March 29, 2024

Tomato Stew – Another South African gem

Posted on June 23, 2008 by in lamb

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We had a whole weekend of rain and to top it all I had two sick children – nothing serious, just the sniffles, but they needed mommy’s TLC. MY hands were full, doing all sorts of things…rubbing, playing Bratz, drawing, making tea and toast…etc.

Tomato stew is one of those recipes that I grew up with. It hails from the era where no one was ever in a hurry. I am sure you can make a quick version – my sister does in her pressure cooker, but there is nothing more comforting than to have a pot of “something” on the stove.
Slowly cooking along, filling your house with the most amazing aroma. Although South African cooking is full of recipes for all kinds of stews, from Green bean Stew right down to Cabbage stew, my family only eats two of them – Curry and Tomato Stew! Here goes my version of a fragrant and lovely aromatic Tomato Stew( we call it a “bredie – pronounced: brea-di)

Tomato Stew

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 onion – finely chopped
10ml ground coriander
10ml fennel seeds
1 small stick cinnamon
1 kg lamb of beef – you can use boneless, but I used beef brisket, cut in chunks
2 tins chopped tomatoes – or fresh, if you have – about 6 big juicy tomatoes
4-5 large potatoes – peeled and cut in chunks
1 small tin tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
sugar to taste
juice and zest of a lemon
2 TBS vegetable oil

Fry onion and spices in vegetable oil, add garlic last. Add meat and brown slightly. Now add all tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for 1 hour.Add potatoes and let it cook until potatoes are soft and meat is coming off the bone easily. Add seasoning, lemon juice and sugar.The sugar is important, you can add more(I do), but it is a matter of taste. The stew must not be acidic, but rather deep brown-red in color and slightly sweet.
Serve with white or Basmati rice, a fresh grinding of black pepper and some chopped parsley or coriander.

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