South African Stuff

[DaveM]

KOEKSISTERS



Ingredients– dough:
2 cups cake flour
2 tablespoon baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 large egg
4 tbsp butter/margarine
½ cup of water
oil for frying

Ingredients – syrup:
1kg sugar
1 ½ cinnamon sticks
½ tsp ground ginger
1 ½ cups of water
juice of one lemon

Method – dough:
1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
2. Rub in the butter and mix until pliable.
3. Mix this with the egg and water (adding the water a little at a time).
4. Work the dough well. If the dough appears to be lumpy and sticky, continue to work the dough until it will ball up.
5. Let the dough rest at room temperature for about three hours (under an inverted mixing bowl).

Method – syrup:
1. Prepare the syrup a day before (it needs to be very cold).
2. Dissolve sugar in the water.
3. Add the spices and lemon juice to this and boil together. Leave the syrup cool in the fridge overnight. I devide my syrup into two and keep it in the freezer overnight. The secret to getting the syrup into the centre of the koeksister is that the hoter the koeksister and the colder the syrup it just shloops it in !

To prepare the koeksisters:
1. Roll out the dough (thickness 5mm).
2. Cut the dough into strips of 6cm long, 2cm wide.
3. Cut each of these strips into three strips (not all the way through, leave the strips connected at the top).
4. Plat each strip, pinch together at the end of the strip.
5. Deep fry until golden brown.
6. Remove and drain quickly – dip the hot koeksisters in the cold syrup (that was stored in the fridge up to now).
7. The secret is to keep the syrup cold and the koeksisters hot, this way it will draw just the right amount of syrup.
8. You can keep the syrup cold by keeping the syrup bowl in another container filled with iced water.

 

[DaveM]

Now I need to go out and buy some at the Spar I think

 

[otherwise]

Is this a Christmas type special food or every day fare?
Sure looks good.

 

[DaveM]

Its an every day type thing, I am just off now to go and buy some

 

[Gromit]

Koeksisters - also known as "Coma Cakes" for anyone with diabetes. But they are delicious, incredibly sweet and will satisfy any sugar craving in seconds - love them

Dave, what about a good boboti and yellow raisin rice??

 

[DaveM]

Bobotie

The origins of Bobotie can be traced back to the eastern influence on South African culture. The Cape Malay society are famous for cooking this dish and it is usually served with yellow rice.

Ingredients
1 kg minced lamb
125ml milk
1 thick slice of white bread, crust removed and soaked in milk
2 roughly chopped onions butter
Salt
1 tablespoon of curry powder (mix the hot and the Cape Malay versions for a good flavour)
1 chili, finely chopped (optional and only if you like your food quite hot)
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of chutney
8 -10 crushed almonds (optional)
3 eggs
1 clove of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
6 bay leaves
1 orange, sliced in wheels
1 lemon, sliced in wheels
Oil for cooking

Instructions on how to make it

Heat the oil in frying pan and add the garlic, onion and curry power. Cook over medium heat for three minutes, then add the mince meat. Fry until the meat is almost done, then using your hands, squeeze the milk from the bread. Discard the milk and add the bread, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and chutney to the mince. Fry for a minute or so and then remove from heat.
Take a pie dish and place three bay leaves, two wheels of orange and two wheels of lemon at the bottom. Now scoop the mince mixture into the dish. Decorate the sides of the dish with the rest of the lemon and orange wheels, wedging them between the mince and the sides of the dish so that only a third protrudes. If you are using almonds, push them into the mince. Beat the eggs and 125ml milk, and pour over the meat. Put three bay leaves on top of dish. Place the dish uncovered in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes at 160 deg Celsius.

Serve with a plain green salad or chopped tomato and onion, sprinkled with a little vinegar. Make sure you have some chutney near at hand. Serve piping hot with the yellow rice.

 

[Gromit]

Off to Riebeeck's Kasteel just outside of Cape Town this weekend - guess what I'm having?? Cape Boboti - looks good Dave.

 

[DaveM]

I have not had a good one in years I think I should start looking around and see what I can find

 

[DaveM]

BOEREWORS

The South African Farmers Sausage

South African Boerewors recipes can be numbered in their hundreds as each proud cook tries to produce a better, tastier sausage.

In times past each farmer's wife had her own closely guarded Boerewors recipe.

These Secret Boerewors Recipes may have differed only in the amount of garlic or nutmeg used, or may have introduced other ingredients such as tomatoes or tomato sauce.

The Boerewors recipe given here is for the basic, original boerewors, with suggestions as to how you can ring the changes.

Traditional Boerewors Ingredients
· 3 lb beef
· 3 lb pork
· 1 lb bacon
· ½ cup red wine vinegar
· 1 clove garlic
· 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
· 3 to 3 ½ oz sausage casing
· 2 tbsp salt
· 1 tsp ground pepper
· 2 tbsp ground coriander
· ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
· ½ tsp ground dried thyme
· ½ tsp ground allspice
· ¼ tsp ground cloves

Making the Boerewors

Dice the bacon into pieces not larger than 1 inch

Cut the beef and pork meat into 1 to 1 ½ inch cubes. Mix it well with all the other ingredients except the sausage casing.

Grind the meat using a medium-coarse grinding plate.

Fill the sausage casings firmly, but not too tightly with the meat mixture.

Refrigerate for 24 hours before using. Boerewors can be kept for a week or for 3 months if frozen

Makes 6 to 7 lbs

BOEREWORS can be fried, grilled or barbecued over coals.

 

[Rocky]

I just had breakfast and now I'm getting hungry all over a again

 

[DaveM]

Off for a bite to eat then

 

[CarlS]

It looks like some mighty good food.

 

[DaveM]

It sure is