Tomato Bredie Recipe, a Classic Cape Town Stew
The bredie (an Afrikaans word meaning ‘stew’) is a slow-cooked mutton and tomato stew. The amount and number of spices added has an infinite variety of permeations. This is my version.
Servings: 4 -6 portions
Calories: 245kcal
Ingredients
- 1.5 kilos ‘stewing’ lamb
- 2 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chilli flakes optional
- 2 large onions finely sliced
- 50 ml tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 cm ginger fresh, chopped into matchstick-sized strips
- 4 whole black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 whole cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 tsp cumin seeds crushed
- 1 tsp coriander seeds crushed
- ½ kg medium tomatoes chopped you can use tinned
- 4 medium potatoes quartered, for the second day!
- Vegetable oil
- Water
Instructions
- Dry ‘roast’ the dry spices in a hot saucepan.
- Add a good dash of vegetable oil to the pan and sautee the onions.
- Add the ginger, garlic and chili and cook for one minute.
- Pat dry the lamb. You can cook it with the onions etc, or separately until browned.
- Combine the above ingredients in a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add about a cup of water and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and sugar. Cook over low heat until the meat easily breaks apart. Add water, a little stock or some red wine to keep the mix moist.
- Cool slightly and then place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat the stew slowly. Start cooking your rice after adding the potatoes to the pot.
- While some recipes present it as a ‘dry’ curry (as in the last photo), I think it’s better left with a decent amount of gravy. Perfect for mopping up with some roti.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 877mg | Potassium: 1393mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 4mg