Fadela Williams - The Cape Malay Illustrated Cookbook

The Cape Malay Illustrated CookbookFaldela WilliamsIllustrated by Liz Mills This edition published in 2012 by Struik Lifestyle an imprint of Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd Company Reg. No. 1966/003153/07 Wembley Square, Solan Road, Gardens, Cape Town 8001, South Africa PO Box 1144, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa www.randomstruik.co.za Copyright in published edition: Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd 2007, 2012 Copyright in text: Faldela Williams 2007, 2012 Copyright in illustrations: Liz Mills 2007, 2012 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner/s. PUBLISHING MANAGER: Linda de Villiers MANAGING EDITOR: Cecilia Barfield EDITOR: Joy Clack DESIGNER: Beverley Dodd ILLUSTRATOR: Liz Mills PROOFREADER: Irma van Wyk ePub ISBN 978-1-43230-181-1 PDF ISBN 978-1-43230-182-8 Print ISBN 978-1-77007-405-7 Get monthly updates and news by subscribing to our newsletter at www.randomstruik.co.za ContentsIntroduction As a young girl peeling potatoes in my grandmothers kitchen in District Six I could never have imagined that I would be invited around the world to cook at festivals, grand hotels, ambassadors residences and convention centres. Since the publication of my first cookbook in 1988 there have been a lot of changes in our society.

Food is also part of those changes, especially since Cape Town has become the melting pot of the whole of South Africa. The recipes compiled for this book are and always will be very popular for many more years to come. Always remember that Cape Malay cooking is very flexible. It is better to make the curry or bredie (stew) well in advance, as the spices take time to develop and impart their flavour to the food. Spices should be used as fresh as possible. Most spices can be bought whole and, when needed, can be toasted in a pan for about 2 minutes, and then ground in a coffee grinder.

Store spices in airtight jars to keep them fresh. All the ingredients used are readily available from supermarkets and spice shops. The red bolus for Fawzias Soetkoekies () is available from pharmacies. BISMILLAH! Conversion TablesSnacksDhaltjies MAKES ABOUT 30 These chilli bites are the perfect party snack. You can vary this recipe by adding 250 ml whole kernel corn instead of spinach, or by adding a grated potato. 250 ml pea or chana flour 30 ml self-raising flour 1 onion, grated or flnely chopped 5 ml ground jeera (cumin) 5 ml ground koljana (coriander) 10 ml crushed dried chillies or 2 fresh green chillies, flnely chopped 5 ml salt 3 ml turmeric (borrie) bunch chopped green dhania leaves(fresh coriander) 1 small Granny Smith apple, grated a few spinach leaves, shredded 5 ml baking powder 500 ml sunflower oil for deep-frying Sift pea and self-raising flour into a fairly large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients, except baking powder and oil, and mix with sufficient water to make a thick, lumpy batter.

Stir in baking powder just before frying. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Drop heaped teaspoons of batter into hot oil and fry until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Turn over and brown other side. Drain on paper towel or in a colander. Serve hot.

VARIATION Bhajias: Instead of shredding spinach leaves, break into about 5 cm squares and dip in batter. Shallow-fry on both sides in hot oil until crisp, about 6 minutes in all. Drain well on paper towel and serve. Haddock Balls MAKES 30 An unusual savoury snack or light luncheon dish, adapted to the Malay style. 500 g smoked haddock fillets water 2 large potatoes, cooked and mashed 20 ml finely chopped fresh parsley 5 ml ground white or black pepper 1 egg, lightly beaten dried breadcrumbs sunflower 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.

Heat oil in a deep pan and deep-fry haddock balls until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot as a snack, or as a light meal with chips and a salad. Egg and Shrimp on Toast SERVES 2 This makes a very special breakfast treat. 4 large eggs, well beaten 15 ml milk 30 ml sunflower oil 250 g shrimp, shelled and deveined 2 ml salt 5 ml chilli powder Combine eggs and milk. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry shrimps until they turn pink, 510 minutes. Add salt and chilli powder, stir, and then add milk and egg mixture. Cook until eggs are set but still soft and moist, about 5 minutes.

Serve on hot buttered toast or use as a filling for snackwiches. Spicy Kebaabs MAKES 30 Kebaabs are spicy meatballs fried until golden brown. Serve with a tangy fruit chutney or chilli sauce for easy entertaining. 500 g steak mince 2 slices stale bread, soaked in water 15 ml sunflower oil 1 onion, grated or finely chopped 5 ml crushed garlic 2 green chillies, finely chopped 10 ml ground jeera (cumin) 5 ml ground koljana (coriander) 5 ml salt 1 egg 300 ml sunflower oil for frying Rinse mince and leave in colander to drain. Squeeze moisture out of bread. Heat 15 ml oil in frying pan and add onion, spices and salt. Stir-fry for 5 minutes.

Mix mince, bread, onion mixture and egg in a mixing bowl until well-blended. Form into small balls and fry in heated oil until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Turn over and brown other side. Spear with toothpicks and serve. Savoury Pies MAKES 50 A favourite snack that can be served at weddings or at a buffet supper. For a more substantial filling, add 100 g uncooked vermicelli to mince mixture just before adding the sago. 1 kg ready-made puff pastry 1 egg, beaten STEAK FILLING 500 g steak, cut into small cubes 1 large onion, finely chopped 15 ml sunflower oil 5 ml crushed garlic 5 ml salt 5 ml ground black pepper 2 ml grated nutmeg 2 ml ground cloves 5 ml crushed dried chillies or chilli powder 100 ml sago soaked in 125 ml water for 15 minutes 3 hard-boiled eggs, grated Filling: Wash steak and drain well.

Braise onion in heated oil until golden, 510 minutes. Add steak and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring, over medium heat. Add spices and cook a further 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain sago and add to steak mixture. Cook, stirring, until sago is transparent, about 10 minutes. Leave to cool.