The love language of the Cape Malays is food, and author Cariema Isaacs says tramakasie (thank you) every day that she gets to express herself in this way. Modern Cape Malay, Cariema’s fourth cookbook, is a celebration of food and feasting, providing a contemporary view of Cape Malay cuisine and simple home cooking.
INDEX
BBQ Chicken Thighs & Drumsticks
Farzana’s Legendary Leg of Lamb
Feriel Sonday’s Heavenly Cape Malay Bollas
Low-sugar Acai Bowl
“I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and it’s one of the reasons I love this low-sugar acai bowl. It’s perfect for when you want to control your sugar intake and is so refreshing in summer with a topping of sliced or shaped fruit (just don't overdo it as the fruit will increase the sugar).”
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
FOR THE ACAI BOWL BASE
1 frozen banana, sliced
½ C (125 ml) frozen strawberries or raspberries
1 Tbsp (15 ml) acai berry powder
3 Tbsp (45 ml) almond or coconut milk
1 Tbsp (15 ml) protein powder of your choice
1 tsp (5 ml) cacao nibs or cocoa powder (optional)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) natural peanut or almond butter (optional)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) chia seeds
OPTIONS FOR TOPPINGS
Top with fresh summer fruit, slices of seedless watermelon or sweet melon, or Asian fruit such as dragon fruit or star fruit
Place all the base ingredients into a blender.
Pulse until smooth. Don’t over blend as you want to avoid a watery mixture – it must be thick enough to eat with a spoon.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the toppings of your choice.
CARIEMA’S TIP
Chia seeds can be used to thicken the texture of smoothies, puddings and acai bowls. Use less or more depending on the consistency you require.
“The Instant Pot is perfect for this recipe because it locks in flavour and keeps the bobotie moist. It also creates a feathery light egg custard topping – the pot doesn’t crisp up the topping, so I pop it into the air-fryer for 3–5 minutes to attain that golden blush on the top. If I am really pressed for time a chef’s blowtorch does the trick as well. The easiest way to prepare this is using a springform baking tin – it works well with both the air-fryer and Instant Pot, and the two colourful layers are beautifully presented when served.”
Serves: 6–8
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
FOR THE EGG CUSTARD
4 large eggs, beaten 1 C (250 ml) milk
1 tsp (5 ml) freshly grated nutmeg Pinch of salt
FOR THE BOBOTIE
600 g lamb or beef mince 1 egg, beaten
4 slices stale bread, crusts removed, soaked in 1 C (250 ml) water for 5 minutes, drained
2 Tbsp (30 ml) canola, sunflower or olive oil 2 medium-size onions, finely sliced
2 tsp (10 ml) salt, or to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed 1 tsp (5 ml) turmeric
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) ground cloves (optional) 2 tsp (10 ml) Pakco curry powder
1 tsp (5 ml) kokni masala or ½ tsp (2.5 ml) chilli powder
¼ C (60 ml) golden sultanas or dried cranberries, soaked in ½ C (125 ml) cooled boiling water for 5 minutes, then drained
5 dried Turkish apricots, thinly sliced
4 bay leaves or citrus leaves, for garnishing
PREPARING THE EGG CUSTARD
1 Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk. Set aside.
PREPARING THE BOBOTIE
1 Prepare a 20 cm springform pan by spraying it with nonstick spray. Also line the outside of the pan with aluminium foil to ensure it doesn’t leak during cooking.
2 Place the mince, beaten egg and bread (excess water squeezed out) into a mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix together until it resembles a meatloaf consistency. Set aside.
3 Turn on the Instant Pot and set it to Sauté mode on high setting. Heat the oil and then add the sliced onions.
4 Sauté the onions for 10 minutes, stirring every now and again.
5 Add the salt, garlic, turmeric, ground cloves (if using) and curry powder, masala or chilli powder and sauté for 2 minutes, adding just a dash of water if the ingredients are sticking to the bottom of the pot.
6 Switch off the Instant Pot and transfer the warm ingredients to the meatloaf mixture.
7 Add the soaked sultanas and sliced apricots and use a wooden spoon to combine.
8 The next step is to cook the bobotie, which means you’ll have to wash the inner pot of the Instant Pot first. Once washed, rinsed and dried, place it back into the Instant Pot ‘casing’.
9 Place the steaming rack into the Instant Pot.
10 Pour ¼ C (60 ml) water into the Instant Pot.
11 Spoon the mince mixture into the prepared springform tin and smooth the top.
12 Place the springform tin on top of the steaming rack.
13 Pour the egg custard layer on top and garnish with the bay or citrus leaves.
14 Secure the lid and move the vent up to Sealing Position. Select Meat/Stew on Medium Pressure and set the time to 10 minutes.
