Heritage Day is fast approaching, so we’ve turned to our sister magazine, MyKitchen, to find the best – and proudly local – braai recipes for you to try this Braai Day.
First up, we have a delectable Apricot-buttered Braaied Snoek, a tip-of-the-cap to the Western Cape with its rich tradition of eating snoek. Who doesn’t love a fish braai?
SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 90 min
INGREDIENTS
1 whole snoek, filleted
Coarse salt and black pepper
150g butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
125 ml smooth apricot jam
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp Cape Malay curry powder
Splash white wine (optional)
Olive oil
METHOD
1. Sprinkle the snoek with salt and leave for 20–30 minutes. Rinse off and pat dry.
2. Cook the butter and garlic until the butter is foamy. Add apricot jam, lemon zest, curry powder and wine. Stir through. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and pepper.
3. Coat the snoek in oil so it won’t stick to the grid. Braai for about 15 minutes, basting with the apricot butter and turning frequently. Serve with leftover apricot butter.
Next, we have Cheesy-stuffed Roast Onions, a real crowd-pleaser. The sweet, caramelized flavour of roast onion, with the creamy texture of cheese is a match made in heaven. Try this for your Heritage Day braai and you will not be disappointed.
SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 55 min
INGREDIENTS
4 small onions, peeled
Olive oil, to fry and drizzle
4 sprigs rosemary, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan
½ cup thick cream
Salt and pepper
METHOD
1. Get your fire going.
2. Boil the onions in a pot for 15 minutes, or until slightly tender. Remove from the pot and leave to cool.
3. Remove the top 2–3 cm of each onion, finely chop and set aside. Trim the base of each onion so it sits upright. Scoop out about 1 tbsp from the inside of each onion, making sure to keep the outer layers intact. Chop the insides and set aside.
4. Fry the onion off-cuts, half the rosemary and all the garlic until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add half the Parmesan and all the cream. Season.
5. Spoon some of the mixture into each onion. Sprinkle with the remaining rosemary and Parmesan, and drizzle with a little oil, then wrap the onions in tinfoil.
6. Cook the onions on the braai grid for about 25 minutes, until they are tender
Cape Malay cuisine is as Cape Town as Table Mountain, so the perfect tribute to this vibrant culture for Heritage Day are these Lamb and Apricot Sosaties.
MAKES 12 // COOKING TIME 30 mins, plus 2–3 days marinating time
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2–3 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
½ cup white wine vinegar
½ cup apricot juice or water
3 tbsp brown sugar
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
Salt and pepper
1½–2 kg leg of lamb, deboned, cut into bite-sized pieces
24 Turkish dried apricots
24 fresh lemon or bay leaves
METHOD
1. Heat oil in a pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and fry until soft (try not to let them brown).
2. Add the curry powder, coriander seeds, turmeric and cinnamon stick. Fry for 2–3 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add vinegar, apricot juice or water, sugar, and lemon zest and juice. Season. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Leave to cool.
4. Meanwhile, divide the lamb between 12 skewers, alternately adding dried apricots and leaves. Place in a glass dish and pour the sauce over. Cover and leave to rest in the fridge for 2–3 days, turning once a day.
5. Braai the sosaties slowly over medium coals.
Thanks to the MyKitchen team for sharing these exquisite ideas with us!
Photography HM Images