and Sumatra, with a leavening of others from south India.

What these people had in common was that they were all Muslims, they had similar cuisines, and, for the most part, spoke Malayu---from which the term Malay comes. When slavery was abolished, most of the freed slaves and laborers settled in what is known as the West Cape of Cape town, or, more colloquially, Cape Malay.

In the intervening five centuries, the fiery cuisines of India and Indonesia were toned down, using locally available products but staying true to the original flavor profiles. In short, a unique culinary tradition arose.

As we explore the foodways of Cape Malay several challenges arise. So let’s deal with them before proceeding to actual recipes.

First is the problem of language. The Cape Malayan people have developed one of their own, an amalgam of native dialects, Malayu, Dutch/Afrikaans, and English. Most of the time this isn’t an issue, because most cookbooks and other sources include glossaries. So, for instance, if a recipe calls for barishap, a quick look and we learn that its fennel seeds being called for.

It’s in the area of culinary terms and directions where things come a cropper. What seem to be common terms often mean something else. The most common of these would be the word “braise.” In Cape Malayan usage, that actually is the same procedure we use when sautéing and pan frying.

Cape Malayan cooks also use milliliters as a dry measurement. This is something I’ve not run into before, and it took me some time to make the conversion. For the record, 5 ml equal 1 teaspoon. Once you know that, the math is relatively easy. Most cookbooks do convert the figures, but there are several that do not. Nor do many of the recipes found on-line.

Speaking of which: when looking on-line, make sure the recipe really is Cape Malayan. Often they use the term in the title but it’s a made up recipe that may, or may not, be in the style of. I had downloaded one, for instance, that claimed to be a Cape Malayan dish. It came from a New Zealand cooking magazine, which, apparently, takes more liberties that even Saveur and Food & Wine. In this case the dish called for a wine reduction. Uh, huh! Wine is not used among Muslims, as alcohol is forbidden them.

Still another issue is obtaining ingredients. Many of them are unique to the region. For example, naartjie is a citrus fruit found only in the region. It’s grown commercially, but what isn’t used locally (in the form of dried and ground peel, primarily) is exported to Europe. Fortunately, mandarins are a perfect substitute. We peel them, dry the peel, and put it up that way, grinding it as needed.

The waters of South Africa teem with fish rarely found in other places. So it’s more than a language problem with seafood. Among the named fishes you’ll find in Cape Malayan recipes are snoek, kabeljou, cape salmon, and stumpnose. While there may be no direct correspondents, any firm, white-fleshed fish will substitute, particularly hake, haddock, mahi-mahi, croaker, sea bass, and even cod. So don’t avoid seafood dishes because of unfamiliarity with the species.

Being Muslims, pork is absent from the Cape diet. Seafood, chicken, lamb and mutton predominate, with a higher proportion of beef used than I’ve seen in other Muslim cultures. Beef is used primarily in stews and curries, as well as skewered and grilled.

Roti is the main bread of the Cape. Rod Franklin already posted a recipe and procedure, so there’s no need to repeat it. You can find it here: http://www.foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/the-staff-of-life-a-primer-on-baking-bread_topic3089_page2.html.

As with Indian and Indonesian foods, Cape Malay food is earmarked by the use of spice mixes, atjars, sambols, and other flavors. We’ll take a look at some of them next time.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gonefishin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 April 2015 at 07:45
    I never realized so much about Cape Malay foods...thanks for posting all this information Brook!  Not unlike many others here...my son and I are the only ones who eat foods that have some pepper heat to them.  So, for my wife and two daughters...peppers are usually an added item afterwards.  But everyone in our family does like layers of spices and flavor.

   Thanks...can't wait to dive into the recipes and learn a bit about Cape Malay cooking/culture.

  
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Thanks for the supportive words, Dan. Cape Malay is quickly becoming our second favorite cuisine. Ironic, isn't it, how we fell in love with both ends of the same continent.
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CAPE MALAY FLAVORS

Rice is the staff of life among Cape Malayans. They eat it at least once daily. Indeed, it’s almost as if any main-dish recipe has implied, at the end, “serve on a bed of rice.” It’s just as true, however, that you could write a cookbook that consisted only of Cape Malayan ways of cooking rice. It’s likely, however, that after white rice, yellow rice with sultanas is the most popular form.

