CRAYFISH SALAD

CRAYFISH SALAD

Cape Town is very fortunate to have a Mediterranean Climate and as such have an abundance of high quality fruits and vegetables and a variety of seafood. Much of our first grade fruits, vegetables and marine resources are exported to Europe, leaving us with  a lesser grade for local consumption. However, this does not imply that our produce is poor and insignificant because in Cape Town we make a mean vegetable salad. To take this one step further we mix this mean vegetable salad with steamed crayfish meat (kreef) to give you the crayfish salad pictured below. Making a salad is self explanatory, so only the ingredients are listed below. Foods of the cape recommends this salad with alternatives like, cubed chicken breast deep fried in chicken spice in place of the crayfish, or with fish cakes served separately. 

INGREDIENTS

12 small crayfish tails, Kreef sterte (white meat) torn into strips
A hand full of frilly lettuce, break apart into bite sizes chunks,
A slice of a  red bell pepper cut into thin strips,
A slice of a  yellow  bell pepper cut into thin strips,
A slice of a  green bell pepper cut into thin strips,
6-10 black olives,
3 baby carrots julienne
Half a red onion,
12 Whole rosa tomatoes,
1 medium sized ripe avocado diced,
6 chunks of feta cheese,
100mm chunk of english cucumber sliced in strips,
3 hard boiled eggs split into halves,
Squeeze a quarter lemon over salad,
Add salad dressing
Add salt to taste
Sprinkle lightly with ground pepper corns.
Serves Two

This crayfish in this salad can be replaced with shredded chicken breasts roasted in olive oil butter, salt and pepper, to make a mean chicken salad. This salad is enjoyed with hot oven baked bread smothered in butter with ground black coffee.

A bowl of crayfish salad for two

Crayfish tails strips with yellow, green and red peppers.

White Crayfish flesh with colourful frilly lettuce, cucumber strips, black olives, and boiled eggs.

Colourful crayfish salad alongside some summer fruit.

Crayfish Salad with Feta cheese, avocado, whole rosa tomatoes, jullian carrots etc...

Crayfish Salad sprinkled with ground black pepper with a healthy helping of mayo on the side, Delectable!

FRIKKADELS IN CABBAGE WRAPS - FOODS OF THE CAPE

DELECTABLE OUMENS ONDER DIE KOMBERS - FOODS OF THE CAPE

Frikkadels in cabbage-leaf wraps "Babies in Jackets" better known as oumense onder die komberse is a genuine traditional South African Cap Malay recipe. Essentially it is a spicy mince meat ball, rolled up in a steamed cabbage leaf which then gets placed on top of the partially done bredie (mutton stew) and left to simmer until done. The result is a meal which is best eaten without utensils so that you can lick you fingers because its that nice. Its not an expensive dish to make either because a large cabbage only cost a few rands and has more leaf layers than the amount of frikkadels that will end up in the pot. The meat balls doesn't consist of meat in its entirety as a few slices of crumbed bread, parsley and other spices are added which increases the volume. However mince meat is the main ingredient.

The recipe below outlines the necessary ingredients and the method of preparation. Its not difficult to make but needs a bit of preparation. So here goes. Take a large cabbage and peel its outer dark green layers and set aside. The lighter whitish green leaves is what we want to use. Take care not to break the leaves. Thereafter remove the centre vein from the each leaf (the hard thick part) and wash then thoroughly. Place the leaves into a large pot and  steam them until soft and pliable then  set them aside. 

Cabbage leaf wraps with succulent chunks of mutton.

Oumense onder die combers is the traditional name for the dish
and is really  wonderful with some mango or lemon pickle.

Parcels of mince frikkadels wrapped in cabbage leaves

FRIKKADELS IN CABBAGE LEAVES RECIPE
(OUMENS ONDER DIE KOMBERS RECIPE)

Preparation consists of two parts. The first, a mutton stew and the second a frikkadel mix. The mutton should be stewed until soft and there must be lots of gravy in the pot before the cabbage parcels are added so that it can seep into the cabbage parcels. Serves at least 8.

