Waterblommetjie stew

It feels like forever since my last post. It must be the weather in Cape Town keeping me from doing anything other than watching movies under a cosy blanket. This winter has been really cold and stormy. Weather like this calls for hearty stews, and believe me I’ve made a few.

The first one I want to share with you is a traditional Capetonian stew, Waterblommetjie stew. This is also known as Cape pond weed, the fresh flowers produced has been used for centuries to heal wounds, soothe sunburn and sprains by the San people. These flowers also make a delicious stew. 

 

Each family has their own tips and tricks for the best stew, and ours are no different. First start of by properly cleaning the flowers. I usually let it soak in warm salt water for 30 minutes before I rinse and make sure all the flowers are clean. Now we can start cooking.

Waterblommetjie stew

Waterblommetjie Stew

Ingredients:

• 500g Fresh Waterblommetjies
• 250g Pork Rashers cut in pieces
• 1 large onion cut into chunks
• 1 Lemon
• 2 tablespoons of Vinegar
• 250ml Chicken Stock
• 1 teaspoon of gravy powder

Method:

1.      Start by browning the onion and pork in a large casserole.

2.      When the meat is nice and golden add the chicken stock.

3.      Add the juice of one lemon and 2 tablespoons of Vinegar, stir well.

4.      Add the Cleaned waterblommetjies.

5.      Put the lid on and let it simmer away for about 15 minutes.

6.      Now remove the lid and let some of the juices evaporate.

7.      Add 1 teaspoon of gravy powder and mix well.

8.      Cook for another 5 minutes on high.

9.      Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can also add some potato to your stew.

I hope you will try this recipe. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Pork Chop Suey

I love Chinese takeaway. It is one of my weaknesses. The problem is always the portion size, and I don’t know what goes into making my food. This means that sometimes I will have more starch, salt and fat than what I would usually have.

So the other day I googled some recipe’s for one of my favourites, Beef chop suey. I tweaked it to suit my lifestyle, and I must say it didn’t go that bad. Well it tasted good, and it feels great to know exactly what I'm putting in my body.

Pork Chop Suey

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons lite soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 teaspoons corn-starch
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pieces of pork tenderloin, trimmed and cubed
• 1 medium onion, slivered
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced (next time I'll add some greenpepper for colour)
• 2 medium carrots thinly sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 20 grams of Plain Cashew nuts
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Method:

1. Let the pork marinade in 1 tablespoon molasses + 1 tablespoon soy sauce for a few hours.
2. Combine the corn starch with a small amount of broth, mix well until there’s no more lumps in the corn starch. Now add the rest of the broth, soy sauce, molasses and pepper.
3. Next fry off the pork in a large pan over a medium heat, for about 2-3 minutes. Take it out of the pan and set aside.
4. Add olive oil to the pan and fry off the onion, bell pepper, ginger, sprouts and carrots for 3 – 5 minutes on a medium to high heat.
5.  Now reduce the heat to medium again and add the starch/broth mixture and pork. Make sure to get all the pork juices. Cook for about a minute until the sauces slightly thicken.

Serve this dish with rice. I used brown rice, just because I can.

What is your favourite take away? Maybe I can find a healthier alternative :)