My Cape Malay Kitchen, by Cariema Isaacs

My Cape Malay Kitchen, by Cariema Isaacs. Penguin Random House South Africa (Struik Lifestyle). Cape Town, South Africa 2016. ISBN 9781432305659 / ISBN 978-1-4323-0565-9

My Cape Malay Kitchen, by Cariema Isaacs. Penguin Random House South Africa (Struik Lifestyle). Cape Town, South Africa 2016. ISBN 9781432305659 / ISBN 978-1-4323-0565-9

In her cookbook My Cape Malay Kitchen, Cariema Isaacs also explains the art of cooking the famous South African bredies: There are many dishes that define Cape Malay cuisine, but none of them so aptly defines 'comfort' like that of a traditional Cape Malay bredie. A bredie is typically a stew made with meat and vegetables, slow-cooked in a fairly saucy gravy often referred to as lang sous (sauce that is fairly thick and plentiful).

What sets a Cape Malay bredie apart from a traditional stew is the way in which the meat is braised, along with the addition of either a green chilli in dishes such as Pea Bredie (p. 18) or chilli flakes in Cauliflower Bredie (p. 14). Bredies conjure up fond memories of tucking my fork into my dad's plate, as our thoughts drifted to the wonderful recollections of eating numerous meals at my grandmother's table in Bo-Kaap in the Cape Malay Quarter of Cape Town, where life was simple and the food simply delicious! A certain level of skill and experience is required to make a good bredie. You will need time, for a bredie cannot be rushed. You will need to be alert and attentive when you braise the meat because there is a significant difference between browning the meat and over-browning it, where bits of it end up burnt and may give the dish a bitter taste. Sometimes this situation can be rescued with the addition of a little sugar. Choose your meat carefully, when it comes to braising and slow-cooking, shoulder of lamb is ideal. It is rich in connective tissue and, when cooked for a long time, becomes meltingly tender and luscious. So too is thick rib, lamb shank and leg of lamb. The connective tissue is the fibre that holds the muscles in place and it is high in collagen, which becomes tender and gelatinous with long cooking. When you add the vegetables is very important, but it depends on the type of vegetables you are using. For root vegetables such as carrots, you'll want to cook them until tender but still firm enough to retain their shape, and for the sweetness of the carrots to be tasted and not to be lost in the gravy. The most flavoursome way to cook a bredie is with vegetable oil. How much oil you use depends on how much fat you have on the meat. If you have a fair amount of fat on the meat, then 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil is more than enough. If the meat has very little to no fat then 2 Tbsp (30 ml) oil is required. I'll let you in on a family secret that has been passed on from my great-grandmother to my grandmother and from my grandmother to me: use 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil when you braise the meat and add the last tablespoon of oil about 5 minutes before the dish is served. [...]

Denningvleis, a recipe from My Cape Malay Kitchen, by Cariema Isaacs

Denningvleis is a perfect representation of the spices and flavours indicative of the cooking influence our forefathers from Java, Indonesia, Malaysia and India had on our dishes. The dish has tender cuts of lamb marinated in a tamarind-based sauce, infused with subtle tones of clove, bay leaf, cinnamon and cardamom. In addition, it has a distinctive sweet and tangy gravy. In the absence of tamarind, I use vinegar and the end result is no different to the original recipe. Denningvleis is served with sweet yellow rice, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, coated with glistening warm butter and a generous dusting of nutmeg. SERVES 4-6

1 Tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely crushed 1 tsp (5 ml) dried chilli flakes
5 whole allspice
1 kg leg of lamb, deboned or on the bone, cut into sizable chunks
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) freshly ground black pepper
3 large bay leaves
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sugar (or to taste)
2 cups (500 ml) water 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
4 tsp (20 ml) brown vinegar

Heat the oil over a medium/high heat and add the onions, garlic, chilli and allspice. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the meat, black pepper and bay leaves and cook over high heat, searing the meat and browning it evenly. Add the sugar and, as the meat and onions are just about to catch on the bottom of the pot, gradually add 1 cup (250 ml) of the water, small amounts at a time. You can also add the salt at this stage. Ensure that you stir the meat and gently scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot. As the moisture evaporates again, stir the meat until you notice it browning again and add the vinegar. Close the lid and cook for 3 minutes on high, but be mindful not to burn the meat. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) water. Slow-cook the meat for 40 minutes, or until it is tender. Check seasoning before serving to accommodate personal tastes. You can easily adjust the acidity and sweetness of this dish by adding additional sugar and vinegar. Serve with Sweet Yellow Rice (p. 168), steamed vegetables and Mom's Mash (p. 154).

My Cape Malay Kitchen, by Cariema Isaacs.

Title: My Cape Malay Kitchen
Author: Cariema Isaacs
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa (Struik Lifestyle)
Cape Town, South Africa 2016
ISBN 9781432305659 / ISBN 978-1-4323-0565-9
Softcover, 19 x 24 cm, 208 pages, 100 photographs and illustrations

Isaacs, Cariema im Namibiana-Buchangebot

My Cape Malay Kitchen

My Cape Malay Kitchen

My Cape Malay Kitchen is about flavourful South African food, richly spiced curries, indulgent cakes and decadent desserts.