Culture on your coals: Enjoy SA heritage with lekker braai recipes
TRADITIONAL: Lekker braaivleis
It’s a short week and on Friday, we can look forward to celebrating Heritage Day.
This day is dedicated to celebrating each family’s unique values, diverse cultures, and traditions.
Passed down from generation to generation, each culture makes a significant contribution to our beautiful Rainbow Nation.
On Heritage Day it is also tradition to honour our culture by dressing up in our favourite cultural outfits.
Many schools allow kids to dress up and it is accompanied by a celebration of dance and song.
Each family has a special story to tell, and little faces light up with excitement waiting for their turn to share their heritage.
South Africans also look forward to this day, otherwise and informally known as Braai Day.
Although we all have different cultures, our love for food always unites us, especially our tradition of gathering around a fire to cook.
We don’t need an excuse to light a fire and a braai is a kwaai way to kuier with your loved ones.
Whether you have meat, chicken, boerewors, snoek or even a slow cooking potjie on the coals, there’s something about a lekker braai that just hits the spot perfectly.
Even if you’re just toasting marshmallows on a stokkie or simple braaibroodjies, it’s all about enjoying that yumminess straight off the fire.
The best part for me is how far a lekker braai goes.
Leftover braai tastes just as lekker.
Breakfast the next day is a tjoppie, braaibroodjies or a lekker boerewors roll.
To celebrate Heritage Day, I’m sharing a few of my favourite braai recipes, as well as my Breakfast Boerie recipe.
So get those braai aprons on and light the fires!
Love, your Cooksister.
Recipes
Breakfast Boerie
Recipe by Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect
Ingredients
6 toasted hot dog rolls
Tomato or chilli
6 pieces braaid sausage
Scrambled eggs
Baked beans
Coriander for garnish
Method
Add a dash of tomato or chilli sauce on the toasted roll
Add the scrambled egg
Add the sausage and top with baked beans
Garnish with fresh Coriander
Chakalaka Braai Broodtjies
Recipe By Rhodes Quality Foods
Ingredients
1 x 400 g can Rhodes Quality Mild & Spicy Chakalaka
1 farm style loaf bread
Butter for spreading
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Salt and black pepper
Method
Remove the crusts and slice the loaf lengthwise into 4 even slices.
Butter two slices of bread on 1 side and place buttered side down on a board.
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over both slices.
Spread a generous layer of the Rhodes Quality Mild & Spicy Chakalaka down the center of each slice.
Cover with the 2 remaining slices of bread and butter the tops.
Place the sandwiches inside a braai grid and slowly toast them over warm coals until golden brown.
Serve hot off the fire.
Apricot Chilli Wings
Recipe by Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect
Ingredients
16 chicken wings
1 cup apricot jam
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons soya sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon crushed chillies
¼ cup water
Method
*For the marinade
On a stovetop add all the ingredients to a pot and bring to boil.
Simmer on a low heat, stirring continuously until sauce is thick and bubbly (3-5minutes)
Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
In a deep bowl wash and trim the wings.
Pour over half the marinade, mix well and allow to rest for at least a half hour.
Braai over medium hot coals and marinade as needed.
Braai Roasted Butternut Salad
Recipe by Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect
Ingredients
1 Packet baby spinach or lettuce
½ cucumber chopped
¼ red onion sliced
1 small butternut cut in chunks
2 rings feta cut in blocks
½ green pepper sliced
½ red pepper sliced
2 carrots cut in strips
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1 tablespoon pan toasted almonds
1 tablespoon pan toasted sesame seeds
Method
Boil butternut in water until its semi soft.
Grill on the Braai until it has char bits, then allow to cool.
In a large plate, layer the lettuce or spinach, cucumber, onion, peppers, carrots, butternut, cranberries and almonds.
Top with feta and sprinkle over sesame seeds.
Drizzle over a dressing made with 2 tablespoons vinegar and 4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce.
Chop Braai Marinade
Recipe by Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect
Ingredients
1-2kg chops
Cleaned, rinsed and drained of all excess water
3 heaped tablespoons BBQ or steak and chops spice
(Any brand you prefer)
1 grated clove garlic
1 teaspoon white pepper
4 tablespoons tomato sauce
½ cup chutney
Method
*Marinade meat for at least 2 hours
Braai over medium hot coals.
Chicken Braai Marinade
Recipe by Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect
Ingredients
1-2kg chicken
Cleaned, rinsed and drained of all excess water
2 tablespoons Cajun chicken spice
(Or your favourite chicken spice)
1 grated clove garlic
1 cup chutney
1 cup chicken braai or BBQ sauce
Method
*Marinade chicken for at least 2 hours
Braai over medium hot coals.
*This marinade is extra saucy, so you have enough sauce to baste your chicken with every turn
Snoek Braai Marinade
Recipe by Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect
Ingredients
1 whole snoek
Cleaned, rinsed and drained of all excess water
100g melted butter
1 bulb garlic finely grated
Juice of half lemon
Half cup Apricot jam
Salt and black pepper
Method
Heat all ingredients over a low heat till well combined
Brush over your Snoek cover with foil before braaiing
Braai over medium hot coals.
