Cape Malay Recipes?
The internet is a tremendous means of communication, you can disseminate information rapidly. The scary part however is that you can also spread mis-information just as quickly.
One of my intentions, in setting up the Afri-Chef website and writing the Afri-Chef African recipes cookbook was to preserve my African heritage. Because authentic African cooking is part of that heritage.
When I see websites loudly proclaiming ” authentic African recipes created by famous New York chefs” I shudder and shake my head in disbelief.
If a famous New York chef, who possibly hasn’t been any closer to Africa than Coney Island, creates a recipe how can it be called an authentic African recipe?
If people accept that famous New York chefs can create authentic African recipes what happens to the truly authentic African recipes created by the indigenous peoples of Africa?
I recently came across a website which featured what it called an authentic Cape Malay recipe for pork kebabs. the person who wrote this recipe could be nothing short of an idiot, certainly somebody who knew nothing about the Cape Malay people. He/she didn’t even know enough to realize that the Cape Malay community is solidly Muslim and as such they would never dream of eating or preparing pork. The very idea of a Cape Malay Muslim preparing a pork recipe or recipe containing pork would be anathema to any member of the Cape Malay community.
Yet people get away with things like this. Unfortunately, people who know nothing about the Cape Malay people, or their origins, accept things solely because they appear in writing on a website.
In defense of my culture and heritage all I can do is continue to highlight this type of misinformation and to state that the recipes which appear in the Afri Chef African recipes cookbooks are genuinely authentic.
I have been to District Six before it was destroyed by the previous regime and I have eaten there and shared recipes with Malay friends and I have been to Bo-Kaap and enjoyed the hospitality of friends.
When I put a Cape Malay recipe or recipe from any other African ethnic group on my website or in any of my cookbooks they have not been created by me. They have been given to me, shared with me by friends. All I have done is tested the recipe and selected my favorites to share with others.
I have done this in an attempt to share African cultural traditions, through food, with those who would like to learn something about Africa and its peoples. So if you’re really interested in African cooking, African recipes, South African recipes, Cape Malay recipes click on one of the links on the right-hand side of this blog knowing that what you see will be what Africans, South Africans, Cape Malays, eat.
Michael
I just did a search through GOOGLE for CAPE MALAY recipes, and the word “pork” caught my eye. My thoughts were exactly the same as yours. Obviously the person who added the recipe to the website, had no idea about Cape Malay culture! My first thoughts were “probably a afrikaaner who’s never met a Cape Malay before”. I dont mean this is a nasty way by any means.One of my Afrikaaner friends from George says that I am her first Cape Malay {“coloured”} friend. She is 26 years old and we met less than 3 years ago!
Comment by Zulaiga — 10/29/2004 @ 7:38 pm
Hi
I’ve also come across this Pork Kebabs recipe whilst doing a search for Cape Malay recipes.I had a good laugh and just shook my head at the ignorance of the recipe.I’m trying to find some good Cape Malay recipes for the month of Ramadaan.
Comment by Zane — 10/1/2005 @ 12:17 pm
hi
i too came across the pork kebabs recipe while searchng for Cape Malay recipes, especially since we’ve been missing home cooking. I cannot agree with you more, with regards to peoples ignorance regarding others cultures and traditions! Thank you for producing a truly South African product and continuing to carry our heritage high!
Comment by Amina — 3/17/2006 @ 10:08 am
Hi there
I am looking for a recipe for a vegetarian lentil bobotie. Any ideas as those I have found seem to be rather insipid and I am sure also posted by someone who does not have a clue as they have not even mentioned the custard on the top.
Capetonian born and bred
Thanks
Cary
Comment by Cary Clark — 3/29/2006 @ 2:50 am
I am looking for a recipe for curried frikkadel which can be kept in the fridge for a few months.
Comment by Kathy — 5/15/2006 @ 10:24 am
I am looking for reciepes for spicy pickles like mango pickle and lime pickle. I long for curried chillies and curried vegetables – please help!!!!
Comment by tanya — 8/25/2007 @ 4:14 pm
lentil bobotie recipe.
250 g cooked lentils:
2 cloves
2 all spice
1 red onion
3 med. tomatoes roughly chopped
6 curry leaves
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 med green pepper chopped
2 tblsp sunflower oil
2 tblsp fresh danya chopped
500g dried fruit ( no prunes prove sto be laxi.)
paste (combine and leave to stand 10 min.)
1 tsp leaf marsala
1/2 tsp barishap
1 tsp corrinader ground
1/2 tsp tumeric
salt to taste
1tsp sugar
1 tblsp tomato paste
2 cups of water
egg custard
6 eggs ratio (1 egg per person)
1 cup fresh cream
pinch salt
first beat the eggs,immediately add the cream and seasoning,immediately pour on lentil base.
method
saute onions,garlic and ginger, with cloves,all spice & curry leaves until ight brown.
add green pepper and tomato
cooked till a pste forms.
remove from the stove,now adding your paste.
now cooked your paste adding 1 cup of water
cook until a thick paste has formed add the remainder of the water.
add lentils and cook until thick.(ligth ball stage)
season to taste
dish into your oven proof dish,compress and add egg custard.
hint
the best time to bake it, is just before serving time.
this recipe for the egg custard is simply to aerate the egg.
serves 6
serves well with a tossed salad with a sweet basil dressing (takes 2 min to make in a blender)
happy cooking
e-mail kitchen@capetonian.co.za
chef anwar henkeman.
i hope this can help you in any way possible.
chow!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by chef anwar henkeman — 3/31/2008 @ 4:35 am
Hi ANWAR
I am south african from cape town and i am looking for the cape town samosa recipie tried to get it from my mother but she just forgets all the time my aunty is muslem but she lives in Johanesburg and trying to get hold of her is a night mare becasue she and my uncle zain runs a business so trying to get hold of them you got no chance
I have tried making the samosa with my own curry recepie but it just does not taste the same
Please can you help me
Chantall
Comment by Chanall — 4/19/2008 @ 1:17 pm
The Cape Malay community is not solidly Muslim, there a large part of the community that is Christian.
