Cape Malay Chicken Curry

Tags

cape malay, Chicken, curry, rainbow nation, South Africa, spices, stew

Spicy and fragrant, this curry will have you reaching for a second serving.
Cape Malay curries are usually not biting and strong, but rather an aromatic mixture of spices. Naturally this depends on the individual cooks, and the curry can be made much stronger by adding more chilli.

This recipe hails from the vibrant Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town.

The Bo-Kaap, which lies on the fringes of Cape Town’s city centre, is full of character and colourful houses (pink, orange, lime green and turquoise), many of which are national monuments and date back to the 1750s, with cobbled streets that rise up to meet the lower slopes of Signal Hill on which the suburb lies. There are always children playing in the streets and the haunting call of the muezzin will remind you of exotic destinations such as Istanbul and Cairo. The smell of spices that wafts through open doorways and comes rushing out at you as you walk past Atlas Trading, the local spice emporium, inspired this recipe. A lively suburb, the Bo-Kaap’s inhabitants are a blend of cultures that descend from slaves imported by the Dutch in the 1700s. They came from Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Indonesian Archipelago. Not only were these people incorrectly branded as ‘Cape Malays’ but the Bo-Kaap became known, and remains so today, as the Malay Quarter. There is a strong Muslim influence – more than 90% of the people who live here are Muslim – as many of the early slaves were Muslim scholars and religious leaders, as well as craftsmen and artisans. This is a throwback from the apartheid era when the Bo-Kaap was declared an exclusively Cape Muslim residential area, and people of other religions and ethnicity were forced to leave.

Serve this curry with rice and a variety of sambals and atjars.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon hot chilli flakes
2 teaspoons fennel, ground (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
10 cardamon pods (or 2 teaspoons powdered cardamon)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon garam masala
410 g / 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon tomato paste
8 chicken portions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Water, 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Put all the spices in a mortar & pestle and mash them together
Remove the cardamon pod husks and discard
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat
Add the onion and sauté until soft and golden
Add the garlic and all the spices and sauté for about 1 to 2 minutes to release the flavours
Stir in the tomatoes and the tomato paste
Place the chicken portions in the pan
Add  water
Cover and allow to simmer for 45 to 60 minutes
Season to taste
Serve with basmati rice or yellow rice
Enjoy!

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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!

 

Tomato Bredie

Tags

bredie, Lamb, mutton, rainbow nation, south african, spices, stew, tomato, traditional food

A bredie is a type of stew, slowly simmered for several hours and its seasonings include cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, cloves as well as chilli. The type of vegetable used gives it its name, so tomato bredie would be a tomato stew, but it would include a meat as well, in this case, usually lamb. A few common ones are: green pea bredie, green bean bredie, cabbage and sweet turnip, waterblommetjie (Cape water lilly), carrot and turnip, brown lentil, pumpkin and many others. Bredies are eaten as everyday family meals with a variety of ingredients used and always deliciously spiced. It is actually of Dutch origin. Bredie is the Afrikaans word for stew, but it is a word of Malaysian origin. This form of cooking was first introduced to the Cape by Malays, who were brought to the then colony in most cases as slaves. The word bredie referred to oriental spinach originally.
Do not be put off by the seemingly long list of ingredients, most are spices.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 kg / 2 pounds lamb or mutton, cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 onions, diced
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 carrot, finely diced
2 sticks celery, finely sliced
1 leek, finely diced (optional)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
400 ml / 1 1/5 cups dry white wine
2 cans of tomatoes (410 g / 14 oz each)
2 bay leaves
A few fresh parsley sprigs
1 sprig thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
6 cloves
6 cardamon pods
1 stick of cinnamon
500 ml / 2 cups lamb or beef stock
8 to 10 new potatoes, peeled
1 to 2 tablespoons brandy
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Season the lamb with salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed casserole or dutch oven over medium high heat
Brown the meat in batches and set aside
Sauté the onions, garlic, carrot, celery and leek over low heat until the onions are soft
Add the tomato paste
Pour in the wine and the canned tomatoes
Bring to the boil and add meat
Tie the thyme, bay leaves and parsley together to make a bouquet garni and add to the pot
Add the cumin, coriander, chilli, sugar and smoked paprika
Tie the rest of the spices (cloves, cardamon and cinnamon) in a piece of cheesecloth and add to the dish
Pour in the stock, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce has thickened and the lamb is tender – 2 to 3 hours
Skim any fat off the surface
Add the potatoes and cook another 20 minutes or so, until soft
Add the brandy
Taste for seasonings
Serve with rice and a glass of good South African Merlot
Enjoy!