Chicken Breyani

Tags

breyani, cape malay, Chicken, rainbow nation, rice, South Africa, spices

Breyani is a dish of Indian origin adapted by the Cape Malays and usually served on special occasions such as weddings or celebrations. As a traditional Cape Malay recipe, there are dozens of variations, and even the name can be spelled in various ways: biryani, biriani, breyani, etc. It’s a lightly spiced rice-based dish. It is not quick to make, but infinitely  worth the time. Make this dish in winter when you feel like creating something warm and comforting with accents from another country.

It can also be made with fish or prawns. The traditional recipe calls for whole hard boiled eggs. I like using quail eggs as they are daintier although as you can see, I have used regular eggs today.
A typical side dish eaten with chicken breyani is green bean “smoor”. The word “smoor” means braised and this would basically be sautéed leeks in a bit of butter with cooked green beans, salt, cumin, chillis and sugar. Or, just a bit of fruit chutney will do very nicely, indeed.

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 kg / 2 lbs chicken portions
6 small drumsticks
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon oil
500 g / 2 1/2 cups brown lentils
500 g / 2 1/2 cups uncooked long grain or basmati rice
2 tablespoons butter
3 green chillis, chopped
2 teaspoons garam masala or cumin
4 cardamon seeds, split open
6 eggs, hard boiled for garnish
marinade:
250 ml / 1 cup buttermilk or natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 cardamon seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons red masala
1/2 teaspoon peri-peri powder
A few strands of saffron
5 whole cloves
Salt & pepper

Preparation:

Combine the marinade ingredients
Add the chicken and marinade at least 2 hours
Sauté the onion and garlic until light brown, set aside
Cook the lentils in rapidly boiling water for about 20 minutes, drain and set aside
Cook the rice, drain and set aside
Heat butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan
Add green chillis, garam masal and cardamon
Remove chicken from marinade but do not dry off
Add the chicken and brown on medium heat
Buttermilk and yoghurt can burn easily so add small amounts of cold water as it browns
Cook uncovered for about 45 minutes
In a large dish, mix the rice, lentils, onions and chicken
Heat through
Make holes in the breyani with a spoon handle and insert the whole eggs
Sprinkle with water and gharam masala
Cover and place on a very low simmer until ready to serve
Serve with green bean smoor and cinnamon pumpkin
Enjoy!

 

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Pickled Fish – a Cape Easter Tradition

Tags

cape malay, fiesta friday, fish, kerrievis, pickled fish, pickling, rainbow nation, South Africa, traditional cooking

 

 

Pickled fish is a huge tradition in the Cape, and interestingly it is very popular at Easter time. Tradition has it that this is because Christians are not supposed to eat meat on Good Friday and so this was the perfect meal to prepare a few days in advance and would be ready for when the family returned from the long Good Friday church service, however it is equally as popular with the Cape Muslim community so I am not sure that it has anything to do with Easter to be honest. It is still today to be found on many tables for lunch not only on Good Friday but throughout the year. Few Cape homes would not have their own recipe for “kerrievis” as pickling was a popular way of preserving fish in the days before refrigerators.

Traditionally pickled fish is prepared by frying a fairly meaty, firm fish (Snoek or Yellowtail are the favoured fish to use but Hake or Kingklip may also be used) in batter and then covering it with a pickled onion sauce.  The sauce is made with curry and spices and is quite spicy.  Once cooked and in the sauce the fish  has to sit for at least 24 to 48 hours absorbing all the flavours of the spices and vinegar for intensity and is served as a cold dish, usually at room temperature. I have prepared it without the batter as I prefer it this way.

Serves 6

 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil for frying
• 1 1/2 kg / 3 pounds cod fillets, cut into smaller portions
  
• 2 tablespoons flour
• salt
  
• 2 large onions, peeled and sliced into rings
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 4 whole allspice berries or 1/2 teaspoon allspice powder
  
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 red chilli pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 cups red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander

Preparation:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Season the fish with salt and dust with some flour then place in the skillet.
• Fry on both sides until fish is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
• Remove from the skillet and set aside.
• Fry the onions and garlic in the same skillet over medium heat until translucent.
• Add the peppercorns, allspice berries, bay leaves, and red chilli pepper.
• Pour in the vinegar and water and bring to a boil.
• Stir in the brown sugar until dissolved.
• Season with curry powder, turmeric, cumin and coriander.
• Taste and adjust the sweetness if desired.
• Layer pieces of fish and the pickling mixture in a serving dish.
• Pour the liquid over until the top layer is covered.
• Allow to cool then cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.
• Enjoy!

 

 

 

Green-Bean Bredie

Tags

cape malay, green beans, Lamb, rainbow nation, South Africa, South African Recipes, stew, traditional cooking

Another great South African stew. As I have mentioned before bredie is a type of stew, slowly simmered – the type of vegetable used gives it its name. Bredies are favoured as everyday meals, with a variety of ingredients used and always deliciously spiced.

Try and buy fine french beans if possible as these do not have strings in them.

Serves 6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 kg / 2 lbs lamb shoulder or neck, cut into portions
250 ml / 1 cup water
500 g / 1 lbs green beans, topped and tailed
6 medium potatoes
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 red chilli, finely diced or 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon cumin

Preparation

Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot (I use a 28cm le creuset)
Sauté the onion until soft and lightly browned
Add the meat and brown it
Add the water, cover and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes
Cut the green beans into thirds or halves
Peel and quarter the potatoes
Add the potatoes and the beans
Season with salt and pepper
Add the chilli or chilli powder and the cumin
Add more water if needed, you do not want the liquid to cook dry
Cover and cook for another 30 minutes on a low simmer
Serve with rice
Enjoy!