Comment by Andrew — 7/15/2008 @ 11:57 am
What everyone seems to forget is that the term Cape Malay referrs to a group of people that generally came to Cape Town as slaves, predominantly from Indonesia and India, but also to other countries to a lesser extent. All Cape Malays can not therefore be classed as Muslim. The large amount of recipes with lamb might point to Indian influences where Lamb is the staple meat dish. At that stage Pakistan was still part of India and would have had Mulsim as well as Hindu members in the Cape community.
Comment by dave — 7/31/2008 @ 6:45 am
hello Cape town,
Lived in Cape town as a child, and My neighbour made these coconut sweets. They came in various colours, very lekker. Use to buy them for a few cents. Do you have a receipt for me.
thanks henrietta
Comment by henrietta Zander — 8/6/2008 @ 2:36 am
This is for Andrew and Dave. You clearly do not know what you are talking about. Cape Malays are a very distinctive group in South Africa classified as Cape Malays because of their religious affiliation. In South Africa if you are of east asian descent and not a moslem then you are regarded as “coloured” or indian, terms recognized and used by everyone in South Africa . Do some research before you post a comment.
Comment by NINA BLAIR — 4/4/2009 @ 4:46 pm
This is for Andrew and Dave.The Cape Malay community is an ethnic group or community in South Africa. It takes its name from the present-day Western Cape of South Africa and the people originally from the Malay archipelago, mostly Javanese from Indonesia. These immigrants started this community in South Africa. The community’s earliest members were enslaved Javanese transported by the Dutch East India Company. They were followed by political dissidents and Muslim religious leaders who opposed the Dutch presence in what is now Indonesia and were sent into exile. Starting in 1654, these resistors were imprisoned or exiled in South Africa by the Dutch East India Company, which founded and used what is now Cape Town as a resupply station for ships traveling between Europe and Asia. They were the group that first introduced Islam to South Africa.
Comment by Subeiga — 4/9/2009 @ 1:18 am
This is for Andrew and Dave. Here are more evidence of the true ethnicity of the Cape Malay people. Cape Malay music has been of great interest to academics, historians, musicologists, writers and even politicians. The well-known annual Cape Town Minstrel or Carnival street festival is a deep-rooted Cape Malay cultural event; it incorporates the Cape Malay comic song or moppie (often also referred to as ghoema songs). The barrel-shaped drum, called the ‘ghoema’, is also closely associated with Cape Malay music. Cape Malay music it is often described and perceived as ‘sad’ and ‘emotional’ in content and context. This style is unique in South Africa, Africa and in the world. I tell my children stories of the first Java people and how they stood up against oppression, when no other minority group even considered going up against colonial power in the early 17 hundreds . This shows the strength even today of the Malay people who helped fight oppression in this country.
Comment by Subeiga — 4/9/2009 @ 4:08 am
To all that mekes negative comments of the Afrikaner. Maybe you should address the source of that stupid pork recipe and not generalise. Not all Afrikaners is stupid. We also share our multi-cultural treasures.
Afrikaner
Comment by Deon — 4/21/2009 @ 7:58 am
I also took exception to the comment about Afrikaners. Though I’m not one, I have both Afrikaner (and Malay) ancestors and they definitely were not stupid.
Though am Christian I would not even think of eating pork, it is not only a Muslim food taboo. Anyway, give the person that put that recipe on line the benefit of the doubt, who knows, it might even be a Cape Malay.
P.S. I know of Muslims that do eat pork…one used to work with me…
Comment by Rene — 5/13/2009 @ 12:28 pm
What do you reckon is the possibility of bobotie containing coconut milk in its original incarnations?
Comment by fatima — 7/12/2009 @ 9:22 am
I have just gone into this site for the first time and was shocked at the remarks about the pork recipe and the ignorance of people. Instead of berating them why not rather try and help them. If there was less of this type of nastiness and more teaching of cultures then this world would be a far friendlier place.
Comment by Sharon — 7/28/2009 @ 5:45 am
i am living in australia, and i just read all these tidbits and gratings. let’s just all try and respect each other’s values and heritage. i am proud of my heritage. i am a cape coloured with cape malay anchestors. let’s just be grateful for this colourful heritage they’ve left us and enjoy something from home. every one has been left with a different version of everything. let’s enjoy this website because it keeps me close to my roots.
Comment by Lessenor — 7/31/2009 @ 11:28 pm
I agree with Lessenor. Am not african but malay. Hoping to find out more on african and its ppl coz my boyfriend is an african. We enjoyed the best of both world.
Comment by Maiya — 8/5/2009 @ 1:30 pm
I liked the post and your writing style. I’m adding you to my RSS reader.
Greetings from Tim.
Comment by pasta maker — 10/15/2009 @ 2:39 am