Roots & Harvest — South African Plant-Based Heritage Recipes

Before the braai

Before the braai, there was the garden.

Long before colonisation, South African kitchens were built entirely from the earth. The Khoisan foraged over 300 edible plant species. Bantu-speaking communities cultivated sorghum, amadumbe, pumpkin, and morogo. Every culture on this land had a deep, sophisticated, plant-based food tradition.

These recipes were never forgotten — they were simply spoken over rather than written. Passed from grandmother to grandchild, from harvest to harvest. This collection restores them to the table where they belong, using ingredients available at any South African supermarket today.

This is not a health book. It is a story told through food — of resilience, creativity, and the extraordinary richness of South African plant life.

"Food is not just food — it is a whole culture. It is a story that is told through food. We have downgraded our own cuisine, which means we have downgraded our own values."
— On South African food heritage

Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi & Ndebele · The Nguni Peoples

The Nguni Hearth

The Nguni people — Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi and Ndebele — have always drawn their sustenance from maize, pumpkin, wild greens, amadumbe, and sorghum. These recipes come from the KwaZulu-Natal hills, the Eastern Cape valleys, and rural Mpumalanga. They are meant to be eaten communally, with hands if possible.

01 Xhosa — Beloved by all Umngqusho — Samp & Sugar Beans Nelson Mandela's favourite dish. The great equaliser of the South African table. 🍽️ Serves 6⏱️ 3–4 hours✓ Easy✓ Vegan

"Umngqusho keeps hunger away for hours," says the Xhosa proverb. It was eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Transkei households. This humble dish of broken maize kernels and sugar beans, slow-cooked until creamy and inseparable, is the Xhosa soul on a plate. The slow simmer is the secret — never rush it.

Ingredients · Serves 6

500g samp (stampmielies), soaked overnight
250g dried sugar beans, soaked overnight
2 large onions, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp butter or plant-based butter
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
Fresh parsley to garnish
1 lemon, for serving
Chilli flakes (optional)

Method

Drain soaked samp and beans. Place in a large pot, cover with fresh cold water by 8cm. Bring to the boil.
Reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 2½ to 3 hours, checking and adding hot water when needed. The samp should be soft and swollen, the beans tender and beginning to break down.
Meanwhile, fry onions and garlic in oil over medium heat until deeply golden — about 15 minutes. Add paprika and herbs, stir 1 minute.
Add onion mixture to the pot. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in butter. Allow to simmer together for a further 20 minutes until the mixture is thick and creamy.
Serve in a large communal bowl with a wedge of lemon and chilli on the side.

Heritage Note In traditional Xhosa homes, umngqusho was often served plain — the samp and beans providing enough substance and flavour on their own. Modern kitchens add caramelised onions, a squeeze of lemon, and a good crack of black pepper. Both versions are correct.

02 Zulu Imifino — Wild Greens with Pap The original superfood side dish of KwaZulu-Natal 🍽️ Serves 4⏱️ 20 mins✓ Vegan

Imifino refers to any wild leafy green — amaranthus, blackjack, spider wisp, pumpkin leaves. Women would gather them from the fields after rain. Today we use spinach, morogo, or Swiss chard from Pick n Pay — and they work beautifully.

Ingredients · Serves 4

500g fresh spinach or morogo leaves
1 cup maize meal (pap)
2 cups water
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp cooking oil
Salt to taste
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 green chilli (optional)
Squeeze of lemon juice

Method

Cook maize meal with 2 cups salted boiling water, stirring constantly until thick — about 10 minutes. Set aside covered.
Sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft and golden. Add chilli if using.
Add washed greens to the pan. Stir to wilt — 3–4 minutes. Season with salt and nutmeg.
Serve the greens over or alongside the pap, with a squeeze of lemon.

Modern Twist Add a tin of chickpeas to the greens for a protein-rich complete meal. Stir in a teaspoon of vegetable stock for depth.

03 Zulu — KwaZulu-Natal Roasted Amadumbe with Wild Herb Butter King Shaka's comfort food, elevated for the modern kitchen 🍽️ Serves 4⏱️ 55 mins✓ Vegan option

Amadumbe (taro root) have been farmed in KwaZulu-Natal since long before European contact. Starchy, nutty, slightly sweet — they outlast sweet potato in richness. Find them at Indian markets and larger Spar stores across KZN and Gauteng.

