From the comforting softness of dombolo to the hearty flavours of bobotie – this recipe collection pays tribute to the diverse communities and tastes that define our shared heritage.

Cornflake-coated tripe kebabs

Serves 6 // Cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the tripe kebabs

500g honeycomb tripe, boiled

½ cup flour

2 eggs, whisked

1 cup Cornflakes, crushed

20g parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Vegetable oil, to deep-fry

For the piccata sauce

¼ cup butter

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup capers

3 lemons, zest and juice

½ cup chicken stock

20g parsley, roughly chopped

Method

For the tripe kebabs

1. Cut the tripe into squares and slide on to skewers.
2. Set out 3 bowls as follows: flour; eggs; Cornflakes, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Roll each kebab in the flour, then the egg, then the Cornflakes.
4. Heat the oil to medium. Fry the kebabs in batches until coating is crispy, 5-8 minutes.

For the piccata sauce

1. Heat butter and oil in a pan. Add capers and lemon zest and fry for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and stock. Simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened.
2. Remove from the heat and add the parsley.
3. Serve sauce with the warm kebabs.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli

Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za

Spicy lentil bobotie

Serves 4 // Cooking time 40 minutes

Ingredients

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 tsp peeled and finely chopped ginger

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 tsp garam masala

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp dried thyme

5 allspice berries

3 cloves

3 cups cooked brown lentils

½ cup chutney

½ cup sultanas

¼ cup flaked almonds

3 Tbsp chopped parsley

2 Tbsp lemon juice

3 bay leaves

2 cups milk

6 eggs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and set out an ovenproof dish.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot. Fry the garlic, ginger and onion for 3–5 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add all the spices and herbs and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add lentils, chutney, sultanas, almonds, parsley and lemon juice and mix well. Pour the mixture into the dish and dot with the bay leaves.
4. Whisk together the milk and eggs and pour over the lentil mixture. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the egg mixture has set and is golden brown.
5. Serve your lentil bobotie piping hot!

Recipe, styling: Anett Velsberg

Photography: Anett Velsberg

Authentic vetkoek and dombolo 

Serves 6 // Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

For the dough

3 cups (450g) cake flour

1 tsp (5ml) salt

1 Tbsp (15ml) white sugar

1 sachet (10g) dry yeast

2¼ cups (560ml) warm water

For the vetkoek

Vegetable oil, for frying

Spicy mince

Plain yoghurt, for serving

Fresh coriander, for serving

For the dombolo

3 Tbsp fresh herbs (parsley, coriander or thyme), chopped

Method

For The Dough

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add just enough water to make a sticky, but not wet, dough.
2. Knead dough for 6-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
3. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
4. Knock back dough (releasing the air bubbles) by kneading it again. Divide dough in half.

For The Vetkoek

1. Select one half of the dough and divide into 6 pieces.
2. Shape each portion into a smooth ball, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside to rise for 15 minutes.
3. Fry batches of the vetkoek in hot oil for 6-8 minutes, or until cooked through and golden. 4. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with butter, or fill with spicy mince.

For The Dombolo

1. Knead fresh herbs into the dough.
2. Cover dough with a cloth and set aside to rise for 15 minutes.
3. Place dough into a greased metal bowl.
4. Put metal bowl in a large pot of simmering water. The water should not come more than halfway up the side of the bowl.
5. Cover the pot with a lid and steam the bread gently for an hour or until cooked through. 6. Serve the fresh bread with butter, spicy atchar, potjiekos or any bredie.

Top Tip:

In a rush? Cut prep time and use store-bought bread dough to make both the vetkoek and dombolo.

Recipe and styling: Chad January

Photography: Zhann Solomons

Cape Malay koesisters

Makes 32

Ingredients

1 cup (150g) cake flour

1 cup (150g) self-raising flour

Pinch salt

¼ cup (50g) caster sugar

1 tsp (5ml) each ground ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice, cardamom

½ tsp (3ml) aniseed, finely ground

1 packet (10g) instant yeast

⅓ cup (80g) butter

1 cup (250ml) warm milk

4 cups (IL) sunflower or canola oil, for frying

Desiccated coconut, for dusting

For the syrup

3 cups (600g) sugar

1½ cups (375ml) water

2 whole cardamom pods, bruised

2 star anise

2 cinnamon sticks

Peel of 1 orange or lemon

Method

1. Combine flours, salt, sugar, spices and yeast.
2. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add milk slowly, mixing until combined.
4. Knead dough for about 8-10 minutes.
5. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm pressing down onto dough.
6. Rest dough until it has risen and doubled in volume – depending on the temperature, this can take between 1 and 3 hours.
7. Once dough has risen, turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
8. Divide dough in four and shape into 2cm-thick logs.
9. Cut each log into 8cm-long pieces.
10. Roll out gently with a rolling pin to form into an oval koesister. Set aside to puff up slightly.
11. Fry in batches for 5-7 minutes, or until golden.
12. Drain on kitchen paper and cool completely.
13. Combine syrup ingredients and simmer until sugar is dissolved.
14. Boil for 3-5 minutes.
15. Prick koesisters with a fork and add to bubbling hot syrup. Soak for a minute, turning continuously to coat evenly.
16. Remove koesisters and let the excess syrup drain.
17. Sprinkle with coconut and serve immediately.

Recipes & Styling: Chad January

Photography: Zhann Solomons

Also read: Local is lekker! These yummy South African desserts are perfect for Heritage month

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