Category: Beef/Lamb

One of the prized meals that really makes me appreciate growing up in a South African Indian household is a braised lamb and cabbage curry, this dish is not widely know in other parts of the world but it is absolutely superb!

Despite lamb being known as a more expensive protein, this dish really helps to stretch a small amount and feed an entire family quite cost effectively.

Let’s get cooking…

Start by frying the onion and whole spices in oil until soft. Add in turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder and curry powder and fry for a few seconds then add ginger and garlic paste and fry until fragrant. Add in tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, the oil should look like it bubbling to the top.

Next add in the lamb and salt and ground spices and stir thoroughly. Allow to sauté for 5-10 minutes then add in ½ cup water. Simmer on low-medium heat until lamb is beginning to soften, about 30 minutes. Stir regularly and add water as needed to allow lamb to cook.

Add in the cabbage chunks, stir gently and allow to cook for a further 30 minutes. The cabbage should wilt down and become soft and buttery.

Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed rice or roti’s and a simple carrot salad.

Swaps…

This dish can be made completely vegan by swapping out the lamb chunks for soya or seitan chunks and following the same process.

Braised lamb and cabbage

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• 500g cubed lamb shoulder

• 1/2 small cabbage, cut into large chunks

• ½ onion, finely sliced

• 1 small tomatoes, pureed

• 1 tsp ginger and garlic past, or you can crush ginger and garlic separately

• 3 cinnamon sticks

• ½ tsp fennel seeds

• 2 cardamom pods

• 1 black cardamom pod

• 1 star anise

• 2 bay leaves

• 4 cloves

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp ground coriander seed

• ½ tsp garam masala

• ¼ tsp turmeric

• ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

• 2 tsp curry powder, depends on heat preference

• 2 tbsp oil, coconut or vegetable oil

• Salt to taste

• 1 tsp coriander, chopped

Directions

• Fry onion and whole spices in oil until soft
• Add in turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder and curry powder and fry for a few seconds then add ginger and garlic paste and fry until fragrant
• Add in tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, the oil should look like it bubbling to the top
• Next add in the lamb and salt and ground spices and stir thoroughly
• Allow to saute for 5-10 minutes then add in ½ cup water
• Simmer on low-medium heat until lamb is beginning to soften, about 30 minutes. Stir regularly and add water as needed to allow lamb to cook.
• Add in the cabbage chunks, stir gently and allow to cook for a further 30 minutes. The cabbage should wilt down and become soft and buttery.
• Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed rice or roti’s and a simple carrot salad

Happy St Patrick’s Day! If you have ever visited Ireland I am sure you can attest to the fact that the Irish are some of the most hospitable people around.

My love for Irish stew just grew 10 fold when I visited Ireland (back when we could travel) and this dish is an essential for an Irish celebration!

Let’s get cooking…

Heat up enough oil to coat the bottom of a large pot. Place in the lamb and onions and allow to brown, once nicely browned, throw in the ginger and garlic, thyme and salt. Allow to cook for 5 minutes then add in half the water cover and let it simmer until the lamb is tender, about 30 minutes.

Once tender add in your stock cube, the remaining water, potatoes and carrots and allow to cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove 4 tablespoons of cooking liquid to a small bowl and mix in the cornflour to form a slurry. Mix this into the stew along with the peas.

Once the gravy thickens and all the vegetables are cooked turn off the heat. Serve with chunks of soda bread and enjoy

Swaps…

The stew itself is totally gluten free and the soda bread can be easily adapted to be made gluten free too!

Irish lamb stew

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• 500g lamb, cut into large dice

• 1 tsp ginger and garlic paste

• 1 small onion, thinly sliced

• 3 carrots, cut into chunks

• 500g baby potatoes

• ½ cup peas

• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme

• Salt

• Pepper

• Oil

• 1 stock cube

• 1 litre of water

• 2 tblsp cornflour

Directions

• Heat up enough oil to coat the bottom of a large pot
• Place in the lamb and onions and allow to brown, once nicely browned, throw in the ginger and garlic, thyme and salt.
• Allow to cook for 5 minutes then add in half the water cover and let it simmer until the lamb is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Once tender add in your stock cube, the remaining water, potatoes and carrots and allow to cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Remove 4 tablespoons of cooking liquid to a small bowl and mix in the cornflour to form a slurry. Mix this into the stew along with the peas.
• Once the gravy thickens and all the vegetables are cooked turn off the heat.
• Serve with chunks of soda bread and enjoy

One of the most prized dishes in South Africa (apart from a braai of course) is a traditional potjie kos. A potjie is essentially a stew and it can be made with any cut of meat that allows for longer cooking times but what gives it the unique name and flavour is the method of cooking, the flavour that the stew retains from being slow cooked for hours over a smokey flame is completely unmatched.

This stew is traditionally cooked in a potjie pot aka a heavy cast iron pot with a rounded base that stands on 3 legs (think cauldron here) over an open flame made of wood or coal.

Let’s get cooking…

Start by building your fire over which the stew will be cooked. Once the fire is ready place a potjie pot or heavy cast iron pot over the flames.

Heat the oil and add in the onions and whole spices. Once the onions begin to soften add in the curry powder and turmeric and sauté for 10 seconds then throw in the oxtail and toss to coat in the spice mixture.

Pour in 500ml of water, cover and allow the stew to cook. Check every 15 minutes to ensure that there is enough water and the meat doesn’t burn. The coals burn at a very high temperature so watch closely.

After 45 minutes the meat should begin to tenderise, add in the soup powders and the wine along with another 500ml of water.

Cover and let it cook for a further 45 minutes, adding water as necessary. Then start adding in the veg, put in the hardy veg first, i.e. potatoes, carrots, corn. Allow to cook and add in the zucchini in the last 10 minutes of cooking. You should have a rich glossy stew with a gorgeous, unctuous gravy once done! Serve with rolls.

Other variations…

If you don’t fancy oxtail or you’re having difficulty finding it, it can easily be swapped out for beef chuck roast that has been cubed, lamb or even pasture raised Cornish chicken that tends to be quite tough.

Traditional oxtail potjie kos

Servings

6-8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

2

hours 

Ingredients

• 1.5kg oxtail or beef cubes

• 1 kg mixed veg, I used baby potatoes, zucchini, carrots, corn on the cob although any other hardy veg will do

• 375ml red wine

• 1 sachet rich beef soup powder

• ½ sachet brown onion soup powder

• 1 stock beef cube

• 1 medium onion, finely sliced

• 2 tblsp curry powder

• 2 star anise

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 2 bay leaves

• 4 cloves

• ½ turmeric

• Salt to taste

• 4 tblsp vegetable oil

• 2 litres of water

Directions

• Start by building your fire over which the stew will be cooked. Once the fire is ready place a potjie pot or heavy cast iron pot over the flames.
• Heat the oil and in the onions and whole spices. Once the onions begin to soften add in the curry powder and turmeric and saute for 10 seconds then throw in the oxtail and toss to coat in the spice mixture.
• Pour in 500ml of water, cover and allow the stew to cook. Check every 15 minutes to ensure that there is enough water and the meat doesn’t burn. The coals burn at a very high temperature so watch closely.
• After 45 minutes the meat should begin to tenderise, add in the soup powders and the wine along with another 500ml of water.
• Cover and let it cook for a further 45 minutes, adding water as necessary. Then start adding in the veg, put in the hardy veg first, i.e. potatoes, carrots, corn. Allow to cook and add in the zucchini in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
• You should have a rich glossy stew with a gorgeous, unctuous gravy once done! Serve with Brioche garlic butter rolls .