Ingredients · Serves 4

1kg amadumbe (taro), scrubbed
3 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
4 cloves garlic, whole
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 Tbsp plant-based butter
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp wild garlic or spring onion
Black pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Boil amadumbe whole in salted water for 20 minutes until just tender. Drain and cool slightly, then peel.
Halve or quarter and toss with oil, paprika, thyme, garlic, and salt on a roasting tray.
Roast 25–30 minutes until golden and caramelised at the edges.
Meanwhile melt butter with parsley and spring onion. Drizzle over roasted amadumbe. Serve immediately.

Where to Find Amadumbe are widely sold at Indian and African markets, and increasingly at Woolworths Food and Checkers in KZN.

04 Zulu Ujeqe — Steamed Maize Bread The pillowy Zulu bread steamed over a pot of stew 🍽️ 1 loaf · Serves 6⏱️ 1h 30m✓ Vegan

Ujeqe is the Zulu steamed bread, cooked in a cloth over boiling water — or today, in a pot lined with foil. Slightly sweet, incredibly dense and satisfying. It absorbs the steam and flavour from whatever it rests above. Serve with imifino or any stew.

Ingredients · 1 loaf · Serves 6

2 cups maize meal
1 cup cake flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp sunflower oil
Extra flour for kneading

Method

Mix maize meal, flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add water and oil. Mix into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead 5 minutes.
Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes until doubled.
Shape into a round and place in a greased bowl or tin that fits inside a large pot.
Place the bowl on a rack or folded cloth inside the large pot. Add 5cm of water to the pot. Cover tightly and steam on medium heat for 45–55 minutes. Do not lift the lid for the first 40 minutes.
Test with a skewer — it should come out clean. Turn out and serve warm.

Traditional Tip In Zulu homes, ujeqe was often placed directly on top of a pot of mutton stew. The fat and steam infused the bread from beneath. Use a pot of vegetable stew instead — the result is extraordinary.

Sotho, Tswana, Pedi & Venda · The Inland Peoples

The Inland Harvest

The Sotho-Tswana peoples of the Highveld and Limpopo developed rich traditions around sorghum fermentation, cowpeas, pumpkin, and wild greens. The Venda of the Limpopo mountains added groundnuts and mopane to the canon. These are hearty, earthy, deeply nourishing foods.

05 Sotho-Tswana Ting — Fermented Sorghum Porridge The ancient living food of the Highveld 🍽️ Serves 4⏱️ 3 days + 25 mins✓ Vegan option

Ting has been eaten across the Highveld for centuries. The fermentation — left 2 to 3 days — creates a tangy, probiotic-rich porridge unlike anything else. Traditional families kept a clay pot of ting fermenting continuously. It is the southern African equivalent of sourdough culture.

Ingredients · Serves 4

2 cups sorghum meal (available at African grocery stores)
4–5 cups water
½ tsp salt
Milk, maas or plant milk for serving
Brown sugar or honey for serving

Method

Mix sorghum with 2 cups of cold water in a clay or ceramic bowl. Cover loosely with a cloth and leave at room temperature for 2–3 days, stirring daily. It will develop a pleasant sour smell.
When ready to cook, transfer fermented sorghum to a pot. Add remaining water, bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
Reduce heat and simmer 15–20 minutes until thick and smooth. Season with salt.
Serve in bowls with maas (cultured buttermilk) or plant-based yoghurt, and a drizzle of honey.

Nutritional Note Fermented sorghum has been shown to have significantly higher vitamin B and iron bioavailability than unfermented grain. It is also naturally gluten-free.

06 Venda & Sotho Thophi — Pumpkin & Maize Pudding Sweet or savoury, this ancient Venda dish is endlessly versatile 🍽️ Serves 6⏱️ 40 mins✓ Vegan

Known as Thophi in Venda and Sidvudvu in Swati, this golden dish blends the earthy sweetness of pumpkin or butternut with maize meal into something that sits between porridge and pudding. It is a dish of autumn — made when the gourds are fat and the harvest complete.