Ingredients Mutton Stew:-

2 medium onions,

4 tblsp salad / cooking oil,

500 g mutton pieces, preferably shin (nuckles)

250 ml water,

5 ml salt,

6 whole cloves,

6 allspice balls,

2 ml freshly ground black pepper,

1 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley,

5 ml ground nutmeg,

a few chopped steamed cabbage leaves,

Chop, slice or dice the 2 medium onions and add to heated oil in a fairly large saucepan. Braise until golden brown then add meat, spices and water. Cook until meat is tender, about 45 minute then add chopped / steamed cabbage and parsley.

Ingredients frikkadel mix:-

1 egg

2 ml salt

2 ml freshly ground black pepper

2 ml ground nutmeg

1 small onion, grated

2 cloves of fresh  garlic - crushed

1 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley 

3 slices stale white bread, soaked in water untill soft and squeezed dry

500 g Beef mince

Mix the washed mince in a large bowl with the spices, egg, grated onion and bread to make a loose texture.  Place about 2 tablespoons of frikkadel mixture in centre of each steamed cabbage leaf and roll up into parcels. Place parcels in pot on top of stewed mutton and simmer, with a closed lid for about 30 minutes. When done grate a sprinkle of nutmeg over the top. Serve with fragrant white rice. 

CRAYFISH CURRY RECIPE - FOODS OF THE CAPE

DELECTABLE CRAYFISH CURRY

Foods of the Cape has been  influenced by several other cultures amongst which are Indonesian, Malaysian, India and several others. This cooking style is known as Cape Malay cuisine and is renown for the blends of spices in all their foods. Delectable foods range from mutton curries, to chicken curries, to mutton and chicken biryanis,  to panang curry, to braised fish (gesmoorde vis), to vegetable foods and breedies, to denning vleis, to bobotie, to pickled fish and so much more.

Crayfish Curry and Crayfish in general is a huge part of Cape Malay cuisine.  The three crayfish (Kreef) below is destined for the pot to be turned into a delightful curry. Many people eat crayfish yet has never seen what they look like. I don't want to scare any one off but because they have eight legs, some communities in South Africa call them sea spiders. But I assure they are not. Have a look at them for yourself.

Three Crayfish ready for the pot.

The White flesh of the Crayfish tail is the most succulent
and sought after seafood in the Cape.

This is the spiny face of the crayfish.  Not a pretty sight but an amazing meal.

The following Crayfish Curry recipe feeds 4.

Crayfish Curry tangy, spicy, rich and wholesome.

Preparations:
Separate the crayfish tails from the body. Remove the inerts from  the carapace and wash them well. Divide the breast in half lengthwise and part each leg with a breast joint. Slice the tail open lengthwise and devein it and cross cut into segments. Don't discard the empty carapace yet.

Ingredients:
4 large Crayfish (Kaapse Kreef)
1/4 cup ghee/oil
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 red bell pepper seeded and diced
6 ripe tomatoes blanched and pureed
3-4 curry leaves
1 tsp ground cumin (Jeera)
1 tsp ground coriander (Koljana)
1 tsp whole fennel
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
5-6 whole crushed cardamom seeds
2-3 pieces stick cinnamon
2 green chilli - pitted and slit
1/2 cup of tamarind juice or juice of half a lemon
1 tsp sugar (off-set the tomato)
1/4 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp black or white mustard seeds
1/4 cup of fresh dhanya leaves
2 cups of water

Directions:
Heat ghee/oil in a large saucepan and braise onions and garlic until translucent and golden brown.  Add salt, pepper, sugar, chilli, curry leaves, cumin, fennel, coriander, turmeric, crushed cardamon seeds and cinnamon. Fry the spices with the onions for about 1 minute. Add tomato puree, diced bell pepper, tamarind juice and water to mixture and simmer for 15 minutes or until thick.

Now add all the the crayfish pieces, legs and all. Place the empty crayfish carapace into the pot as well and simmer for about 5 minutes then add mustard seeds and simmer for a further 3 minutes. The aroma of the crayfish will by now permeate the air and the crayfish would have turned completely red. Remove the empty red carapace and discard. Garnish with dhanya leaves and serve alongside cooked fragrant basmati rice.

Optional:
Steam half kg of stock fish cut into cubes and stuff the carapace and add to crayfish mixture. Stock fish will take on the flavour of the crayfish (mock crayfish) and would serve additional 3 guests.

Crayfish is one of the most desirable seafoods in the Cape.
 Crayfish curry and rice is on the menu for today.

Crayfish curry made with tails is a meal fit for a king.