Flavorings consist of all the spices typical of sub-continent cuisines, with an emphasis on turmeric. Other popular spices include coriander, cumin, cardamom, ginger, fennel, cloves, and star anise, among others. These are used both individually, and in various combinations to form spice blends called masalas.

Unlike the masalas of India, however, Cape Malayan blends tend to be sweet rather than hot. The Indian garum masala would be similar to most Cape blends. Typically, a Cape Malayan housewife has one combination that serves as her basic mix. As other ingredients are added, a prefix is attached. Thus, a blend using more curry leaves and bay leaves than usual is called leaf masala. Add hot chilies to that mix and you get red leaf masala. Etc. Day in and day out, however, you can get by with a basic masala, such as this one:

CAPE MALAY MASALA

1 tbls clove
½ cup coriander seed
1 tbls fennel seed
1 tbls mustard seed, preferably black mustard
2 tbls fenugreek seeds
2 tbls peppercorns
2 small dried red chilies, seeds removed
3 tbls cumin seed
2 tbls cardamom pods
¼ cup ground tumeric
1 tbls ground ginger
2 curry leaves, chopped fine

Dry roast all the whole seeds just until fragrant. Grind in a mortar & pestle, or in a spice grinder, until fine. Combine with the remaining spices and mix well.

Two bay leaves, and two-three additional curry leaves, added to this mix results in leaf masala. Add a tablespoon of chili powder to produce a version of red leaf masala.

This mixture will last about six months in an airtight container, kept away from heat and light.

Because of the mild heat of main dishes, including Cape Malayan curries, various condiments in the form of salads, chutneys, atjars, and sambals are served to help perk things up. Atjars and sambals are differentiated by the consistency of the mixture. Atjars consist of larger pieces of fruit and vegetable, whereas sambals are more finely chopped or grated. There is often a fine line separating salads from atjars. Here are some examples of each:

CAPE MALAY PINEAPPLE AND CARROT SALAD

1 pineapple          
3 carrots
1 onion          
salt
2 cups hot water          
1 bell pepper, cubed
4 tsp white vinegar          
2 tsp sugar

Peel and coarsely grate pineapple and carrots.

Chop onion very finely and sprinkle with salt. Pour hot water over and drain very well in a colander, squeezing out excess moisture.

Combine pineapple, carrots and onion with bell pepper in a bowl. Drain excess liquid if necessary. Stir in vinegar, sugar, and a little extra salt.

CAPE MALAY BEETROOT & ONION SALAD

1 bunch baby beetroots (about 6)     
1 ½ tsp salt
1 med onion, thinly sliced     
½ tsp black pepper or a piece of green chili, minced
1 ½ tsp sugar     
4 tbls brown vinegar

Cook the beets (boil or roast) until tender. Peel and slice thinly. Add the salt to the onion and squeeze in one hand a few times. Toss into boiling water, stir briefly, strain and add to the beetroot. Add the pepper and sugar. Pour the vinegar over.

This salad can be made a coup0le of hours in advance and refrigerated or served straight away

CAPE CHUTNEY

10 oz dried apricots, sliced thin
20 oz seedless raisins (preferable yellow)
2 cups brown sugar
2 tbls salt
3 quarts white vinegar
4 med onions, minced
4 tbls ground ginger
2 tbls ground coriander
2 tbls ground mustard seed
4 tbls dried red chilies

Soak the raisins and apricots overnight in the vinegar. Next morning add all the other ingredients and simmer slowly, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture is thick. Pour into canning jars, adjust lids, and process in a boiling water bath ten minutes.


APPLE AND GINGERROOT SAMBAL

2 apples, peeled, cored and grated
Pinch salt
¼ cup fresh ginger, crushed
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 green chili, crushed
Juice of 1 lemon
Sugar to taste (optional)

Add the salt to the apples and let sit awhile before draining. Add the ginger, garlic and chili. Squeeze the lemon juice over the mixture and add sugar if using.

