My South African neighbours kindly gifted me some boerwors when they returned from a visit to their home country. Naturally, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to find out what this wonderfully named sausage is traditionally served with.
That’s when I discovered chakalaka — and I have to admit, the name alone was enough to make me want to try it! Add to that the wonderfully colourful hotchpotch of vegetables, spices and chillies that make up this South African favourite, and I was completely sold.
This recipe from chef sandile, courtesy of cape fusion tours, packs quite a kick, but the beauty of chakalaka is that you can make it as mild or as fiery as you like simply by adjusting the amount of chilli. If you’re not sure how much heat you want, start on the cautious side. You can always add a splash or two of your favourite hot sauce at the end if you decide it needs an extra boost!
Notes:
Aromat is a popular seasoning in South Africa. You can get a similar umami kick by using 1/2 vegetable stock cube, good dash magi and 1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika but the dish is so flavoursome just the vegetable stock cube or a generous dash of magi will work.
For the hot fruit chutney I used a hot mango but any sweet and fruity chutney will do.
CHAKALAKA
Serves 6 – 8
INGREDIENTS:
250 g white onion, finely diced
150 g mixed bell peppers, finely diced
30 g red chilies, seeded and finely diced
150 g cabbage, finely chopped
200 g carrots, coarsely grated
250 g tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
4 tbsp cooking oil
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp Aromat
400g tin of baked beans
1 tbsp spicy fruit chutney
1 tbsp malt vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
METHOD:
Warm the oil in a large pan and gently braise the onions, peppers and chilies until soft, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the cabbage and carrots and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until they start to soften.
Stir in the turmeric, curry powder, salt and aromat then add the tomatoes. Mix well and cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 6-8 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.
Taste and add more salt if needed
Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan, mix everything together and cook over a medium heat for a few minutes longer. The vegetables should be cooked but still retain some bite.
Set aside to cool.
You can serve it straight away at room temperature but the flavours do improve it you leave it in the fridge overnight; and if you want to make it well in advance it will keep in the fridge for up to one week.
