Tomato stew – Rich, aromatic Cape Malay midweek dish

Enjoy the rich heritage of flavoursome spices of this Cape Malay dish. This tomato stew is one of those delicious Cape Malay dishes which orginated at the foot of Table Mountain. Get ready for an utterly palatable meal that will have you licking your plate afterwards.

Stew, also known as “bredie” is a dish of meat and vegetables stewed together so that the flavours intensify. The sauce is rich, thick and full-bodied enveloping the meat and veggies.

Traditionally, tomato stew is cooked with mutton. It’s just perfect for those cold winter evenings. However, if you prefer chicken instead of mutton, you can always cook it with chicken. Just remember to reduce the cooking time if you use chicken.

Welcome the cooler days of the year with this flavour-infused tomato stew. Ready in just over an hour, this tasty recipe serves 8 people. Serve with rice for a satisfying meal that will feed your body and soul.

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Tomato stew recipe

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Recipe by Cass Abrahams Course: DinnerCuisine: South AfricanDifficulty: Easy

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

Servings

8

Total time

1

hour 

A true South African classic.

Ingredients

• 2 large onions, sliced

• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) peppercorns

• 2 ml ground cloves

• 125 ml water

• 25 ml vegetable oil

• 2 sticks cinnamon

• 1 kg mutton

• 3 piece piece of fresh root ginger, finely chopped

• 2 pods cardamom

• 1 kg very ripe tomatoes, chopped

• 3 cans chopped tomatoes

• 1 green chilli, chopped

• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and halved

• salt, pepper and sugar to taste

• chopped parsley to garnish

Method

• Placed the onions, peppercorns, cloves and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until all the water has been absorbed.
• Add the oil and cinnamon and braise until the onions are golden. Add the meat, ginger and cardamom pods and stir thoroughly.
• Turn down the heat, cover the saucepan with a tightly fitting lid and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and chilli. Close the lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Now add the potatoes, salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar to taste. Replace the lid and simmer until the potatoes are cooked.
• Garnish with chopped parsley and serve on a bed of freshly cooked rice.

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