{"id":2349,"date":"2019-09-17T16:34:39","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T14:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/lowveld\/?p=2349"},"modified":"2024-05-30T15:55:47","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T13:55:47","slug":"a-taste-of-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/lowveld\/blog\/2019\/09\/17\/a-taste-of-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"A taste of tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mieliepap and sheba served with braaivleis are as South African as biltong, melktert and koeksisters. What better time to celebrate these South African mainstays than Heritage Month? Liezel L\u00fcneburg tells us more.<\/p>\n

September is the ideal time of year to try traditional South African dishes, of which pap and braaivleis are certainly not the least. Pap is enjoyed by all South Africans, irrespective of culture or race, and plays a part of our heritage as a nation. One of my most vivid childhood memories is of my father, Piet, stirring a black cast iron pot of krummelpap<\/em> in a very precise manner, best described as \u201cwith cutting movements\u201d. \u201cYou boil water, add salt and pour the maize meal into the pot so that one third is visible above the surface of the water,\u201d he taught me and my two sisters.<\/p>\n

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No pap is really pap without a yummy sheba sauce to serve with it, and since I can remember, my mother, Retha, has cooked sheba to go with the pap.<\/p>\n

Another favourite memory is of my beloved Gogo Liesbet, who worked for my parents for 36 years and played a huge role in my upbringing. When I was still a child, my mother took pottery classes every Wednesday morning and Gogo cooked traditional stywe pap<\/em> and boerewors with sheba sauce for lunch.<\/p>\n

My father, mother and Gogo share their recipes:<\/p>\n

Uphuthu\/krummelpap<\/strong><\/em>
\nYou will need<\/strong>
\n\u2022 1\u00bd cups water \u2022 2 cups maize meal\/braaipap (I could never quite master the \u201cone third\u201d rule and have figured out a workable pap\/water ratio) \u2022 Salt to taste \u2022 1 can of creamy-style sweetcorn.
\nMethod<\/strong>
\nBring the water to a boil and add the salt.
\nAdd the maize meal\/braaipap to form a pyramid in the water. Do not stir at this point.
\nPut the lid on the pot and let the pap simmer for 10 to 12 minutes at a low heat.
\nNow it is time to mix the pap. Use a large braai or meat fork to stir the meal and water until it is loosely crumbly and fluffy.
\nPut the lid on and steam at low heat until the pap is cooked. Although it will be ready after half an hour, the pap will definitely be tastier if it is cooked for longer. Piet cooks his for up to 2 hours.
\nMix in the sweetcorn and cook for another 15 minutes or so.
\nEnjoy with sheba sauce and, of course, braaivleis! Or with milk or butter and sugar. If you are brave, you could also eat it with custard.<\/p>\n

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\nKrummelpap<\/em> should be stirred with \u2018cutting-like\u2019 movements<\/p>\n

Gogo\u2019s sadza\/stywe pap<\/em><\/strong>
\nYou will need<\/strong>
\n\u2022 2 cups of water \u2022 1\u00bd cups of fine maize meal \u2022 Salt to taste.
\nMethod<\/strong>
\nThe method for krummelpap<\/em> and stywe pap<\/em> is nearly the same, with only a few differences.
\nBring the water to a boil and add the salt.
\nAdd the maize meal to form a pyramid in the water. Resist the urge to stir.
\nPut the lid on the pot and let the pap simmer for 10 to 12 minutes at a low heat.
\nUse a wooden spoon to mix the meal and water until it is well mixed to form a firm pap without any lumps.
\nPut the lid on and steam at low heat for approximately 1 hour until the pap is cooked.
\nEnjoy with sheba sauce. You can roll the pap into small balls and dip it in the sheba.<\/p>\n

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\nGogo Liesbet enjoys balls of stywe pap<\/em> with sheba sauce<\/p>\n

Sheba sauce<\/strong><\/em>
\nYou will need<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Oil for saut\u00e9ing the onions \u2022 1 large onion or 2 medium ones, finely chopped \u2022 1 tbs curry powder – use hot, medium or mild powder and add more or less, depending on taste \u2022 1kg of tomatoes, chopped (any type will do fine – you could also use three cans of chopped or whole tomatoes, it is not necessary to peel them) \u2022 2 tbs Worcester sauce \u2022 3 tbs chopped fresh herbs – use a combination of basil, marjoram, oregano, parsley or rosemary \u2022 \u00bd a cup of chutney \u2022 Salt and pepper to taste.
\nMethod<\/strong>
\nHeat the oil and saut\u00e9 the onions until translucent.
\nAdd the curry powder and fry for a minute longer at low heat to enhance the flavour. Stir continuously to prevent the curry from sticking to the pot or burning. Add more oil if necessary.
\nNow add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for approximately 1 hour at a low temperature. Stir every now and again.
\nAnd voila! You have a pot of delicious sheba to enjoy with your pap.<\/p>\n

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\nTasty sheba sauce<\/p>\n

Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n