A potjie is a small, three-legged cast iron pot originally taken to South Africa by the Dutch who settled there in the 17th Century and went on to become the Afrikaaners we know today. These pots are still used in many South African homes. Traditionally cooked on charcoal or over an open fire I'm adapting this evening's recipe to an oven top pan. Watch this space for more...I picked up a lovely couple of kilos of diced mutton from Hayward's this morning and now off to pick up the veg and get The Woo from work before I get cracking!
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| A potjie |
Ok - so in a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil I browned about 750g of the diced mutton, which I had liberally seasoned with sea salt and ground black pepper, in a large pan. The meat was then set aside and three small onions were sliced and gently softened in the same oil. Once soft the meat was returned to the pan, the whole lot just covered with water and then simmered (covered) for an hour and a half.
I then added about 250g of topped and tailed Chantenay carrots and about 600g of new potatoes.
This was simmered for another 45 minutes until the potatoes were cooked through.
Three teaspoons of sugar, one and a half teaspoons of medium curry powder and a teaspoon of turmeric were then mixed with about 125ml of milk and the whole lot stirred in and left for a further 20 minutes. After this time you can add a bit more water if it looks dry and cook for around 20 minutes more but mine was fine so I upped the heat a bit and did the extra 20 minutes to reduce the sauce a little.
Served with sliced sweetheart cabbage (leftover from last night) which was sautéed in butter with a little chilli, garlic, salt and a good lug of white pepper added.
This is seriously one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted...you've GOT to try this recipe!
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