CABAGE, CARROT AND BEAN ATJAR

1 tbls fenugreek seed, soaked for 2 hours in boiling water
1 small savoy cabbage, shredded
18 oz baby carrots, peeled and cut in small pieces
1 can (14 oz) green beans, drained and cut in pieces
2 cups oil
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp garum masala
1 tsp cayenne
1 star seed (star anise) petal

Drain the fenugreek, then add a small about of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, strain, and leave to cool.

Blanch the cabbage in 3 cups salted water for five minutes. Drain and transfer to a large, non-reactive dish. Let cool and add the green beans.

Heat the oil and add the spices, stirring a few times while maintaining a low heat. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add the oil to the vegetables so they are completely covered. Let sit in the fridge a couple of days to combine flavors. Transfer to jars and store in the fridge.

Note: As atjar is used, add more oil, as necessary, to keep veggies completely covered.

Next time we’ll look at actual recipes.









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RECIPES AND COMMENTARY

Unlike other themed meals, we decided up front that constructing a single menu for Cape Malay cuisine just didn’t make sense. There are far too many interesting dishes and approaches for that to work. Instead, we planned on having several meals, supplemented by individual dishes, in order to sample the range of food.

There was, in fact, a constant shuffling of choices as ingredient availability, our own moods, time, and finances worked as factors. As it turns out, our first shot was a complete meal, consisting of: Frikkadels with Tomato & Onion Smoor; Yellow Rice; Pineapple and Carrot Salad; and Lockshen Delight.

Frikkadels are a very popular treat, used as both snacks and main dishes. They are small, slider-sized patties. Usually made of beef, there also are fish versions. “Smoor” refers to anything that is braised.

FRIKKADELS WITH TOMATO & ONION SMOOR

3 tbls butter or sunflower oil          
1 medium onion, minced or finely chopped
2 tsp garlic, crushed          
1 ½ lbs minced beef
1 thick slice white bread soaked in water and squeezed dry.
2 large eggs          1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper          ½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground coriander           1/3 cup chopped parsley     

Heat three teaspoons of the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic until transparent. Combine the onion with the mince, bread, eggs, salt, pepper, allspice and coriander and shape into balls or patties.

Heat the remaining oil and brown the frikkadels, a few at a time, for about five minutes on one side. Turn them over and brown the other side, then turn down the heat slightly and continue cooking the frikkadels for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Serve hot with rice or mashed potatoes and tomato/onion smoor.

TOMATO AND ONION SMOOR

2 tbls sunflower oil     
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 lg tomatoes, chopped     
1 green chili, chopped
1 tbls sugar or to taste     
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan and sauté onion until golden. Add tomatoes and chili and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat, or until well combined. Add sugar and salt to taste and serve hot with Frikkadels.

As noted above, rice is eaten at least once a day, in a myriad of preparations, with Yellow Rice and Raisins being the most popular.

CAPE MALAY YELLOW RICE

2 cups long-grained rice          
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp pepper          
3 bay leaves
1 tsp ground turmeric          
¼ cup raisins
3 1/2 -4 cups water          
1 tsp salt
Oil

Heat the oil and spices. Add rice and stir until translucent. Add water, cover, bring to boil and simmer until almost cooked, about 15 minutes. Add the raisins and complete cooking.

Knowing we’d be using this with other dishes, we made a large batch, reheating it as needed.

Recipe for the Pineapple and Carrot Salad is found above.

With this meal we made a noodle pudding for dessert. We were particularly intrigued by the word “Lokshen,” as in the Germanic tongue there is a Lucshen Kugle. Presumably, the Cape Malay word is a corruption of the Dutch form of the word. In any case, it refers to fine noodles, about half the thickness of vermicelli. We used very fine egg noodles instead.

LOKSHEN DELIGHT

¾ cup butter or margarine     
18 oz thin noodles
1 white sugar     
3 cups water
¾ cup pecans, chipped Brazil nuts, or sultanas/raisins

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the noodles and stir continuously and vigorously until golden brown. Add the water and sugar and cover the saucepan. Reduce heat to very low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir the noodles lightly to ensure that they don’t dry out. If they do, add a little more water.

