something south african?

Normally I am not a fan of prepared and packaged foods. However, while snooping in the imported food aisle of my local grocery store recently I was overcome by curiosity (and a need to be a slacker in the kitchen). Something called out to me, something new and exciting, something I had to try. It was a foil packet labeled “Something South African cooking sauce – Cape Malay Curry with coconut and garlic.” Now that sounds pretty interesting, don’t you think? I threw it in the cart, put it away at home, and promptly forgot about it. Then one night I was trying to think of what I could do with some leftover lamb roast. Something South African to the rescue! The package claimed to be “delicious with chicken, beef, lamb or shrimp”. Bingo – the start of a dinner plan.

The package directions tell you to brown the protein of choice, add sauce, simmer and serve. Too simple. So I decided to add red onion, broccolini and mushrooms, along with my pre-cooked lamb. It was a colorful and tasty dish, served over brown rice. I’m sure that’s what they meant for people to do. They just didn’t want to write out the long instructions. The curry was flavorful and had a nice kick to it. And now that I have sampled South African cuisine (of sorts), I’ve been busy on the internet finding some authentic recipes to try. I’ve found some interesting recipes for bobotie, bredie, chakalaka, geelrys, mealie pap, sosaties, and my personal favorite – impala fillet cooked in banana leaf. Does anyone know a good source for impala? Pretty sure I haven’t seen it in my neck of the woods. (Okay, I might have to substitute for this ingredient.) This could be the start of some very interesting meals!

There is no picture of this delicious mixture being served on a bed of brown rice. As I recall, it looked pretty similar to how it looked in the pot. As quick as this was to prepare, I was too hungry to think about one more photograph! I love the quote on the back of the package – “Something South African is the easiest way to turn an average meal into a tasty adventure.” And of course for Canadian consumers, it is then written in French. I don’t want to get started on how tiny the print becomes when everything must be bilingual…  another post perhaps?