Potjie: Taste of Africa

 This winter potjies are the perfect method for long power cuts and lazy Sunday afternoons or evenings around the fire with friends.
I love cast iron pots and on a fire they certainly add a unique flavour to a dish. Not sure if the Marondera Foundry is still operational, but for decades cast iron pots in all sizes from little ones for home cooking to giant cauldrons for communal gatherings have been produced there by the ancient method of making moulds in sand into which molten metal is poured. Cast iron is virtually indestructible as long as you don’t crack it by throwing cold water into a hot pot. At one point the foundry was so busy supplying South African safari camps and hotels with custom-made heavy baking pans, and dinky three-legged pots that they were unable to fulfil local orders. Dollarisation ended that and shortage of electricity led them to diversify into clothes irons, small wood stoves and braais as well as griddles, three-legged pots and frying pans.
Our cast iron pot has sat in our kitchen for years – trundled out for occasional camping trips. It is very heavy and without an oxwagon to hook it onto, not that portable! Story goes that the pot with its contents protected by a layer of fat was hooked under the wagon by the Voortrekkers while travelling and unhooked at the next stop to be put on the fire again. Sounds like a good idea – but doesn’t quite work under a landcruiser or family sedan.
Still I am happy to stay put with our potjie and have been surprised at how fuel efficient it is. Because cast iron retains heat so well – food can be kept simmering with only a few coals. The heavy lid keeps steam circulating inside the pot making for very tender meat and the melding of all the different flavours. The trick apparently is not to stir once everything has been added which marks the difference between a potjiekos (literally small pot food) and a conventional     stew.
Of course the fire is an important part of this process and heat needs to be regulated and we just move the pot closer or further away from the coals as it gets going. Start off with quite a hot fire as it’s important to brown the meat all over. Heat a little oil in the pot and add the meat in one layer at a time. Season generously with salt, pepper and herbs. Rosemary grows close to our fire circle so is often a fragrant flavouring. Add vegetables – onions, carrots and other roots are good. Stir a little and then add enough water (250 to 500ml is enough depending on the size of the pot) just to cover the bottom layer of ingredients. You don’t want so much water that it covers everything. I lay whole sweet potatoes on top of the mixture so that they steam during the cooking process. Butternut is also good to steam on top. Put the lid on, settle down around the fire and leave it. In a hour or two the potjie will be ready and delicious. Green vegetables, added towards the end of the cooking time give a colour boost and extra taste.
We also cooked a whole chicken very successfully – browning the chicken first then adding flavourings along with carrots, potatoes, onions and a splash of water.
Happy Sunday eating.
-g.jeke@yahoo.com