would never dine
W
' ithout chutney. Others insist
any decent meal must include
rice. But no matter where
they're originally from, they all
concur that the American ob-
session with ketchup is, at best,
unnatural.
up meat with a fork until texture is even
and crumbly.
Remove from heat and cool slightly. Mix
in soaked bread, water, lemon juice and
sugar. Use your hands to combine light-
ly but thoroughly.
Spoon mixture into greased, oven-proof
dish, gently smoothing top. Press a few
bay leaves into surface.
Beat eggs and milk substitute and pour
over meat. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 to
3/4 hour until custard is browned and set.
Serve hot.
"We never had ketchup at home," says
Sarita Fox, originally of England. "My
American cousins came to visit and won-
dered where it was."
At the turn of the century, most Jewish
immigrants to the United States were
from Eastern and Central Europe. They
brought with them recipes for foods most
regard as traditional Jewish fare: cholent
and gefilte fish and kugel.
Today, Jewish immigrants come from
everywhere, and just like their predeces-
sors they bring plenty of recipes. But now
they're more likely to cook up an adafina
or bobotie or arroz con polo.
"You probably don't believe that there
is a 'cuisine' from South Africa," Renee
Kallenbach says. "Well, you are in for an
exciting, multi-ethnic eating adventure."
Mrs. Kallenbach, a native of South
Africa who now lives in Huntington
Woods, likes nothing more than a meal of
"Cape Malay" food, which is particular
to the southwestern part of the country.
Known locally as The Cape, the area
was colonized by Dutch and French
Huguenot immigrants in the 17th and
18th centuries, Mrs. Kallenbach says.
"Islamic 'Malays' were brought from In-
donesia to work as servants and labor-
ers in the new colony. European and
Indonesian cooking techniques and tra-
ditions merged to produce a 'new' cuisine
at once both homey and exotic."
So what, exactly, is the flavor of this de-
licious-sounding food?
"Spicy, tasty, totally different," Mrs.
Kallenbach says. "Cape Malay food is
served in cozy little restaurants in The
Cape. Many dishes have become firm fa-
vorites in the rest of the country as well."
They include pickled fish, sosaties, bobotie
chutney, boerewors and koeksisters —"to
name just a few."
Mrs. Kallenbach offers this full menu
(complete with bobotie) for everyone ea-
ger to sample South African cuisine. Bon
appetit — or, as Mrs. Kallenbach says,
"Lekker eet!"
"Sambal," Mrs. Kallenbach explains, "is a
term derived from the Indonesian word
sambalan — spicy, hot relishes served in
small quantities with Indonesian meals.
In South Africa, sambal has become a
generic term for any small side dish served
with Cape Malay or Indian meals.
"One sambal, however, will always be
a chutney, a sweet-sour spicy condiment.
South Africans use chutney at the table
with any meal much in the way Ameri-
cans use ketchup." Some popular samba's
are: Sliced banana, chopped fresh pineap-
ple, cubed avocado, raisins.
SAMBALS
CHUTNEY
1 lb. dried apricots, soaked overnight in 2
cups water
1 small, grated onion
chili pepper flakes to taste (start with 1
tsp.)
2 tsp. crushed garlic
13/4 cups vinegar
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
Boil soaked fruit in same water until
mushy. Add everything else and simmer,
stirring until thick and smooth. Cool. Bot-
tle in sterile jars and refrigerate. Makes 2
lbs. (recipe can be halved). Keeps well in
refrigerator.
YELLOW RAISIN RICE
2 cups long-grain rice
1 tsp. salt
2 pieces stick cinnamon
1 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. pareve margarine
1/2 cup brown raisins
Renee Kallenbach prepares South African cuisine.
PICKLED FISH
4 lbs. firm whitefish fillets, cut into serving
portions
1/2 cup canola oil
salt and pepper
CURRY SAUCE
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cup vinegar (not cider or wine
vinegar)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. chili powder/cayenne pepper
(optional)
5 bay leaves
salt
Season fish and fry pieces 5 minutes on
each side in oil, until light brown. Drain.
For the sauce: Boil all ingredients in a pan
Place all ingredients in heavy-bottomed
saucepan. Stir and level off surface. Add
water to 1 inch above surface of rice in pot.
Bring to boil, then continue to boil at medi-
um high until water is absorbed and little
"holes" appear in surface of the rice (about
20 minutes). Watch carefully up to this
point as rice burns easily.
Remove from heat, cover lightly and
leave to "steam" for half an hour. Fluff with
a fork and serve. Makes eight, 112-cup
servings.
for 5 to 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Layer fish pieces and boiled onion slices
in a deep dish. Pour over sauce. Refrig-
erate, covered, at least 24 hours.
Serve cold with sliced whole-wheat
bread and margarine.
Serves 6-8 as an appetizer. May be pre-
pared a week ahead of time and kept in
refrigerator.
BOBOTIE
4 slices white bread, crust removed,
soaked in water 10 minutes then
squeezed dry
4 Tbsp. canola oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-2 tsp. crushed garlic, to taste
2 tsp. slat
4 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. turmeric
2 lbs. lean ground beef
4 eggs
4 Tbsp. hot water
4 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
whole bay leaves, to garnish
TOPPING
2 beaten eggs
1 cup pareve milk substitute
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large fry-
ing pan, fry onion in oil until golden brown.
Add cloves, cinnamon, garlic, curry pow-
der, turmeric and salt. Fry about 1 minute
until it smells fragrant.
Add ground meat and fry briefly. Break
STEWED GREEN BEANS
2 lbs. frozen cross-cut green beans
2 large potatoes, sliced
2 large onions, sliced
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
ground black pepper, to taste
water, to cover
ground nutmeg
pareve margarine
Braise gently until vegetables are tender
enough to mash slightly. Stir in margarine
to taste. Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve.
Makes eight generous helpings.
BAKED SQUASH
Unpeeled 1/2-inch slices of butternut
squash (excluding the seed cavity)
cinnamon sugar
pareve margarine
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