Braaing — a South African heritage after all

South Africa’s Heritage Day is when we set aside and come together to celebrate our country’s rich and diverse culture.

One tradition shared across a number of our cultures is a sociable braai or shisa nyama.

The South African Breweries (SAB) celebrates its 120th anniversary this year and with that comes 120 years of social gatherings like Heritage Day with family and friends.

Beer, whether added into recipes or paired with dishes, is the perfect accompaniment to food.

Here are some SAB approved Braai Day recipes to try this Heritage Day – the vegetarian braai pie is a must.

Marinated Steak Sosaties:

Ingredients

1 cup Onion, chopped

1/2 cup Vegetable oil

1/2 cup Lemon juice

1/4 cup Soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcesteshire sauce

1 teaspoon Mustard, prepared

1 medium sized Sirloin steak, cut in cubes

1 large Green pepper, cut in pieces

2 medium Onions, quartered

2 medium Tomatoes, quartered

Skewers

Method

1. Braai onion in oil and remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and mustard – pour over meat and vegetables. Cover and

marinate overnight in refrigerator.

2. Remove meat and vegetables from marinade, reserving marinade. Alternate meat and vegetables on skewers.

3. Braai kebabs 5 minutes on each side over coals, brushing frequently with marinade.

Beer-marinated Boerewors

Ingredients

2 tsp curry powder

1 tbspn tomato paste

340 ml Black Label

2 tbspn white wine vinegar

2 tbspn treacle sugar

1 tsp salt

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, chopped

¼ cup olive oil

500-600g thick boerewors

Method

1. Fry curry powder in a dry pan for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir. Deglaze the pan by adding beer and white wine vinegar.

2. Bring to a boil then add treacle sugar, salt, diced onion and chopped garlic. Boil for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add olive oil. Let the marinade cool down slightly.

3. Place a pack of thick boerewors into a sealable plastic bag or container. Cover with the beer marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. Braai boerewors over hot coals (or on the gas if you’re in a hurry) and baste regularly with marinade or cook in the marinade in a preheated oven of 200°C.

Apricot and Masala Marinated Snoek

Ingredients

1 large snoek, mildly cured if available

1 -2 can fine apricot jam

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons crushed garli

2 tablespoons masala, spice coarse salt

Method

1. Sprinkle coarse salt over snoek, and leave for 20 minutes.

2. Add other ingredients in saucepan, and slowly bring up heat until mixture is smooth and runny. Don’t allow to boil.

3. Rinse off salt from fish, and place skin side down on tinfoil, doubled over.

4. Roll up edges of tinfoil to make an impromptu pan, and transfer to braai. Pour sauce all over fish, and braai for about 20 minutes, or until meat turns white and firm.

5. Serve directly from braai.

Braai Pie

Meat lovers don’t have to have all the fun on Braai Day. Give the braai pie a try.

Ingredients

45 ml butter

onion

15 ml all-purpose flour

250 g spinach

150 g feta cheese

115 g (half a tub) cream cheese

3 ml nutmeg

Salt and black pepper

1 x 250g roll of ready-to-roll puff pastry

Method

1. Chop and sauté the onion over a medium heat until soft.

2. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and add the spinach, allowing it to wilt. The flour should help absorb the extra liquid from the spinach.

3. Crumble in the feta and stir in the cream cheese and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface.

5. Add the filling onto half of the pastry, leaving the edges open.

6. Fold the pastry and press the edges together to stop any of the ingredients falling out of the sides.

7. Place the pie on a braaing grid and bake on the coals until the pastry is golden on both sides.Garlic Cheddar Bacon

Beer Bread

A traditional South African braai is not complete without garlic bread on the side. Instead of buying it, attempt this recipe that is sure to leave your guests wanting more.

Ingredients

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup sugar

340 ml Castle Lite

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup bacon (chopped)

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp parsley

1/4 cup butter (melted)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, gently stir together the flour, sugar, and beer until it was combined. Then gently stir in the cheese, bacon, garlic powder, and parsley.

3. Pour the batter into a greased bread pan.

4. Pour the melted butter on top of the batter.

5. Cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean. Let the bread cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

If there was ever an occasion to overuse the hashtag, this is one of them: #HeritageDay #BraaiDay #SouthAfrica #Family #Friends #BraaiNation #Braaiwithbeer