Classic South African Comfort Foods to Try - A Friendly Guide to Warm, Hearty Favorites
South African comfort food is the kind that fills your kitchen with cozy aromas and your plate with honest, satisfying flavors. It’s the food people make for family gatherings, weeknight dinners, and slow Sunday afternoons. Expect a mix of influences—Dutch, Malaysian, Indian, and indigenous traditions—all woven into dishes that feel both familiar and new.
Ingredients
- Proteins: Ground beef or lamb (for bobotie), boerewors or any good beef sausage, boneless chicken or mutton (optional for bunny chow)
- Pantry Staples: White bread loaves (for bunny chow), maize meal/polenta (for pap), long-grain rice, canned baked beans, canned chopped tomatoes, apricot jam, vinegar, chutney (Mrs. H.S. Ball’s if possible), raisins
- Dairy & Eggs: Milk, cream, butter, eggs
- Vegetables: Onions, garlic, carrots, bell peppers, cabbage (optional for chakalaka), potatoes (optional), lemons
- Spices & Seasonings: Curry powder, ground coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves (optional), chili or peri-peri, bay leaves, salt, black pepper
- For Baking: Flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla
- Condiments & Extras: Oil, mustard, ketchup or tomato sauce, fresh cilantro, mango atchar (optional), fresh chilies (optional)
Instructions
- Bobotie (Spiced Baked Mince with Custard Topping) Sauté a chopped onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add 500 g ground beef or lamb, browning well.
- Stir in 2–3 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander, salt, and pepper. Add a handful of raisins and 2 tbsp chutney.
- Soak 2 slices of white bread in milk, squeeze out, and mix into the meat. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Spread into a baking dish. Whisk 2 eggs with 1 cup milk, a pinch of salt, and a bay leaf. Pour over the meat.
- Bake at 180°C/350°F for 30–40 minutes until set and golden. Serve with yellow rice.
- Chakalaka (Spicy Relish) Sauté 1 chopped onion with 2 grated carrots and 1 chopped bell pepper.
- Add 1–2 tsp curry powder, chili to taste, and 1 can chopped tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes.
- Stir in 1 can baked beans and season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of vinegar if you like it tangy.
- Serve warm or room temperature with pap, sausage, or stews.
- Pap (Maize Porridge) Bring 4 cups water and 1 tsp salt to a boil.
- Whisk in 1½–2 cups maize meal a little at a time to avoid lumps. Reduce heat.
- Cook 20–30 minutes, stirring often, until thick and smooth. For a firmer “phutu” pap, use less water and stir less.
- Serve with chakalaka and boerewors.
- Bunny Chow (Curry in a Bread Loaf) Sauté onion, garlic, and 1–2 tbsp curry powder. Add diced chicken or keep it vegetarian with potatoes and chickpeas.
- Add chopped tomatoes, a splash of water, and simmer until thick. Season with salt and a touch of chutney.
- Hollow out half a loaf of soft white bread. Spoon in the curry and top with fresh cilantro and atchar.
- Boerewors Rolls Grill boerewors over medium heat until cooked through and slightly charred.
- Serve in soft rolls with onions sautéed in a splash of vinegar and a pinch of sugar, plus mustard and tomato sauce.
- Malva Pudding (Warm Apricot Sponge with Cream Sauce) Whisk 1 cup sugar with 2 eggs until pale. Add 2 tbsp apricot jam and 1 tsp vanilla.
- Mix in 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, a pinch of salt, and 1 tbsp vinegar. Stir in 1 cup milk gradually.
- Pour into a buttered baking dish and bake at 180°C/350°F for 30–40 minutes.
- Heat 1 cup cream, ½ cup sugar, and 3 tbsp butter until dissolved. Pour over the hot pudding. Serve warm.