This traditional and loved meal, a potjiekos is a classic staple South African dish, something we love doing, a dish cooked over a fire for hours while friends and family gather around the fire with a beer or glass of wine during a get-together.
Potjiekos is a three-legged cast-iron pot to prepare whatever meat you want, however, it is usually for lamb, bone marrow, chicken or beef.
This potjiekos recipe consists of boneless lamb cubes and is inspired by the aromatic flavours of Cape Malay spices.
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If you using lamb on a bone, it is advised you cook it for an extra hour. The estimated cooking time for this potjiekos is between 1 hour and 30 minutes to two hours.
This potjiekos recipe consists of boneless lamb cubes and is inspired by the aromatic flavours of Cape Malay spices.
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Author:Ilse van der Merwe
Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time:2 hours
Category:Lunch, Dinner
Method:cook
Cuisine:South African
Ingredients
Scale
45 ml vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
15ml medium curry powder
10ml garam masala
10ml fennel seeds
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground turmeric
15ml fresh ginger, finely chopped/grated
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped/grated
15ml tomato paste
1kg boneless lamb cubes
salt and pepper
250ml water
1 can chopped tomatoes
1kg baby potatoes
a handful of fresh coriander leaves, for serving
Instructions
Heat the oil in a medium-sized potjie over medium-high heat (fire or gas).
Add the onion, cinnamon sticks and cloves, and fry until soft and light brown. Add the curry powder, garam masala, fennel, cumin, and turmeric and fry for 1 minute.
Add the ginger, garlic and tomato paste and fry for another minute. Add the meat chunks and stir well to coat, seasoning the meat with salt and pepper.
Now add the water and stir to loosen any sticky bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the chopped tomatoes, stir well and bring to a simmer.
Cover with a lid and bring the heat down to very low, then simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the potatoes and stir to coat in the sauce, then cook for another 30-45 minutes with a lid on until the meat is really tender and the potatoes are cooked. Keep an eye on the heat throughout – the curry will burn if the fire is too hot.