Ingredients · Serves 6

1 medium butternut (about 800g), peeled and cubed
1½ cups maize meal
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar (for sweet version) or leave out for savoury
1 tsp cinnamon (sweet version)
2 Tbsp butter or coconut oil
Pinch of ground ginger
Handful of roasted groundnuts

Method

Boil butternut in salted water until completely soft — about 20 minutes. Drain and mash smoothly.
In a separate pot, bring 3 cups water to boil. Whisk in maize meal and stir continuously until thick — about 8 minutes.
Fold mashed butternut into the maize meal mixture. Add butter, sugar (if using), cinnamon and ginger. Stir vigorously for 5 minutes over low heat.
Serve warm, topped with crushed roasted groundnuts. Sweet version: serve with a spoon of plain yoghurt. Savoury: serve alongside any stew.

Serves Both Worlds Add more sugar, a splash of vanilla, and serve as dessert. Or remove sugar entirely, add black pepper and chilli, and serve as a side dish for a braai. Both are authentic and traditional.

07 Sotho-Tswana — Dinawa Dinawa — Cowpea & Tomato Potjie The humble black-eyed pea stew that fed the Highveld for generations 🍽️ Serves 6⏱️ 1h 30m✓ Braai-friendly✓ Vegan

Dinawa is the Sotho-Tswana name for cowpeas or black-eyed peas. The word simply means "beans." These protein-rich legumes, stewed with tomato, onion, and spice, were the sustaining meal of Highveld farming communities. Cooked in a three-legged pot over coals, they take on a smokiness that no indoor pot quite replicates — though a good cast iron pot on a gas flame comes very close.

Ingredients · Serves 6

500g dried cowpeas (black-eyed peas), soaked overnight
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp turmeric
1 vegetable stock cube
Salt, pepper, fresh coriander
1–2 chillies (optional)
Stiff pap or rice to serve

Method

Drain soaked cowpeas. Cover with fresh water in a pot and boil for 45 minutes until just tender (not mushy). Drain and set aside, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid.
In a heavy pot or cast iron, fry onions in oil on medium heat for 12 minutes until golden. Add garlic, ginger and chilli. Cook 2 minutes.
Add spices — cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric. Stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add tomato paste, fresh tomatoes and tinned tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 minutes, breaking down the tomatoes. Add stock cube.
Add drained cowpeas and reserved cooking liquid. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stew is thick and deeply flavoured.
Season generously. Scatter fresh coriander. Serve with stiff pap.

Braai Version This dish was originally cooked in a potjie (three-legged cast iron pot) over open coals at a braai. Simply place your cast iron pot on the coals and follow the same method. The smoky flavour it develops is irreplaceable. Serve with braaibroodjies — cheese toast on the grill.

Afrikaner — Boer & Plaaskombuis

Die Plaastafel

Afrikaner farm cooking has always had a rich vegetarian tradition hidden inside it — pampoenkoekies, soetpatats, waterblommetjiebredie, gestoofde suurkool, roosterkoek. These were never afterthoughts; they were the backbone of the harvest table. We restore them here to their rightful centrepiece status.

08 Afrikaner Pampoenkoekies — Pumpkin Fritters The golden fritters of every ouma's Sunday table 🍽️ Makes 16⏱️ 30 mins✓ Vegan option

Every Afrikaner child knows pampoenkoekies. Crisp on the outside, pillowy within, dusted in cinnamon sugar — they appear at braais, Sunday lunches, and school fêtes across the land. Made from the surplus pumpkins of the farm garden, they are the perfect example of nothing going to waste.

Ingredients · Makes 16

2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin
1 cup cake flour
1 egg (or 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp water)
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Oil for shallow frying
Cinnamon sugar for dusting (4 Tbsp sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon)

Method

Combine mashed pumpkin, flour, egg (or flax egg), baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix to a soft batter — do not overmix.
Heat 1cm of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
Drop heaped tablespoons of batter into the hot oil. Flatten slightly. Fry 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden brown.
Drain on paper towel. Immediately dust with cinnamon sugar while hot. Serve at once.

