Chakalaka

Ingredients

• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 carrots, coarsely grated
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 15 g ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp mild curry powder
• 1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tin of baked beans
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• a few sprigs of thyme

Method

1. Soften the onions

   Cook the onions in the oil over a medium heat until soft and just golden.

   10 min

2. Bloom the curry powder

   Add the peppers, garlic, ginger, curry powder and chilli and fry for two minutes. Chakalaka is built on ordinary curry powder, so frying the rawness out of it is what makes the difference.

   2 min

3. Grate the carrot, do not dice

   Stir in the grated carrot. Grated, it half-dissolves and gives the relish its characteristic sweet, shreddy texture; diced, it stays as hard lumps.

4. Simmer down

   Add the tomatoes and thyme and cook until thick and jammy rather than saucy.

   15 min

5. Beans last

   Fold in the baked beans and warm through for two minutes only, so they stay whole. Baked beans are not a shortcut here — they are what South African cooks actually use.

   2 min

6. Serve hot or cold

   Season and serve alongside a braai, with pap, or cold from the fridge the next day, which is arguably better.