South Africa - South Africa Themed Dinner

This South Africa Themed Dinner will be in 3 Parts .

South Africa is the land of diversity. Its people, landscapes, cultures and languages offered a melting pot of intrigue and excitement. In addition, it has a long and complex history. All of this combines to create the modern mix of cuisine that defines this land, delighting locals and visitors alike in its range and flavours.

South African cuisine is a unique fusion of many different external cultural influences. These include Dutch, French, Indian and Malaysian flavours and techniques that continue to make their way onto the menus of restaurants and into the homes of locals all over the country. This has translated to a smorgasbord of textures, tastes and aromas .

we have 5 main Cuisine .

1.Afrikaans Cuisine

2.Cape Malay Cuisine

3.English Cuisine

4.Indian Cuisine

5. African Cuisine

I will Do the 3 off them ,Afrikaans ,Cape Malay and African food .

( By the way Our BBQ is called Braai .we love our braai .)

Roosterkoek Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

5 Cups bread flour

1 tsp Salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

10 g (one packet) Yeast

½ Cup of milk

50 ml Oil

1 Egg

2 Cups lukewarm water

Method:

Sift the flour and add the other ingredients. Add the water, milk, oil and egg in the middle of the ingredients and Mix well. Knead it for at least 10 minutes. Place in warm oven or place covered. When it has doubled in size, knead again. Flatten slightly and roll in flour.

Cut into squares.

Place gently on a clean greased grill over the coals and cook for about 10 minutes on each side. (Test with a toothpick.)

OXTAIL AND BANANA Potjiekos

1 large oxtail, cut into pieces

3 medium onions, finely sliced

2 ripe bananas, sliced

5 medium carrots, cut into strips

12 baby potatoes

250g button mushrooms

1 large tomato, sliced

5ml chopped parsley

10 whole onions

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

30ml butter

1 small chilli, finely chopped

5 whole cloves

5ml mixed herbs

2 bay leaves

500ml warm water

Salt and pepper to taste

THE SAUCE

62ml brown vinegar

20ml tomato sauce

20ml chutney

20ml honey

10ml medium curry powder

Coat the pot with the butter and heat.

Braai the meat for about 15 minutes.

Add the onions, garlic, chilli, cloves, herbs, bay leaves, salt and pepper and braai for a further 15 minutes. ( If the Pot gets to dry, add some warm water).

Add the 500ml warm water, cover with the lid and allow the potjie to simmer for about 2.5 hours.

In the meantime, mix the ingredients of the sauce and put one side.

After 2 hours, pack the bananas on top of the meat and layer the vegetables as they appear in the recipe.

Sprinkle the parsley on top, and then layer the onions and allow the potjie to simmer for 1 hour.

Add the sauce and allow to simmer for a further 30 minutes.

Koeksisters (or Koeksusters) come in two cultural flavours. The Afrikaner Koeksister is this recipe, then there is the traditional Cape Malay Koeksuster that is slightly thicker and softer, rolled in coconut and a bit spicy. Personally, I prefer the Afrikaner version but either will do!

Ingredients:

Syrup:

500ml water

1kg Sugar

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Sliced rind and juice of 1 lemon

5 to 10 ml ( 1 to 2 t ) glycerine

TIP: It is always wise to make two mixtures, as the mixture warms up while baking and you'll need another cold mixture to replace the warm one. This is to ensure the koeksister is crispy.

Method: Make syrup the night before baking

Slowly dissolve the sugar in the water.

Add the cream of tartar, bring the syrup to boil and then simmer the syrup for 5 minutes. Add the lemond rind, juice and the glycerine before removing the syrup from the heat. The glycerine makes the koeksisters look shiny and YUMMY.

Cool the syrup overnight in refridgerator.

Dough:

500g flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking powder

55g butter, chopped info fine pieces or grated

1 egg

250 to 375 milk and water.

Cooking Oil for baking.

Method:

Sieve all the dry ingredients together and rub in the butter with your fingertips. Beat the egg and add 250ml milk and mix it with the dry ingredients.

Keep adding water if the dough is too thick, stiff or cracked. Knead the dough until bubbly and soft and then leave it under a damp cloth for about an hour.

Roll out to a 1 cm thickness. Cut the dough into rectangles roughly the size of a business card (about 2"x3") and pinch it at the end. Alternatively, cut the dough into strips the size you like them and plait the koeksisters. You can cut the offcuts in little niblits and bake them too.

Heat about 7-10cm of oil to 180-190 degrees centigrade. Test it by dropping in some bread – if it goes golden brown then the oil is ready.

Remove the syrup from the fridge: To solve the problem of keeping the syrup cold, as you plunge all your hot koeksister in the cold syrup, you’ll need to keep it cold, you can put the syrup aside in a bowl of ice. That is why I suggest making two bowls.

Fry the koeksisters for one to two minutes, or until they turn that yummy golden brown, on both sides.

Lift your koeksisters out of the syrup with a ladle with holes in so the excess syrup drips back in, and then pop them onto a wire rack to cool down. Make sure your syrup is kept cold or replace the syrup with a colder bowl while baking.

Enjoy