Savoury Version Remove the sugar and cinnamon. Add ½ cup grated mature cheddar (or Violife vegan cheddar), chopped fresh parsley, and ½ tsp smoked paprika to the batter. Serve with Mrs H.S. Ball's chutney. This is the braai-side version every Afrikaner farmer knows.

09 Afrikaner & Khoikhoi Waterblommetjiebredie — Water Flower Stew The Cape's most iconic stew, returned to its plant-based Khoikhoi origins 🍽️ Serves 6⏱️ 1h 30m✓ Vegan option

The Khoikhoi people taught the Dutch settlers how to use waterblommetjies — the fragrant aquatic flowers of the Cape ponds — as food and medicine. The settlers added the lamb. We return it to its roots. Available fresh July–September in the Western Cape, and tinned year-round at Woolworths and Pick n Pay.

Ingredients · Serves 6

800g fresh or tinned waterblommetjies
2 large onions, sliced into half-moons
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
3 medium carrots, chunked
2 leeks, sliced
300ml dry white wine (Chenin Blanc)
300ml vegetable stock
Juice of 2 lemons
3 Tbsp good olive oil, 3 Tbsp butter (or plant butter)
Salt, black pepper, fresh sorrel or parsley
2 bay leaves, 4 black peppercorns

Method

If using fresh waterblommetjies, soak in well-salted water for 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly under cold water.
In a heavy casserole, melt butter with olive oil. Fry onions very slowly for 20 minutes — deep golden, not burnt. Add garlic and leeks, 5 more minutes.
Add wine and allow to bubble for 2 minutes. Add vegetable stock, bay leaves, peppercorns, half the lemon juice, potatoes and carrots.
Add waterblommetjies. Cover and simmer very gently for 40–50 minutes. The bloemetjies should be tender but hold their shape. Do not over-stir — they are delicate.
Finish with remaining lemon juice, butter, and fresh parsley or sorrel. Season generously. Serve with basmati rice.

Heritage Note The original Khoikhoi preparation was much simpler — waterblommetjies boiled with wild herbs and eaten with dried meat or grain. This richer version evolved through 300 years of Cape Dutch farmhouse cooking. Both are valid — both are South African.

10 Afrikaner Gesmoorde Soetpatats — Braised Sweet Potato The sticky, spiced side dish no plaastafel was complete without 🍽️ Serves 6⏱️ 45 mins✓ Vegan option

Soetpatats — sweet potatoes braised in butter, sugar, cinnamon and orange peel until caramelised and sticky — appear at every Afrikaner Christmas table and braai. Simple, golden, and completely plant-based by nature. They require patience at the stove and reward it generously.

Ingredients · Serves 6

1.2kg sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1cm thick
3 Tbsp butter or coconut oil
4 Tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger, pinch of cloves
Zest and juice of 1 orange
½ cup water
Pinch of salt

Method

Arrange sweet potato slices in a single layer in a wide, heavy pan. Add butter, sugar, spices, orange zest and juice, water and salt.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook 15 minutes, turning slices once.
Remove lid. Continue cooking on medium-low for 15–20 more minutes, turning gently, until liquid has reduced to a thick, glossy syrup and the sweet potato is tender and caramelised.
Serve as a side dish alongside pap, roosterkoek, or any braai meal.

Braai Tip Place the pot directly on the braai grid during the second half of cooking, with the lid off. The coals give the syrup a subtle smokiness that is deeply traditional. This is one of the finest side dishes the Afrikaner kitchen has ever produced.

11 Afrikaner Roosterkoek — Braai Grid Bread The original braai bread, fire-baked with herb butter 🍽️ Makes 12⏱️ 1h 30m✓ Vegan option

Roosterkoek is bread dough cooked directly on the braai grid over coals — striped with grill marks, soft inside, smoky outside. It has no equal. Traditionally eaten with butter and Mrs Ball's. We add rosemary and garlic for a more complex, sophisticated version.

