Food

Brilliant braais

Butternut with salsa (left), Braaied potato (right)

Creamy cob (left), Catch of the day (right)

Recipes James Khosa, Executive Sous Chef of the Sandton Sun and a Director of the South African Chefs Association, Photography Christoph Hoffmann.

From spit-braais to potjies, shisa nyama and snoek-braais… founded on fellowship and the variety of cultures and foods in South Africa, getting together around a fire in the great outdoors is what we South Africans love. 

Braaied potato <v>

This recipe could also be done in the oven at 180°C.

Serves: 2

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

10ml whole coriander seeds

10ml whole cumin seeds

100g crème fraiche

2 medium-sized potatoes

Quarter of an English cucumber, diced

15ml chives, chopped

Method:

1 Crush the spices together in a mortar and pestle. In a small bowl, mix together the spices and the crème fraiche. Season well.

2 Poke holes in the potato with a fork and then wrap it in tinfoil. Put the potato on the braai over medium-low heat for an hour.

3 Finish making the sauce by adding the diced cucumber and the chives to the crème fraiche.

4 When the potato is soft, cut a cross in the top. Being careful not to burn, press each side with your finger tips and then put the crème fraiche on top.

Butternut with salsa <v>

The smaller the butternut the better the flavour and the quicker it takes to cook.

Serves: 2

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 small butternut

2 sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

20g butter

For the topping

6 baby rosa tomatoes, quartered

Half a small red onion, chopped

1 baby cucumber, diced

1 green jalapeno chili, sliced

10ml olive oil

Method:

1 Halve the butternut, put the thyme, bay leaf, butter on the one half and then sandwich the two halves together again. Wrap in tinfoil and put on the braai for 20 to 25 minutes.

2 Meanwhile make the salsa: mix together the chopped tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, chilli and olive oil. When the butternut is ready top with the salsa and serve.

Catch of the day

Use any fresh fish – we used hake, but trout or cob are great.

Serves: 2

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

10ml avocado oil

300g line fish

2 sprigs dill

For the dressing:

8 baby rosa tomatoes, chopped

12 capers, halved

20ml lemon juice

1 garlic clove crushed

20ml olive oil

Method:

1 Drizzle half the avocado oil on to a 30cm x 30cm piece of tinfoil, add the fish, dill and rest of the avo oil. Wrap up and put on the braai for 3 to 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

2 Meanwhile make the dressing by adding the tomatoes, capers, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil.

3 When the fish is done, unwrap it and top with the tomato dressing.

Creamy cob <v>

A cheese sauce with a difference to top the corn.

Serves: 6

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

6 mielies on the cob

50g butter

40g flour

5g nutmeg

1 bay leaf

10g mixed herbs chopped

100g milk

10g blue cheese

Method:

1 Boil the mielies in salted boiling water until cooked.

2 Meanwhile, make the white sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour,  nutmeg, bay leaf and mixed herbs and cook for a minute. Add the milk a little at a time stirring very well between additions. Cook until thickened. Add the blue cheese and season well to taste.

3 Grill the mielies on the braai until toasty, then remove and top with the blue cheese sauce to serve.

THE AUTHOR

SA Home Owner Online

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