Food is deeply rooted in culture, and with Heritage Day almost here, what a celebration it’s going to be.
After months of not being able to socialise at home, this special day is bound to be appreciated like never before. As South Africans, we all know how to make a standard green salad but like a rainbow nation, it’s in our essence to keep everything as colourful as possible.
Add some extra tradition, and colour, with a zingy chakalaka or chill chutney topped with boiled eggs – and of course, one could never leave out the traditional potato and egg salad.
Also, what would a shishanyama be without pap? But you might not want to be stirring the pot while everyone else is having fun.
Therefore you can add your spin on tradition by making a batch of pap and egg cups which can be prepared the day before, stored in the fridge, and simply reheated before serving.
Eggs are a key ingredient in many popular dishes and they have loads of great benefits besides just being delicious. They have high protein content which is excellent for the family’s health and they are also a great substitute for more expensive proteins.
So go on and add eggs to your heritage month.
Chakalaka bean salad topped with eggs
Serves 2 – 4
Ingredients
60ml butter
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, roughly cubed
½ green pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
4 cauliflower florets, roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
180g frozen corn kernels
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
5ml curry powder
15ml ground coriander
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 x 410g baked beans in tomato sauce
3 large eggs, hard-boiled and quartered
Method
Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the onions and garlic for a few seconds.
Add the remaining ingredients except for the beans and eggs, and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the beans and cook until warmed through, for a further 10 minutes, top with the egg quarters and serve.
Pap and egg cups
Makes: 12 cups
Ingredients for the pap
375ml water
250ml maize meal
15ml butter
250ml mozzarella cheese, grated, plus extra for sprinkling
30ml fresh chives snipped
Salt, to taste
Ingredients for the cups
6 large eggs
80ml milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
250g bacon bits, pan-fried
Method
Preheat the oven to 180° and lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tray.
For the pap, bring the water to the boil and gradually add the maize meal, whisk until well combined, cover, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter, cheese, chives, salt, and pepper. Stir until the butter has melted.
Press 15ml of the pap into each muffin hole and set aside.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, crispy bacon, and pour over the pap layer in the muffin tray. Sprinkle with a little extra cheese and bake until set and golden, about 20 minutes. Serve while still warm.
Recipes by the South African Poultry Association.