Ingredients · Makes 12

4 cups bread flour
10g instant yeast (1 sachet)
1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar
1½ cups warm water
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp plant butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Flaky sea salt for finishing

Method

Mix flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add water and oil. Knead for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover; rise 1 hour until doubled.
Punch down. Divide into 12 balls. Flatten each to a 1.5cm disc. Rest 15 minutes.
Place on a clean, oiled braai grid over medium coals. Cook 6–7 minutes per side until golden with char marks and cooked through.
Mix softened butter with garlic and rosemary. Split each roosterkoek and fill with herb butter and a pinch of flaky salt.

Traditional Serving Oumas served roosterkoek simply with apricot jam and butter. The rosemary-garlic version is a modern evolution. Both versions belong at every South African braai regardless of culture — roosterkoek is universal.

Cape Malay · Bo-Kaap & the Western Cape

The Spice Kitchen

The Cape Malay community — descendants of enslaved people brought from Indonesia, Malaysia and Madagascar by the Dutch East India Company — gave South Africa its most sophisticated spice tradition. Their bredies, bobotie, and koeksisters define the Cape table. Many of these dishes were originally vegetable-based; the spices, not the meat, were always the heart.

12 Cape Malay Lentil Bobotie — The Plant-Based National Dish South Africa's most loved recipe, returned to its spice-forward origins 🍽️ Serves 6⏱️ 1h 15m✓ Showstopper✓ Vegetarian

Bobotie traces its origins to 17th-century Cape Malay kitchens, where Indonesian and Cape flavours merged into something entirely South African. The spices — turmeric, curry, cinnamon, apricot, bay — were always the soul of the dish. The meat was merely a vehicle. Swap it for lentils, and the soul remains completely intact.

Ingredients · Serves 6

400g green or brown lentils, rinsed
2 large onions, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbsp mild curry powder
1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, ½ tsp cinnamon
4 cardamom pods, crushed
50g dried apricots, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Mrs H.S. Ball's chutney
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp white bread soaked in ½ cup milk
2 eggs (topping) + 1 cup milk
30g flaked almonds
6 fresh bay leaves
Salt, lemon zest, olive oil

Method

Cook lentils in unsalted water for 20 minutes until tender but holding their shape. Drain well.
Fry onions in oil for 15 minutes until deep golden. Add garlic, ginger and all spices. Stir 2 minutes until very fragrant.
Add tomato paste, apricots, chutney, and soaked bread (squeezed). Stir well. Add lentils. Season generously with salt and lemon zest.
Transfer to a greased ovenproof dish (about 30×20cm). Smooth the top. Scatter flaked almonds.
Beat eggs with milk and a pinch of turmeric. Pour gently over the top. Arrange bay leaves on surface.
Bake at 160°C for 35–40 minutes until the custard top is set and golden.
Serve with yellow rice (basmati cooked with turmeric, raisins, cinnamon) and sliced banana.

Yellow Rice Cook 2 cups basmati with 1 tsp turmeric, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 Tbsp raisins, 1 tsp sugar, and salt. This is the essential accompaniment — the slight sweetness balances the spice of the bobotie perfectly.

13 Cape Malay Sugar Bean Tomato Bredie The Cape's richest slow-cooked stew, reborn 🍽️ Serves 6⏱️ 2 hours✓ Vegan

A bredie is a slow-cooked Cape Malay stew. The word comes from Malay. In the old days, when meat was expensive and sparse, the beans and spices were the main event. This sugar bean version is the most deeply satisfying thing you can cook on a winter Sunday in the Cape.

Ingredients · Serves 6

400g dried sugar beans, soaked overnight and boiled 45 min
2 large onions, sliced into rings
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tin (400g) whole tomatoes
3 fresh tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves, 4 allspice berries, 2 bay leaves
1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp sugar
Salt, pepper, fresh chilli
3 medium potatoes, halved
3 Tbsp cooking oil

Method

In a heavy pot, caramelise onions in oil over medium-low heat for 20 minutes — this patience is essential. Add garlic, whole spices, chilli. Cook 3 minutes.
Add coriander and tomato paste. Stir 1 minute. Add liquidised tinned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes. Add sugar, salt. Simmer 15 minutes uncovered until thick and paste-like.
Add par-cooked sugar beans and potatoes. Just enough water to prevent sticking — bredies are intentionally thick.
Cover and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour on very low heat, stirring only occasionally. The potatoes should be very soft, the beans creamy, the sauce thick and brick-red.
Rest for 10 minutes. Serve with fluffy basmati rice.