15 Once done, allow the pressure to release naturally, i.e. wait for the pin to drop.
16 Unlock and open the lid. Remove the springform tin and transfer to the air-fryer.
17 Set the air-fryer to 200 °C and air-fry for 4–6 minutes or until golden on top.
18 Remove the pan gently and rest on a cooling rack.
19 Insert a knife between the bobotie and springform pan and run it along the edges of the bobotie. Open the latch of the springform pan and extend the latch so that the sides of the pan separate from the bobotie.
20 Lift the bobotie with an egg lifter or slide it onto a serving platter.
21 Serve with a leafy salad.
BBQ Chicken Thighs & Drumsticks
“This BBQ spice concoction is one that I love preparing for braais. It’s zesty and spicy, and the addition of Mrs Ball’s Chutney cuts through the lemony tinge and provides that sweet and tangy flavour profile that Cape Malays love. You can also easily substitute the chutney with apricot or peach jam or even caramelised onion chutney.”
Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
10 mixed portions of chicken thighs and drumsticks
¼ C (60 ml) plain yoghurt
2 Tbsp (30 ml) barbecue marinade (I’ve used Amina’s Wonderspice Sweet Barbeque Marinade)
½ Tbsp (7.5 ml) braai spice (I’ve used Ina Paarman’s Braai & Grill Seasoning)
½ Tbsp (7.5 ml) lemon pepper
2 Tbsp (30 ml) Mrs Ball’s Chutney
¼ C (60 ml) barbecue sauce (I’ve used Ina Paarman’s Sticky Marinade)
½ tsp (2.5 ml) dried chilli flakes (optional)
Salt to taste
½ C (125 ml) pomegranate jewels, for garnishing
½ C (125 ml) micro greens and/or sprigs of rosemary, for garnishing
Pat the chicken portions dry with paper towel to ensure that all the excess moisture is removed. This will allow the marinade and spices to adhere to the chicken.
Place all the ingredients, except the garnish, into a large bowl and mix until the chicken is well coated. Don’t discard the marinade. You can use this to baste the chicken during the cooking process.
Arrange the chicken portions in the air-fryer basket in a single layer. Ensure that you start the thighs with the skin side facing up.
Cook at a temperature of 180 °C for 15 minutes.
Open the drawer and flip over the portions. Use a basting or pastry brush to baste and coat the chicken with some of the reserved marinade.
Close the drawer and cook for another 10–15 minutes.
Open the drawer again and flip the chicken once more so that the skin side is facing up again, and brush all sides of the chicken with the remaining marinade. Air-fry for an additional 4 minutes.
Place all the chicken on a serving platter and garnish with pomegranate jewels and sprigs of rosemary and/or micro greens. Serve hot with grilled corn, or at room temperature or cold.
TIP
You may need to cook the chicken in two batches, depending on the portion sizes of the chicken. If this is the case, preheat the oven to 180 °C (later adjust the heat to 100 °C) and when the first batch is done, it can be kept warm in the oven while you prepare the second batch.
“For this recipe I prefer to fold the cooked spaghetti into the sauce at the end. This adds flavour to the spaghetti that on its own can be quite bland. Since Cape Malays love spicy food, you’ll often find us adding chilli flakes just before serving or a green chilli oil condiment to give a hit of heat, bite after bite.”
Serves: 4–6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt to taste
700 g beef or lamb mince
1 can (400 g) whole Italian tomatoes, skinned and roughly puréed
1/4 C (60 ml) tomato paste
3 Tbsp (45 ml) white sugar
1/2 Tbsp (7.5 ml) freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp (5 ml) dried Italian herbs or 1–2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 packet (250 g) spaghetti, cooked as per package instructions
1/2 C (125 ml) grated Parmesan cheese
Green chilli oil (see below), for serving
Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium to high heat.
Add the onion and sauté for 7 minutes or until golden.
Add the garlic and salt and sauté for 5 minutes.
Adjust the heat to high and add the mince. Cook for 15 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated. Use a wooden spoon to break down the mince into smaller pieces resembling crumbles.
Add the puréed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and pepper and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the herbs and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Toss the cooked spaghetti with the sauce so that the bolognaise emulsifies and thickens, and the sauce coats the pasta.
Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and green chilli oil.
TIP
Don’t discard the pasta water, you can add a ladle or two in step 7 to create a rich and velvety sauce.
Farzana’s Legendary Leg of Lamb
“This is certainly a much faster and less tedious way of preparing leg of lamb compared to the traditional way, which is to parboil the leg of lamb and then slow-cook it on the stove top. Farzana shares her recipe for Eid leg of lamb, which starts off the cooking process in the Instant Pot before being roasted in the oven and drizzled with a lush gravy before serving. She has her own blend of aromatics, but in the absence of that you can easily just add salt, dried chilli flakes and pepper, and you’ll still have a lovely, seasoned leg of lamb.”
