Braai and potjie time is with us again
SUMMER is upon us, so it’s time to bring out the braais and potjie pots and try some of the recipes from Jan Braai’s latest offering, The Democratic Republic of Braai, which are written in an amusing and down-to-earth style.
This is his third book – the first was Fireworks, which gave the basics of braai, followed by Red Hot – and it brings the best braai recipes that he knows. He has created them based on his travels and from dishes he has enjoyed in restaurants.
It is definitely for the meat eaters, but he has catered for those with a sweet tooth by including some desserts. Yes, you can make a cheesecake and malva pudding on a fire. There are also a few vegetable and bread recipes.
He recommends buying a No 10 flat-bottomed bake potjie which he has used for many of the recipes.
So why not invite some friends and family to a braai so you can try your hand at some of Jan’s dishes.
Here is a selection to whet your appetite.
CURRIED SWEET POTATO AND CARROT SOUP 2 tots olive oil 1 onion (chopped) 1 tot ginger (freshly grated) 2 garlic cloves (chopped) 1 tot medium curry powder 1 tsp coriander 1 tsp cumin 2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into blocks) 4 large carrots (peeled and cut into chunks) 2 cups good quality chicken or vegetable stock 1 cup water juice of 1 lemon 1 tot fresh coriander (chopped) salt and pepper 1 tub sour cream (or crème fraiche) Heat oil in potjie on fire and fry onion for 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook for another minute.
Add all the spices and fry for about a minute until it starts to smell amazing. Stir in sweet potato and carrot. Add stock and water, bring to gentle boil and close the lid. Simmer for about 45 minutes (add water if becoming dry) until everything is cooked and completely soft. Use stick blender or masher to transform to soup consistency, add water if too thick. Stir in lemon juice and coriander and
Curried Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup season to taste. Serve with a big dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche and fresh bread toasted on the fire. (Serves 8)
DEMOCRATIC LAMB SALAD
1 leg of lamb (deboned) 5 garlic cloves (finely chopped) 1 tot fresh thyme or oregano (finely chopped) ½ cup olive oil juice of 1 lemon salt and pepper
Ensure the meat is more or
Ponzu Sauce Steak less the same thickness, flatten thicker parts with a meat mallet. Mix the ingredients and marinate the meat in a covered bowl or plastic bag in the fridge for 24-48 hours.
Braai meat over medium to hot coals for roughly 30 minutes, turning often. Paint meat with leftover marinade and grind salt over it.
Remove from fire when thickest part has an internal temperature of 63°C on your thermometer. Let it rest for 10 minutes before carving into thin slices. ½ cup pine nuts 2 tots sunflower seeds 2 tots pumpkin seeds 3 lemons 1 cup French-style mayonnaise 1 tot Dijon mustard 1 garlic clove (crushed or finely chopped) salt and pepper 1 packet baby spinach (400g) 1 packet rocket leaves (about 100g) 2 tots olive oil 1 cup olives (pitted and halved) Dry-roast seeds and nuts for a minute or so until they become aromatic, being careful not to burn them. Set aside to cook.
Quarter or halve lemons and braai over hot coals to give them some colour and caramelise the insides. Set aside.
Mix mayonnaise, mustard and garlic together and season to taste.
To bring it all together, toss salad leaves, drizzle with olive oil, top with slices of lamb and pitted olives, add dollops of the mayonnaise sauce and sprinkle with toasted seeds and nuts.
Garnish with pieces of braaied lemon. (Serves 6) GIANT BLUEBERRY POTJIE MUFFIN 3 tots butter (melted) 1 cup castor sugar 1 egg 1 cup milk 1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen) 2 cups cake flour 2 tsp baking powder pinch of salt fresh cream (to serve) Mix butter and sugar together in cold potjie. Stir vigorously until well combined.
Add egg and milk and stir until well combined.
Sprinkle berries with a bit of flour (about 1 tot) and keep to one side.
Add rest of flour, baking powder and salt to the wet mixture and mix gently, just get it to all come together.
Add floured berries and gently stir in to combine with batter.
Cover potjie with lid and bake on medium heat for about 20-25 minutes. Place some coals under the potjie and a few on the lid as well. The muffin is ready when the top is firm to the touch and it is cooked through. Insert a skewer or knife in the middle and it is cooked when it comes out clean.
Serve warm with fresh cream. (Serves 8)
PONZU SAUCE STEAK 1 portion steak per person (sirloin, rump, rib-eye, fillet) ½ cup soya sauce ½ cup lemon juice ½ cup dry sherry 1 tot olive oil 3 spring onions (finely chopped for garnish) salt and pepper cayenne pepper (optional) Add soya sauce, lemon juice and sherry to a fireproof pan and let it reduce by half. Mix the sauce with the olive oil, either in the pan or in a separate bowl.
Trim steaks of excess fat and sinew, wash and pat dry, and braai over very high heat for about 8 minutes until medium rare. Let the steak rest for a few minutes and then slice very thinly.
Arrange on a serving platter and drizzle with ponzu sauce and then sprinkle with spring onions. Season to taste, and if you like a bit of a bite, dust with cayenne pepper. (Serves 4 to 6) CHARLES McCarry has been writing spy novels since the 1970s, and like just a few of his peers, he’s made a seamless transition from Cold War thrillers to present-day plots featuring technophile terrorists. But as he demonstrates in his new book, McCarry, himself an ex-CIA operative, hasn’t forgotten the folklore of 20th-century espionage.
Though The Mulberry Bush is set in a post-9/11 world, it’s satisfyingly steeped in undercover tales of a particular vintage. The KGB’s preferred torture methods, the CIA’s South American interventions, MI6’s infamous Kim Philby, who shared British intel with the Soviet Union – McCarry invokes all the above in this intercontinental corker, blending old-time yarns with a contemporary saga.