Tastes like freedom – what to eat on Freedom Day

IT’S Freedom Day on Friday, 27 April and there’s no better way to celebrate than with good old South African food.

South Africa is about diversity. We are known for our wildlife, our 11 official languages and most importantly our delicious and varied food.

There is nothing like a melktert or a  koeksuster to fill that sugary void. Or maybe a delicious warm potjie. One thing about the Afrikaans culture, their food is full of soul.

Potjie recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 kg bolo, shin or neck
  15 ml cooking oil
  5 ml salt
  Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  1 clove garlic (crushed)
  2 onions (coarsely chopped)
  3 carrots (sliced)
  300 g cauliflower florets
  4 baby marrows (sliced)
  15 ml brown sugar
  100 ml orange juice
  125 ml grated cheddar cheese

Method

• Cube or slice meat
• Heat oil in potjie and brown meat, then season with salt and pepper
• Add garlic and onion and saute until onion is transparent
• Add vegetables, brown sugar and orange juice
• Cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours or until meat is tender
• Just before serving, sprinkle with grated cheese
• Serve with baked potatoes

Traditional Zulu food

The foundations of Zulu food was built on sorghum and maize starches which were eaten in porridge or beer form. But the Zulu culture brings out the flavour and the spirit of Africa in their food. With their succulent meats and maize based foods like phutu, dombolo and Jeqe (steambread), nothing can beat them.

Recipe for Jabu’s Jeqe

Ingredients

4 cups of flour

1 packet of yeast

2 hands of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Method

Knead all ingredients together and add 3 cups gradually as you knead it. It will form into a thick and smooth ball. Cover the dough with cling wrap and place in the warm sun for 1 and half hour or when it has risen.

To cook it find a strong, clean, plastic bag without holes in it, like a grocery bag. Put a spoonful of cooking oil in the bag and spread it around (so the dough doesn’t stick to the inside of the bag). Then carefully put the risen dough into the bag. Put the bag into a large stovetop pot (ours is 8 qt.) with water in it. If well risen, the bag of dough should float. You can loosely tie or fold over the open top of the bag, but don’t seal it. You want the steam to be able to enter into the bag and cook the dough. Finally, bring the water to a boil and put the lid on the pot. Let the steam cook the bread for at least an hour before removing.

Celebrate Freedom Day by observing other cultures and learning from them.

FIND more South African recipes: 60 South African recipes

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CHECK out Pinterest: South African Foods 

VIDEO: How to make jeqe