Serve hot or cold in small bowls decorated with nuts or sultanas.

Next we wanted to sample one of the curries. We’ll detail that meal next. Meanwhile, anyone else who’s familiar with Cape Malay cooking, just jump right in with your comments and recipes.



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gonefishin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 April 2015 at 12:30
    Interesting so far...I can't wait to give the recipes on the second set a try.  One question though, regarding the lockshen delight, what type of thin noodles are intended to go with Cape Malay cooking?

  There isn't a ton of information out there for me to find.  After looking, lockshen appears to be a thin flour/egg noodle similar to regular vermicelli as opposed to rice vermicelli.  Is this consistent with what you've found?

    I see that you call for 18oz of noodles, is this from rounding up 500g from recipe?

   I'll certainly give these a go...thanks
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 April 2015 at 15:18
My research describes lokshen as being thinner than vermicelli. Apparently, it's actually sold in packages, under the name lokshen, in South Africa.

In her Cass Abraham Cooks Cape Malay, Cass Abraham titles the dish "geskroeide vermicelli." In her comments she says "this popular pudding with toasted vermicelli or lokshen is served at most feasts.."

When we made it we used very thin egg noodles, and that seemed to work out fine.

Yes, the 18 oz a rounding off. It's the typical weight used to represent 500 grams, or half a kilo.

We discovered Abraham's version after we made the above recipe. Her's seems to be more flavorful, and we'll try it soon:

Geskroeide Vermicelli

9 oz butter
3 sticks cinnamon
4 cardamom ods
9 oz vermicelli or 1 packet lokshen
2 cups water
Sugar to taste
1/2 cup sultanas
4 oz flaked almonds

Melt butter in a saucepan; add cinnamon and cardamom pods. Break vermicelli into smaller pieces or lightly crush lokshen and toast in butter until light brown.

Add water little by little, cooking lokshen or vermicelli until soft and all the water has been absorbed.

Add suger, carefully stirring until dissolved. Fork in sultanas and almonds, working carefully not to mash lokshen or vermicelli.

Serve on side plates.

Besides lacking the additional flavor elements, the recipe we tried makes an incredible amount of pudding. So Abraham's, being half as much, might be a better place to start on several levels.

FWIW, lucshen kugle is made with broad noodles, the polar opposite of the lokshen delight. But their tastes are similar. And both translate as noodle pudding.

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We’d read and heard so much about Cape Malay curries we naturally had to try one. The choices are seemingly endless, with virtually all allowable proteins turned into curries of one sort or another.

We finally settled on curried chicken wings with butterbeans, both because it sounded interesting, and, as it turned out, we had all the ingredients on hand.

CURRIED CHICKEN WINGS WITH BUTTERBEANS

6 lg chicken wings, divided, tips discarded     
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground coriander     
½ tsp black pepper
2 tsp masala     
3 tbls vegetable oil
1 ½ cups finely chopped onion     
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups chicken stock     
2 cans (14 oz) butterbeans, drained
Salt to taste     
Cilantro leaves for garlic

Mix ground spices and rub into chicken wings. Heat oil in a saucepan and brown chicken wings on all sides. Remove and set aside.

Sauté onions and garlic in the same oil until transparent, add chicken stock and bring to the boil.

Return wings and cook for about 15 minutes. Lower heat, add beans, and simmer for 10 minutes with lid closed. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rice.

The original recipe specified 500 grams of wings, which works out to 18 ounces. Depending on size, five or six whole wings meet the requirements. It occurs to me (but I haven’t tried it, yet) that tenders would work just as well.

This turned out to be everything we’d been led to believe about Cape curries. In fact, a bit more heat in the way of a little cayenne or chili powder wouldn’t have hurt anything. If anything, the butterbeans were on the mushy side; but that’s a function of canned beans. Next time we’ll try it with frozen beans instead.
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Fish and seafood form an integral part of Cape Malay cooking. The nearby oceans team with a variety of finned fishes not found elsewhere, as well as more common species, shrimp, “crawfish” (i.e., spiny lobster), mussels, and so forth.

