South African Peasant Dishes

Mieliepap

Biltong

Melktert
Sosaties
Potjiekos
Koeksisters
Tamatie Bredie
Pampoenmoes
Boeremeisies
Paul Kruger Cake
Mosbolletjies

Mieliepap

This mieliepap recipe tells you how make an old South African favorite that goes well with meat or as a breakfast porridge or cereal.

5 - 6 cups water (½ water, ½ milk for cereal)
1 cup corn flour
½ tsp. salt
1 TB butter (optional, but it makes it taste better)

Boil the water in a pot and add the salt and butter. Slowly stir in the flour with a wok or fork. Turn the heat to medium and wait for your pap to start bubbling. Cover the pot with a lid and let the pap simmer for 30 - 45 minutes. (The longer and slower it steams, the better the taste.)

This can be eaten with milk and sugar for breakfast, or with brown gravy and braaivleis (BBQ'd meat).

Joghurt and Chicken Potjie  Serves 6 – 8 People 

Marinade : 

500 ml Natural Yoghurt 

500 ml Dry White Wine 

10 ml dried Thyme 

10 ml Grated Lemon Peel 

5 ml Fresh Ground Black Pepper 

3 Bay Leaves 

5 ml Dried Tarragon 

Ingredients : 

1 Large Onion ( Finely Chopped ) 

2 kg Chicken Pieces 

2 Green peppers 

300 g Carrots ( Peeled and Sliced ) 

6 Large Potatoes ( Peeled and quartered ) 

100 g Dried Apricots 

200 g Green Beans ( Sliced ) 

150 g Fresh Mushroom ( Sliced ) 

Salt to Taste 

1 Packet Creamy Mushroom Soup Powder ( If Required ) 

Mix all the marinade ingredients , pour over the chicken and marinade for 6 – 8 Hours . 

Heat the pot to very hot . Remove the chicken from the marinade and fry a few pieces at a time with the pepper until golden brown .Arrange the Carrots , Potatoes , Apricots , Green Beans , and mushrooms in layers on top of the meat . Sprinkle them with salt and add the marinade . Replace the lid and simmer slowly for two hours . Should the potjie render to much liquid , it can be thickened with the mushroom soup powder . Mix the soup powder with the gavy and allow to simmer for another 15 minutes.

Pampoenmoes
Pumpkin is one of South Africa's favourite vegetables. Most restaurants serve pumpkin and spinach as vegetable side dishes with main meals and all mothers buy it for their families. There are many ways in which you can serve the great varieties of pumpkin available like butternut squash, herbert squash, "boer" pumpkin or red pumpkin, to mention just a few.

Not all types of pumpkin are in season and therefor available all through the year, so you have to use the one that is in season at a certain time. The most common and quickest way to prepare pumpkin is to boil it in a little bit of water, season lightly with salt and add some cinnamon. Otherwise you can mix the pumpkin with flour, salt and egg and bake "pampoenkoekies" in a little bit of oil, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve warm.

Another favorite recipe from times gone by, a truly traditional South African recipe, is "pampoenmoes". You can either bake this in the oven or boil it in a little bit of water in a saucepan. This is a recipe worth trying:

8 slices of white bread
Butter
Apricot jam
2 cups of pumpkin (1 butternut squash should do. Slice very thinly)
Salt
Sugar
Cinnamon

1. Butter the bread on both sides and spread apricot jam on the side facing up. Place one layer in an oven proof glass dish, jam facing up.

2. Cut the pumpkin thinly, season lightly with salt and place on top of the bread.

3. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the pumpkin.

4. Repeat this until all the pumpkin and bread is used up, finishing with a layer of pumpkin. Dot a few extra clots of butter on the top.

5. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour in a pre-heated oven of 180°C

Serve the pumpkin hot with vegetables and maybe a lovely chicken dish, maybe a pie? This is a great dish to try and impress your friends with. It is very easy to make, so try it and see what happens!