FOODS OF THE CAPE

TASTY VARIETY OF FOODS

There is no doubt that man has a sophisticated palate. Regardless of nationality or language, he prides himself on the foods that he eats. Virtually every nationality has specific dishes that can be linked to them. For example "Green Curry" is specific to Thai cuisine whereas "Stirfry"or "Chow Mein" is specific to China or Chinese cuisine. "Swine und Kartoffeln" is specific to German cuisine and kettle fried "Fish and Chips"  is specific to English cuisine. "Haggis" is specific to Scottish cuisine. "Seafood Paella" is specific to Spanish  cuisine and "Sushi" is specific to Japanese  cuisine. But the list goes on, in fact the list is endless.

Food in cape town  has no specifics. Cape Malay food and cooking spans the ambit of nations and nationalities with awe inspiring dishes. Cape Malay food and cooking is one of the world's lesser known but rather more exciting cuisines and it comes from the Cape Malay Community of South-Africa. Virtually every conceivable food is available in the Cape, made by its locals who constitute immigrants from diverse nations.   Indonesian, Filipino, Javanese, Nigerian, Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, German, Swiss, Spanish, Portuguese, Congolese, Ethiopian, French, Morocan, Egyptian, Australian and Malagasy are just a few that comes to mind each with its own language culture, foods and cooking style. Intermarriage of these peoples, each with an individual sophisticated palate makes for a real feast. Tourism in Cape Town is huge and our food is fit for any Tourist who should visit the good food and wine show Cape Town, as well as the food and wine festival Cape Town.

Crayfish tail curry in a thick sauce served on a bed of basmati rice.

"Cape Malay style Crayfish Curry", "Pens Kerri", "Pootjies Bredie", "Biryaani", "Curries", "Pap en Vleis"  "Bobooties", "Denning Vleis", "Gebraaide Hoene", "Ou mense ona die komberse" "Soet geel rys en Braai" "Worteljies en Ertjies", "Gesmmorde Snoek en Kool", "Somosas and pies", "half moons and sausage rolls" and koeksisters (in Afrikaans it means the sister of cake) are just a few of the mouth watering dishes that are the staple foods of the Cape. The foods here in Cape Town, Western Cape is as diverse as its people, totally cosmopolitan. There are numerous "take away joints" or sit in "a la carte" that caters food to every taste bud and sophisticated palate. But if you don't want to buy it, you could always make it yourself. Learn to cook a variety of foreign dishes or foods right here, stay posted for the recipes.

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Steamed colourful Mixed vegetable side dish, eaten with Pilau.

Fried Massala Snoek served with potato chips with a spicy sprinkle.

Chicken Curry with Potatoes served long grained Basmati rice

Tasty Mutton Curry and Potatoes in a thick spicy gravy.

Roast Leg and potatoes served on a bed of lettuce.

Tandoori Chicken Curry is really nice with yellow saffron rice. 

Steamed mix vegetable side dish rich with anti-oxidants.

Food delivery Cape Town is available in a Cape Town box.

Look out for:- Bobooti en geel rys, Tamatie Bredie, Pot roasted Chicken, Mutton and cabbage breedie, Peppered stead and mashed potatoes, Gebakte snoek en Patats, Roast potatoes and plat vleis, Vegatable curry, Moong dal and fish, Ertjies en Worteltjies, Roasted marrow stuffed with frikandel mix, Tika Fish curry, Chicpea curry, Oven roasted meat and vegatable, Gebakte vis en gesmoorde tamatie, Boontjie kerri, Fried Chops with roast potato, Gesmoorde rys en lensies, Baked Potato with cream cheese and garlic, Mix bean curry with white rys, snyboontjie breedie, Cottage Pie, Braised steak with peppers and thyme,  Mixed vegatable pie, Malabar matthi curry, Baked potato wedges an roast chicken, Sterke pampoen en wit rys breedie, Patatoes chips and salsa, Rcipes. Food, Kos, Comida, nourriture, Xāh̄ār Lebensmittel, طعام, cibo, еда, makanan, thức ăn, jedzenie, ruoka, mat, gıda, voedsel, Bhōjana, sakafo, Shípǐn, Khādya, ushqim, pagkain, trofí̱, foods, bhakṣaṇaṁ, élelmiszer, کھانا, toit, matur, ukudla, bwyd,

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