Kabeljou (aka Cob) is, perhaps, the most popular of these fishes, and is used in numerous dishes, including pickled.. Pickled kabeljou is a mainstay, practically a staple, on Cape Malayan tables.

Haddock substitutes readily for kabeljou, and that’s what we used in our next meal, consisting of Fried Kabeljou with Mushroom, Tomato and Pepper Sauce; Cinnamon Pumpkin; and Beetroot and Onion Salad.

FRIED KABELJOU W/MUSHROOM, TOMATO AND PEPPER SAUCE

18 oz kabeljou or equivalent filets, cut into portions
Salt & pepper     ½ cup sunflower oil

For the sauce:

1 onion finely chopped     1 green pepper, sliced
¼ cup sunflower oil     2 tomatoes, peeled & chopped
6 oz mushrooms, sliced     1 sm green chili, chopped
1 tsp dried mixed herbs     1 tbls sugar
Salt to taste

Sauté onion and green pepper in hot oil until onions is golden. Add tomatoes and simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, chili, herbs, and sugar. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, then add salt to taste.

While sauce is simmering, prepare fish. Season fish lightly with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry fish on both sides over low heat until lightly browned and cooked through, 10-15 minutes. Drain and place on serving dish.

Pour sauce over fish and serve on a bed of white rice or mashed potatoes.

For a change of pace, we followed the instructions and served the fish with mashed potatoes instead of rice.

Pumpkin is a common vegetable throughout Africa. In South Africa they are likely to choose the Boer White variety, a small, sweet, white pumpkin. This time of year, pumpkin of any kind is like hens’ teeth. But you can substitute Butternut, which is readily available.

CAPE MALAY CINNAMON PUMPKIN

½ cup cold water     1 lb pumpkin, peeled and wedged
2 tbls soft butter     2 cinnamon sticks or 1 tsp ground
1 tsp brown sugar     1 tsp white sugar

Pour the water into a heavy-based saucepan and spread the pumpkin over the base in about two layers. Top with the remaining ingredients and slow-steam on low heat until soft.

The Beetroot and Onion Salad recipe can be found above.

This by no means completes our Cape Malay culinary exploration. We’ve a long list of other recipes to try, including some with lamb, for sure. And we have leftover haddock and mashed potatoes, which form the basis for Haddock Balls.

We’ll be trying some additional vegetable dishes as well, including those using Gem Squash. Gem resembles a round zucchini, and is very popular. As part of my research I found a source of seeds, and will be growing it this season.

And, of course, there are all those sweets and desserts waiting to be sampled, and celebratory foods, and…..well, you get the idea.

As we try those others we'll post them here. And I hope as others discover this great cuisine that they'll contribute as well




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RESOURCE GUIDE

Although there are numerous Cape Malay recipes to be found on the internet (especially on the surprising number of blogs and Facebook pages dealing with that cuisine), I mostly used the web to research the history and culture of these people.

For recipes I relied, primarily, on three cookbooks, all of which are available through Amazon:

Traditional Cape Malay Cooking, Zainab Lagardien, Struik Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa, 2009

The Cape Malay Cookbook, Faldela Williams, Struik Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa, 1993

Cass Abrahams Cooks Cape Malay,, Cass Abrahams, The Metz Press, Hoheizen, South Africa 1995




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I’m not sure why, exactly, I find Cape Malay cooking so fascinating. But I can’t let go of it. Perhaps it’s as W.C. Fields was known to say: anything worth doing is worth over-doing!

At any rate, since my last post we’ve sampled a few more Cape dishes which, together, formed another multi-course meal: Yogurt & Peppadew Dip; Curried Mussel Soup; Baked Crumbed Chicken; and Kolwadjib, which is translated as “rice cake,” but we’d know it better as a form of rice pudding.

The Yogurt & Peppadew Dip is different than any other I’ve ever tried. Often served as part of an engagement or wedding party, either pieces of fried bread or crudities are used as the dippers.