Serves: 6–8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
FOR THE GRAVY SLURRY
½ C (125 ml) cold or tepid water
2 Tbsp (30 ml) cornflour
½ tsp (2.5 ml) freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) salt
FOR THE LEG OF LAMB
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, depending on the amount of fat on the meat
1 tsp (5 ml) freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) fine black or white pepper
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon pepper
1 tsp (5 ml) dried chilli flakes
Salt to taste
1 leg of lamb, prepared by your butcher to fit your Instant Pot, or deboned
50 g butter
4 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised
6–8 baby potatoes, washed but unpeeled
6–8 shallots or medium-size pickling onions
4 carrots, peeled and cut into portions the same size as the baby potatoes
¾ C (200 ml) water
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
PREPARING THE GRAVY SLURRY
Place all the gravy ingredients into a jug and whisk to form a smooth slurry. Set aside until the lamb has been cooked.
PREPARING THE LEG OF LAMB
Place the olive oil, spices and salt in a small bowl and mix together. Set aside.
Dab the leg of lamb with paper towel to remove the excess moisture. This will allow the oil and spices to adhere to the lamb.
Rub the aromatics and oil mixture all over the lamb and into the crevices.
Place the lamb onto a roasting tray, which you’ll use throughout the cooking process. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature before cooking.
You won’t need the lid of the Instant Pot during the first phase of the cooking process. Set the Instant Pot to the Sauté setting on high, which means you’ll press sauté three times.
Add the butter and, once it’s melted, add the leg of lamb.
Sear the lamb for about 5 minutes on each side until it develops sear marks or has a deep golden colour.
Press cancel on the Instant Pot and transfer the lamb to the same roasting tray.
Place the garlic cloves, potatoes, shallots and carrots into the Instant Pot. Use the Sauté setting on high and sauté the vegetables, stirring frequently.
Add the water and bring to a boil, still uncovered, and simmer for 1 minute. This assists with deglazing the pot and is a crucial step to avoid burning.
Spread out the vegetables and place the seared lamb directly on top of them. Cancel the Sauté setting and secure the lid of the Instant Pot.
Move the vent up to the Sealing Position. Select the Pressure Cook setting and select high pressure for 35 minutes.
Once done, allow the pressure to release naturally, i.e. wait for the pin to drop.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220 °C.
When the pressure has released, transfer the leg of lamb and the potatoes back to the roasting tray.
Leave half the onions and one carrot portion in the pot. Arrange the rest of the vegetables around the lamb and potatoes and tuck in the sprigs of rosemary.
If the meat doesn’t contain too much fat, drizzle about 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil over the lamb and vegetables.
Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.
In the meantime, set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and use a masher (or stick blender) to mash the remaining ingredients into a smooth consistency.
Using a whisk, add the prepared gravy slurry, and give this a good mix. Switch off the Instant Pot.
Transfer the gravy from the inner pot of the Instant Pot and pour it through a sieve into a large bowl, pushing all the remnants of the gravy through with the back of a spoon.
Remove the leg of lamb and vegetables from the oven and pour over the gravy. Serve warm.
with a Chocolate-coconut Biscuit Crust
“This started out as a ‘Romany Cream’-style biscuit but seeing that it is so popular in our home, I began playing around with variations. I realised that I could turn the original biscuit dough into a crust and all I needed was a delectable filling. Et voilà, one of our favourite Eid desserts was born!”
Serves: 8
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
FOR THE BISCUIT CRUST
1 C (250 ml) desiccated coconut
1½ C (375 ml) cake wheat flour
1 C (250 ml) cocoa powder
½ tsp (2.5 ml) baking powder
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) salt
175 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ C (125 ml) castor sugar or soft brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla essence
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE AND PECAN FILLING
1½ C (375 ml) semi-sweet Hershey’s chocolate chips or a mixture of dark and milk chocolate
1 C (250 ml) heavy or double cream
1 C (250 ml) pecan nuts, roughly chopped (reserve some for decorating)
PREPARING THE BISCUIT CRUST
Set the oven on the grill setting, on high.
Spread out the coconut on a baking tray and toast it for about 30 seconds or until the white coconut flakes turn golden. Give the baking tray a shake and toast for another 30 seconds. Keep your eye on this because it can darken quite quickly depending on how hot the oven is.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl and set aside.
Remove the coconut from the oven and set aside in a bowl.
Adjust the oven to your normal baking setting and preheat to 180 °C.
Place the butter and castor sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and cream together until pale and fluffy.
Add the egg and continue mixing until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Keep the mixer setting on a medium speed and add the vanilla essence.
Add the sifted dry ingredients into the bowl and mix on a low speed until all the ingredients gradually come together to form a soft dough.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the toasted coconut to the dough (reserve 1–2 Tbsp [15–30 ml] for decorating). Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix this together.
