Traditional South African Biltong Potjie

This is a traditional South African dish with the main ingredient also a traditional South African delicacy – Biltong is a kind of cured meat that originated in South Africa. Many different types of meat are used to produce it, ranging from beef through game meats to fillets of ostrich from commercial farms. It is typically made from raw fillets of meat cut into strips following the grain of the muscle, or flat pieces sliced across the grain. It is similar to beef jerky in that they are both spiced, dried meats, but differ in their typical ingredients, taste and production process; in particular the main difference from Jerky is that Biltong never has a sweet taste.

Potjiekos has been part of the South African culture for centuries, in fact since the days of the first settlement at the Cape when food was cooked in a black cast-iron pot hanging from a chain over the kitchen fire. Later the black pot accompanied intrepid pioneers who moved into the country. As the Victorian era unfolded, so the delights of the bubbling black pot made way for magnificent oven roasts, and later still the traditional braaivlieis (barbecue) in the 1950’s and 60’s. The pot’s re-emergence in the late 1970’s coincided with the escalation of meat prices and it was then that food magazines and books started publishing articles on the art of Potjiekos cooking.

Ingredients

·         6 whole onions, peeled

·         500 g mushrooms

·         750 g biltong, sliced

·         1 tin (200 g) sweet corn kernels

·         200 g noodles – prepared according to package directions

·         ½ green pepper, sliced

·         500 ml fresh cream

·         2 cups grated cheddar cheese

·         15 ml olive oil

·         Seasoning to taste

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in the potjie and fry the onions and mushrooms until done.

2. Add the biltong and the noodles and stir in the seasoning.  Place the green pepper and sweet corn on top of it.

3. Pour over the cream and lastly spread the cheese on top.

4. Keep the potjie over low fire until the cheese has melted thoroughly.

Enjoy this traditional South African dish!

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