What is Chakalaka?
This side dish originates from South Africa and is a staple in its cuisine. Every household probably has its own recipe, that has been passed down for generations, and they might differ in some ingredients or their amount. What they all have in common is that a lot of vegetables are cooked down in some warm spices that bring in a nice heat, and its finalized by a can of good old baked beans. This makes the dish naturally vegan.
It’s perfect to clean out your pantry, and depending on the serving, it can even be used as the main component in a dish.
The Steps To A Good Chakalaka
Aromatics
Start by gently sautéing the aromatics. I recommend starting with the onion and bell peppers, because they need about the same cooking time, and continuing with garlic, ginger, and chillies.
Seasoning
To enhance the flavour, add tomato puré and our dried spices and herbs. The main flavours come from mild curry powder and thyme. A spice combination found in many South African and Carribean Dishes.
Vegetables
Use some good quality carrots and tomatoes, and cook them down until they are soft. They will provide a nice freshness, and are a key part of the dish.
Baked Beans
Finally, pour in the can of baked beans. I like to add the tomato sauce of the can, because it provides a nice sweetness. If your relish does not need anymore liquid, add a teaspoon of sugar.
Why I Love Chakalaka
Variations
The cool thing about this dish is the amount of variation you can add to it, without losing its soul. First, while most recipes use bell peppers, carrots and tomatoes, you can include any you feel like goes well in the dish, like cabbage, zucchini, or corn. Secondly, you can tailor the seasoning to your liking. If you are not a fan of heat, use less chilli. Don’t like thyme? Try to add a bay leaf.
It’s a one-pot dish
No need to clean three pots and five bowls. Everything goes into one pan, and you will only need one or two more kitchen utensils.
Eat it all year long
Serve this dish in the freezing winter or let it cool down during the hot summer days.
It’s cheap
If you look at the ingredients, it’s basically just a few vegetables and a can of beans. This dish is light on your wallet.
What to serve it with
I served it on a bed of South African Yellow Rice, which is quite simple to prepare for this dish:
- Wash some Basmati Rice.
- Add a teaspoon of ground tumeric and cook the rice in vegetable stock.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of vegan butter with some raisins and fluff the rice
Other Possible Dishes include:
- Mielie pap: A South African maize porridge, similar to Ugali
- Crusty White Bread
- Peri-Peri seasoned Tofu
Chakalaka
Zutaten
Method
- Season as you cook. Regularly taste, and add salt and pepper during the process to adjust the seasoning.
- Cut and prepare the vegetable according to ingredient list. If you have good knife skills, prepare them as you you cook and save yourself some time (see order below)
- In a large pan, add olive oil and sauté the onion and bell peppers on medium heat. After 5mins, add garlic, ginger, and chilli and continue cooking for 1min.
- Add the chilli powder, thyme and half of the curry mix, stir and sauté for 2min.
- Mix in the grated carrot, alongs the remaining curry powder. Put on a lid and let it cook for 8-10mins, while occasionally stirring.
- Add the tomatoes with vegetable power and the water, and let it cook until the tomatoes are soft and have broken down (7-8mins).
- Add the can of beans (with the liquid), and the six-gun-spice. Continue cooking on low heat for 5mins before serving.
Notizen
- Substitue for smoked paprika, if you want to reduce the heat level
- This is a spice mix, containing Salt, MSG, dried celery and other spices. If you can’t find it, I recommend adding a little MSG, Cumin and Smokoed paprika