I’ve used a rectangular nonstick tart tin measuring 36 × 13 cm. Grease the tin with nonstick spray and then line the tin with the dough.
To line the tin, simply take a few pieces of dough and mould them in the tin with your fingers, until the dough is spread out evenly and is 3–4 mm thick. You may have excess dough left (depending on the size of the baking tin you use), which you can use for a batch of cookies or biscuits. Alternatively, you can store it in the freezer for up to three months.
Line the dough with baking paper and baking beans (or just normal dehydrated beans) and blind bake for 12–15 minutes. The tart shell may feel a bit spongy, but it will harden as it cools down. Set aside on a wire rack.
PREPARING THE FILLING
Place the chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside.
Heat the heavy or double cream in a saucepan on medium to high heat. Once the cream starts simmering for about 30 seconds, remove it from the heat.
Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and mix well until it forms a smooth chocolate ganache.
Add the chopped pecan nuts and pour the filling into the cooled tart shell.
Decorate the tart with the reserved chopped pecan nuts and toasted coconut.
Refrigerate for about 2 hours.
Serve with clotted or lightly whipped cream.
South African Breakfast Health Bars
“The traditional South African crunchie is an oat bar combined with goodies like almond slivers, desiccated coconut and golden syrup. This is my version, which also contains dried, ground naartjie peel to elevate the taste even more.”
Serves: 6
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 50 minutes, including cooling
100 g unsalted butter (or a bit more if the texture is too crumbly)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) golden syrup
½ C (125 ml) white or brown sugar
¼ C (60 ml) brown sugar
½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt
2 Tbsp (30 ml) boiling water
1 tsp (5 ml) bicarbonate of soda
1 C (250 ml) desiccated coconut
¼ C (60 ml) raw almonds, roughly chopped
¼ C (60 ml) chopped hazelnuts, walnuts or pecan nuts
1 C (250 ml) rolled oats
1 C (250 ml) self-raising wheat flour
½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp (15 ml) dried naartjie peel, ground to a powder (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Line a 20 cm × 20 cm (for thicker bars) or 30 cm × 20 cm (for thinner bars) baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter, syrup, sugars and salt, until all the sugar granules have dissolved.
Remove the mixture from the stove, add the boiling water and bicarbonate of soda, mix well and set aside.
Combine all the remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl and give this a good mix. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Combine to form a pliable and crumbly texture.
Transfer the mixture onto the prepared baking tray and press down to smooth it out and form a level base.
Bake at 180 °C for 10–15 minutes, then adjust the oven temperature to 140 °C and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden.
Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Feriel Sonday’s Heavenly Cape Malay Bollas
“Feriel Sonday has a very successful Facebook page entitled Feriel Sonday’s Heavenly Bites where she shares her much-loved recipes with her devoted followers. Her recipe makes the perfect Cape Malay bollas, and by perfect, I mean the lightest, fluffiest vanilla-infused bollas!”
Makes: 25
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour, including resting time and syruping
FOR THE SUGAR SYRUP
2 C (500 ml) water
2½ C (625 ml) white sugar
FOR THE BATTER
4 C (4 × 250 ml) cake wheat flour
4 tsp (20 ml) baking powder
2 eggs
¾ C (200 ml) white sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla or caramel essence
¾ C (200 ml) canola or vegetable oil Pinch of salt
2 C (500 ml) buttermilk
FOR FINISHING
3 C (750 ml) canola or vegetable oil for deep-frying, or more depending on the size of the saucepan
1 C (250 ml) desiccated coconut
PREPARING THE SUGAR SYRUP
Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan on high heat.
Add the sugar and boil for 7–10 minutes or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the sugar syrup has thickened slightly. Set aside.
PREPARING THE BATTER
In a bowl, sift the flour and baking powder twice and then set aside.
Place the eggs and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla essence and oil, and mix until creamy.
Gradually add half of the sifted flour, the salt and half of the buttermilk, and mix.
Add the rest of the flour and buttermilk and continue mixing to form a smooth batter.
Set aside for at least 30 minutes before frying.
PREPARING THE BOLLAS
Line a plate with paper towel and set aside.
Heat the oil for deep-frying in a medium-size saucepan on medium to high heat for 12–15 minutes. (Drop a small teaspoon of the batter into the hot oil – if it floats to the top, the oil is ready.)
Place tablespoonsful of the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, turning halfway.
Remove the bollas from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside on the paper towel-lined plate.
Reheat the syrup on a medium heat and drop about four bollas into the hot syrup.
Coat with the syrup until glossy, then set aside on a serving plate or platter and sprinkle with the desiccated coconut.
Extracted from Modern Cape Malay Cooking by Cariema Isaacs, out now.
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