FOOD:South African cuisine features lots of spicy meat dishes that marry savoury and sweet flavours, writes Domini Kemp
WHEN I think of South African food, I think of delicious tomatoes, ripe fruit, ostrich meat and a gorgeous white fish called Kingclip. On my one and only visit to Capetown, simple dishes were hard to find in the fancier establishments, where food was cooked in a faux-French style that always seemed incongruous with the colourful local people and relaxed way of life.
The only South African dish that I could easily name is bobotie, a sort of sunny and spicy shepherd's pie, combining sweet and savoury flavours. So I did some research to see what was the essence of South African food. Suffice to say that meat features a lot. Scarily so. Eventually, I found a pretty unique dish: "Sheep's Head Baked in the Oven". All you have to do is buy a sheep's head from your butcher, then "use hubby's razor" and a sharp knife to clean it up before submerging the head in a big bucket of salted water. You'll also need a big oven and some tin foil (to stop the ears from burning).
It goes on to describe in detail the order in which you should eat the various parts of the head. Apparently, the eyes and lips should be eaten first, followed by the brains, but most importantly, you're advised to eat the sheep's head with someone you love. The recipe won't be appearing here in full. Instead I'll stick to the bobotie and these tasty pork kebabs, which would also be delicious cooked on the barbie.
Bobotie
This is a light textured, curry flavoured meat dish that's often considered to be the national dish of South Africa. Although I use beef mince in this recipe, feel free to substitute lamb. This recipe is for four generous portions. It is best served with a salad and some crusty bread.
2 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
500g beef mince
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
pinch ground cloves
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper
50ml stock, or water with few splashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice, or white wine vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tbsp flaked almonds
2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp mango chutney
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
150ml milk
bay leaves for garnish
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/gas mark four. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and brown the mince for five to 10 minutes and then set aside in a bowl. In the same frying pan, sweat the onion until it is soft, adding more oil if necessary. Add the ground cloves, garlic, curry powder and turmeric and gently saute for five minutes. Season well and put the mince back into the frying pan. Add the remaining ingredients, except the eggs, milk and bay leaves, turn the heat up and simmer for a few minutes. Taste, and adjust the seasoning.
Spoon the mixture into a well-greased oven-proof dish or four large ramekins. Combine the eggs and milk pour onto the bobotie. Spike some bay leaves into the mixture so that they resemble shark fins sticking up through the sea. Bake until golden brown (10-15 minutes), or until the topping is set.
Sosaties
These are kebabs with a unique South African flavour. They require marinating overnight. Makes enough for six to eight
1kg lamb fillet cut into 2.5cm pieces
500g pork fillet cut into 1cm cubes
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
4 tbsp sunflower oil
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp tamarind paste (if you can't get it, leave it out)
100ml white wine vinegar
2 tbsp apricot jam or mango chutney
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp red wine
200g dried apricots
200ml dry sherry
Put the lamb and pork pieces in a large bowl with the sliced garlic and a good grind of black pepper and leave in the fridge, covered.
Heat the oil and sweat the onions for five to six minutes, before adding the curry powder and garlic.
Cook out the curry powder for a couple of minutes and then add the sugar, tamarind paste, vinegar and jam or chutney. Mix the cornstarch and wine together and whisk so there are no lumps. Add to the onion marinade, stirring constantly, until it thickens, which should take about three minutes.
Allow this to cool fully and then add to the meat and marinate it, overnight if possible. At the same stage, soak the apricots in the sherry overnight.
When you are ready to cook the meat (either on a barbeque or chargrill pan, or even under your grill, turned up high), drain the meat and put the marinade into a saucepan.
Heat it gently until boiling and simmer for at least 10 minutes. Add some water if it gets too thick. You must cook it at boiling point for at least five minutes to kill any bacteria from the raw meat.
Thread lamb, pork, and apricots onto metal skewers, or wooden ones, which need to be soaked in water overnight. Cook until the meat is well charred and browned. The lamb is fine left a little pink, and because it has been cut into larger chunks than the pork, it will cook more slowly. The pork must be cooked through. Serve the marinade on the side. dkemp@irish-times.ie