Traditional South African Cooking......

These recipes have been inherited over the centuries from the Dutch, the Malaysians and the French Huguenots - and favourite recipes, often characteristic of a particular region - have been passed down from one generation to the next.

Here are a few traditional sweet treats that are still firm favourites in South Africa today.....

MILK TART

The milk tart, with it's puff pastry base borrowed from the French, was introduced to South Africa by the Dutch.

BASE

FILLING

METHOD

  1. For base: Beat butter and sugar together. Add egg and beat until light and fluffy. Sift flour and salt together; add, with milk, to the creamed mixture.
  2. Grease a 23cm ovenproof pie dish and press the dough into it using a spatula.
  3. For filling: Heat milk and sugar together in a heavy-based saucepan.
  4. Add some of the warm milk to flour and return to saucepan. Add egg yolks and salt.
  5. Boil until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla esence, and fold in lightly beaten egg whites.
  6. Pour onto base, sprinkle with cinnamon, and bake in a preheated oven at 180C (350F) for 30 minutes.

HERTZOG-KOEKIES

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

  1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add castor sugar and rub in margarine.
  2. Beat egg yolks and water together and add to dry ingredients, mixing to form a soft dough.
  3. Roll dough out thinly and press out circles. Line the base of greased patty pan tins with dough circles.
  4. Spoon a teaspoonful of apricot jam into the middle of each circle of dough.
  5. Beat egg whites until soft peak stage. Add the 300ml sugar gradually, while still beating. Add coconut and spoon egg mixture onto apricot jam filling.
  6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C (350F) for 20 - 25 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

SOETKOEKIES

Originally, soetkoekies were decorated with 'rooi bolus' - a red powder mixed with the dough.

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

  1. Sift dry ingredients together and add sugar.
  2. Rub in butter and lard until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  3. Add beaten eggs and red wine and mix to a soft dough.
  4. Leave to stand a few hours, or overnight if possible.
  5. Roll out to a thickness of 3mm and cut out cookies with a cookie cutter.
  6. Place on a greased baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 200C (400F) for 10 - 12 minutes.

MOSBOLLETJIES

Mosbolletjies are buns originating from the Cape winelands, where they were made from dough leavened with must or mos - the juice of the grape in the first stages of fermentation - instead of yeast. If fresh grapes were not available, raisins were used instead.

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

  1. Chop raisins in a food processor. Add lukewarm water and leave, covered to ferment for four days. When the raisins have risen to the surface, the yeast, or must, is ready.
  2. Strain yeast through a muslin cloth and reserve the liquid to make yeast mixture rise. Discard raisins.
  3. Prepare yeast sponge mixture by adding 250ml of the flour to the liquid and mixing to a thin batter. Beat slightly, cover, and leave in a warm place until double in size.
  4. Add warm milk to butter and allow to stand.
  5. Sift the remaining flour and salt together. Add sugar, butter mixture, yeast mixture and aniseed, mixing well. Add more milk if necessary.
  6. Brush surface of dough with melted butter, cover, and leave to rise in a warm place overnight.
  7. Knock down, cover, and again leave to rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size.
  8. Shape dough into balls and pack tightly in greased deep loaf tins. Brush with melted butter. Leave in a warm place to rise until double in size.
  9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C (350F) for about 1 hour, until golden brown.

VETKOEK

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

  1. Sift flour and water together and add sugar.
  2. Mix egg and water together and stir into dry ingredients. Mix until a sticky dough is formed.
  3. Deep-fry spoonfuls of dough in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
  4. Serve with butter and syrup or honey.

TIP: Vetkoek should preferably be eated on the same day as cooked.

KOEKSISTERS

SYRUP

DOUGH

METHOD

  1. For syrup: In a large saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil.
  2. Mix cream of tartar and cold water together and add to the syrup. Add ginger, cinnamon, lemon rind and lemon juice.
  3. Boil for 10 minutes and leave to cool. Refrigerate until very cold - overnight, if possible.
  4. For dough: Sift dry ingredients together. Rub in margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add sugar.
  5. Beat eggs with 200ml water and add to dry ingredients, mixing to a soft dough. Add more water if necessary.
  6. Knead the dough lightly for a few minutes, until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for at least one hour.
  7. Roll out dough to a thickness of 5mm. Cut strips 1cm wide and 8cm long. Join ends of 3 strips and plait. Alternatively, take two strips 15cm long, join ends and roll.
  8. Deep-fry koeksisters in oil until brown on both sides. Dip immediately into ice cold syrup, making sure that the koeksister is soaked through.
  9. Remove with a slotted spoon and turn onto a wire rack. If syrup becomes warm, return to the refrigerator. Store koeksisters in the refrigerator before serving.

TIPS:

  1. Do not fry koeksisters too quickly or the outside will be cooked, and the inside still raw.
  2. Use two bowls of syrup. Keep one in the refrigerator while using the other.
  3. Keep koeksisters in the deep-freeze and remove 30 minutes before use.

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