{"id":644,"date":"2020-03-31T18:25:51","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T18:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/melbyspost.co.za\/?p=644"},"modified":"2020-11-15T09:43:35","modified_gmt":"2020-11-15T09:43:35","slug":"curry-chicken-potjie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/melbyspost.co.za\/index.php\/2020\/03\/31\/curry-chicken-potjie\/","title":{"rendered":"Curry Chicken Potjie"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When you\u2019re down on your luck and you’ve lost all your dreams there\u2019s nothing like a campfire and a can of beans.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Waits, Lucky Days<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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No beans for us<\/h4>\n

Ahhh, outdoor cooking. In South Africa we are lucky to have ample opportunity to enjoy some outdoor cooking. If it’s not raining, be sure that somewhere in your neighbourhood someone is getting ready to braai (barbeque). Oh, let’s be honest, even if it does rain, there are still people braaiing. And we don’t just like our braais. We also make potjiekos, like this Curry Chicken Potjie! It sounds quite exotic, but actually it just means making a stew-like meal in a cast iron pot on an open fire. South Africans and the Internet<\/a> will tell you that it is not a stew and the ingredients are layered and not stirred. As with most traditional recipes, almost every person will have their own recipe and rules. I grew up with my dad and uncle being in charge of making potjiekos. They did stir their potjies and basically just made a hearty stew with some delicious wood fire flavours.<\/p>\n

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Slow food<\/h4>\n

A very important thing to know about making potjiekos is that it is slow food at it’s best. From when you light the fire until you are serving your meal could easily take four or five hours. It is also not something you want to do in the hottest part of summer as the sun and fire will toast you to a crisp. It is the perfect activity for autumn or winter. You also need someone who is an expert fire maker. By this I don’t mean the guy who can make the biggest, hottest fire. Your ideal fire manager is someone who can make the fire hot enough to brown the meat and onions without burning it, but also keep the pot cooking on medium heat for a few hours without running out of coals.<\/p>\n

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Put in what you like<\/h4>\n

As far as ingredients go, you can basically add what you like. We made a Curry Chicken Potjie because we are eating very little red meat. You can go totally vegetarian or full-on meaty. Some people swear by using beef such as stewing beef or even oxtail. We have also made a delicious lamb potjie with basically the same method. The veggies you put in are also entirely up to you – anything from potato, butternut, sweet potato and carrots, to mushrooms, green beans or patty pan marrows. Of course, the part that is the most fun is flavouring the potjie. Most potjies use some tomato flavour as well as spices. You can decide to make it spicy as we did with a nice curry base, or just richly flavoured as my friend Paul does with a Moroccan Ras El Hanout mix. I don’t think two potjies will ever be the same, but I do know you will not be able to eat as much of it as you would want to!<\/p>\n

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5<\/span> from 1 vote<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Curry Chicken Potjie<\/h2>\n
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A mildly spicy chicken stew with lots of vegetables and authentic wood fire flavour.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Prep Time<\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time<\/span>3 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Course: <\/span>Main Course<\/span><\/div>
Cuisine: <\/span>South African<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
Servings: <\/span>6<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n
Author: <\/span>Melby<\/span><\/div>\n\n

Equipment<\/h3>