I did find the cumin to be a bit much in the original recipe. And we like cumin in this household. So I’ve cut it in half. You can always add more if wanted:

Yogurt & Peppadew Dip

2 cups Greek yogurt     
8 tbls peppadews, chopped fine
1 tsp garlic, crushed     
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt to taste     
1 sm red chili, minced (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and serve as a dip

Although soups are common in Cape Malay cooking they tend to be made from the same base, changing only through the thickening agent, such as peas, beans, or lentils. This one is different, though, and is often used to celebrate the end of Ramadan, the traditional month-long fast

CURRIED MUSSEL SOUP

3 lbs mussels     
1 onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup oil     
1/2 tsp masala
1/2 tsp turmeric     
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp crushed garlic     
3 cups mussel liquid or chicken stock
1/2 cup crème fraiche     
Salt to taste
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)     
Cilantro for garnish

Steam mussels in water until open. Remove from liquid and set aside, retaining liquid. Strain liquid through a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Separate mussels from shells, keeping a few whole as garnish.

In a large saucepan, sauté the onions in oil until soft. Add masala, turmeric, cumin and garlic and cook 3 minutes over low heat. Add the mussel liquid or stock and crème fraiche and simmer until the soup has been reduced by half. Add pepper flakes if using.

Return mussels to the soup. Season to taste and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

At first this next recipe doesn’t sound like much. I mean, how different can floured and baked chicken be? Well, the fact is, this is one of the most flavorful chicken dishes I’ve ever eaten.

Note that the recipe calls for piri-piri powder, one of the rare times a Cape Malay dish goes for heat. If you’re in to heat, then follow the recipe---piri-piri is one of the hottest spice blends around. I substituted ancho chili powder, which provided some of the bite without being overpowering.

CAPE MALAY BAKED CRUMBED CHICKEN

3 lb chicken cut in portions     
½ cup flour
2 tbls sesame seeds     
1 1/4 tsp paprika
¾ tsp piri-piri powder     
1 tbls baking powder
1 egg, lightly beaten     
½ cup milk
5 garlic cloves     
1 tsp salt
½ cup melted butter

Combine flour, sesame seeds, paprika, piri-piri and baking powder in a plastic bag. Beat egg and milk in a bowl. Pound garlic with salt in a mortar and pestle and rub mixture over chicken pieces. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture, then shake them in the plastic bag to coat evenly.

Arrange chicken, skin side up, in an oven proof baking dish. Pour melted butter evenly over chicken and bake at 425F for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until evenly browned.

Normally we’d have either rice or mashed potatoes with a chicken dish like this. But knowing we’d be having rice for dessert we didn’t want to overload on starch, so skipped it altogether.

And speaking of dessert, here is the pudding recipe:

KOLWADJIB
(Cape Malay Rice Cake)


2 cups rice     
6 cups water
Salt to taste     
1 tsp ground naartjie peel*
1 tsp ground cardamom seed     
4 oz butter
1 cup brown sugar     
1 cup dried coconut
Glace cherries and mint leaves for garnishing

Put the rice, water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add naartjie peel and cardamom and boil to a thick, mushy consistency.

Add the butter, sugar and coconut and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and spoon the mixture into a greased 9x9 baking dish.

Press down and smooth with the back of a spoon. Leave to cool. Cut into neat squares and decorate with cherries and mint leaves.

*Substitute mandarin peel.

This does make a large quantity. So you might want to cut the recipe in half the first time.

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But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 April 2015 at 08:26
We had both leftover haddock and mashed potatoes. Those are the two main ingredients in this next dish. It calls for smoked haddock, so I picked up some liquid smoke---something I rarely use---to pick up that flavor note.

Not knowing how strong it would be, I used two teaspoons of the liquid smoke. Probably should have gone with a bit more; at least a tablespoonful.

Haddock Balls

18 oz smoked haddock filets
2 lg cooked potatoes, mashed
2 tsp finely chopped parsley
1 tsp white pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
Dried breadcrumbs
Oil for deep frying

Poach haddock in water to cover for about 10 minutes, drain well and flake fish. Combine with mashed potatoes, parsley and pepper and roll into balls. Dip in beaten egg, then roll in breadcrumbs. Deep fry in hot oil and until browned and crisp.

