Chakalaka - South African spicy vegetable side dish
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 garlic cloves (ground or crushed)
- 50 g ground ginger or ginger paste
- 1 red bell pepper (finely chopped)
- 1 yellow bell pepper (finely chopped)
- 5 big carrots (grated)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 400 g (1 can) chopped tomatoes
- 400 g (1 can) baked beans
- 2 tbsp Chakalaka spice blend
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- Measuring spoons
- Add 3 spoons of oil to a frying pan at medium temperature and fry the onions until they turn soft and glassy.
- Add the crushed or ground garlic, ginger paste, and two spoons of the Chakalaka spice blend (depending on the desired level of spiciness, you can add more or less of the spice blend) and stir it all well.
- Add the chopped bell peppers to the paste and fry them for two to three minutes. When the bell peppers turn soft, add the grated carrots and stir them well to infuse all the spices and flavors. Fry it until all the vegetables turn soft.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste to the vegetables and mix everything well.
- Cook the vegetable mix for 10 minutes to get a bit thicker. When you notice the mixture getting thicker, add the baked beans, mix it well, and let it simmer for 5 more minutes.
This simple, but in every way delicious spicy vegetable side dish is a dish traditionally served with bread, papp (a side dish made of corn grits, similar to polenta), goulash, and curry.
Chakalaka is a dish from South Africa and an essential part of the African kitchen. It is usually served at feasts, mainly with South African barbecue called braais, because it goes great with meat.
The word chakalaka means "altogether" in the African Zulu language, and the legend says that it comes from marginal settlements of Johannesburg, where mainly miners lived, who worked in the gold mines. They would often cook canned vegetables like beans and tomatoes with fresh vegetables they had, and spice up the dish to endure the African heat.
Chakalaka is a dish that was mainly served as a vegetarian dish with various corn grits, but with time it became an indispensable side dish for grilled meat.
Although it originates from Johannesburg, there are various versions of the chakalaka depending on the region and family tradition.
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