Serve hot as a snack, or as a light meal with chips, tomato wedges, and lemon slices.

After all this, I was ready to try my hand at creating a recipe in the style of. Using several different recipes for inspiration, I created a variation of Labarang Kabobs, using quail eggs and ground lamb. This was served in a curry sauce.

Labarang Kabobs are a Cape version of Scotch eggs, often served as part of the Eidul-Fitr, or Labarang; the feast celebrating the end of Ramadan. Using beef instead of pork, the spiced, ground meat is wrapped around half a hard-cooked egg, and then fried.

Elsewhere I came across a recipe for curried quail eggs. So that’s another ingredient I felt comfortable using.

Starting with a pound of ground lamb, I prepared it as if for Frikkadels, using the same spices and ingredients (see recipe above). Meanwhile I boiled quail eggs for 8 minutes, then cooled them under running water, and peeled them.

Using about 1 ½ tablespoons of the mixture I formed thin patties in the palm of my hand, and wrapped the meat around each of the eggs. These balls were rolled in breadcrumbs and chilled in the fridge for a couple of hours. Given the amount of lamb I used for each, the recipe made 14.

Meanwhile I made a Cape Malay style curry sauce, adapted from yet a different recipe:

Cape Curry Sauce

¼ cup oil
1 ½ onions, chopped
1 piece cinnamon stick
2 cups water
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp garum or cape masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ginger paste
½ tsp salt
1 star anise petal
1 tbls malt vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar
3 allspice berries
2 tsp dried breadcrumbs

Heat oil over medium heat and stir-fry onions until soft. Add the cinnamon and water, then add the tomato paste, masala, turmeric, ginger paste, salt, star anise, and vinegar. Mix well. Bring to boil. Lower heat, and let simmer a few minutes for flavors to blend. Add the bay leaves, sugar, allspice and breadcrumbs. Simmer about 15 minutes. At the last minute, remove the cinnamon, bay leaves, and allspice berries and discard.

Fry the kabobs in batches in deep oil until browned and crisp on the outside and cooked through, about three minutes at 350F. Drain. Transfer to the sauce, swirling it to coal all the kabobs.

Serve two or three kabobs as a first course, topped with a bit more of the sauce.

Would Cape Malayans combine things the way I did? I have no way of knowing. But I’m confident they would recognize the dish as being in their culinary tradition.
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And sae the Lord be thanket
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2015 at 10:02
One more time!

Bredies are dryish stews. Because the meat is almost always mutton, they are identified by their vegetable components.

We don’t care for mutton in this household. And even if we did, it isn’t available around here. So I substituted venison. Beef, or even chicken, would work just as well in this particular version.

Once again, however, we have a nomenclature issue. Sweet turnips are actually kohl rabi.

Cabbage & Sweet Turnip Bredie

1 medium savoy cabbage
¼ cup oil
2 lbs stewing meat
1 onion, chopped
1 bunch kohlrabi (three medium to large) kohl rabi, peeled and julienned
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne
2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 tsp sugar
Pinch turmeric

Remove the leaves from the cabbage and cut away the center stalks in a V patter. Cut into thin strips, toss into cold water, and let stand.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the meat and onion, and cook, covered. Add a little cold water if the meat starts to stick. Allow the meat to sauté for about 10 minutes, then add the turnips, water, salt and cayenne. Cook for 5 minutes before adding the cabbage, sugar and turmeric.

Cover and let simmer about an hour. Add the potatoes, making sure they are covered by the kohl rabi and cabbage. Cover and simmer until meat is done, about another hour.
But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 March 2018 at 12:12
Historic Foodie,

Simply amazingly extraordinary penning ..  

The chutney caught my attention and the long grain yellow tumeric rice ..  

However, definitely must re -  read as there is so much information besides the récipes ..

Fine job ..  

Hope all is well and have a lovely Spring Holiday ..   
Volamos a Mediterraneo, un paraiso que conquista su gente u su cocina.
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