Overnight Improvement Like all great bredies, this is significantly better the next day. Cook the night before, refrigerate, and reheat slowly. The spices continue to develop overnight in a way that no single-day cooking can achieve.

14 All Communities — Township Origin Chakalaka — The Rainbow Relish Born in the mine hostels of Johannesburg. Belongs to all of us now. 🍽️ Serves 8⏱️ 30 mins✓ Vegan

Chakalaka means "all together" in Zulu. Its origin story: mine workers on the Rand, cooking in large hostels with whatever vegetables were available, creating a spiced, vibrant relish from onion, carrot, pepper, tomato, and beans. Today it is found at every braai, every family table, every culture. It is the rainbow nation in a bowl.

Ingredients · Serves 8

1 large onion, finely diced
1 green & 1 red pepper, diced
3 large carrots, grated
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 tin (400g) baked beans or sugar beans
2 tsp mild curry powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cayenne (adjust)
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, black pepper, fresh thyme
Handful fresh coriander or parsley

Method

Fry onion in oil for 8 minutes until soft. Add garlic, ginger, and peppers. Cook 5 minutes.
Add curry powder, paprika, and cayenne. Stir 1 minute. Add carrots — stir to coat in spices.
Add tomatoes and thyme. Cook 8–10 minutes uncovered until vegetables are soft and sauce has thickened.
Add beans. Stir gently. Simmer 3 minutes. Season well. Scatter coriander. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serving Versatility Chakalaka works as a side dish with pap, as a topping on roosterkoek, as a bunny chow filling, spooned over rice, or eaten cold as a salad. No other South African dish crosses cultural lines as completely.

South African Indian — KwaZulu-Natal & Gauteng

The Durban Kitchen

Indian indentured labourers arrived in Natal from 1860, bringing with them the spice traditions of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Over 160 years, they created a distinctly South African-Indian food culture — bunny chow, durban curry, rotis, and dhals that bear no equivalent anywhere in the world. Many of these dishes were always vegetarian by tradition.

15 South African Indian — Durban Chickpea Bunny Chow — The Original The original bunny was vegetarian. This is the genuine article. 🍽️ Serves 4⏱️ 45 mins✓ Essential✓ Vegan

The original bunny chow was a vegetarian dish — Indian workers on Natal sugar cane plantations hollowed out bread loaves to carry their bean and chickpea curries. The meat version came later. This chickpea version is not a compromise; it is the founding recipe, restored. It is as South African as anything in this book.

Ingredients · Serves 4

2 tins (400g each) chickpeas, drained
1 large onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 fresh green chillies, sliced
1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 Tbsp Durban curry powder (or Rajah Hot)
1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp turmeric, ½ tsp garam masala
6 curry leaves
3 Tbsp cooking oil
2 medium potatoes, cubed and boiled until just soft
Salt, lemon juice, fresh coriander
2 unsliced white bread loaves (large), or 4 quarter portions

Method

Heat oil. Fry curry leaves briefly until they crackle. Add onion — fry 12 minutes until golden. Add ginger, garlic, chilli. Cook 3 minutes.
Add all dry spices. Stir 1 minute. Add tomato paste, cook 2 minutes. Add tinned tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes to create a thick, dark masala base.
Add chickpeas, par-cooked potatoes, and a splash of water. Simmer 15–20 minutes until the curry is very thick and coating the chickpeas. Season with salt and lemon juice.
To serve: cut each loaf in half. Scoop out the bread from the inside (keep the scooped bread for dipping). Fill each bread bowl generously with the curry. Top with fresh coriander.
Eat with your hands, using the scooped bread to scoop the curry. There is no polite way to eat a bunny. This is part of the point.

Durban Note Authentic Durban bunny chow is served without a spoon. You tear the scooped bread into pieces and use them to eat. The bread should be a white Government Loaf — the kind sold at any corner bakery. No sourdough. No ciabatta. This is not that kind of food.

16 South African Indian Durban Masoor Dhal The daily bread of South African Indian homes — red lentils with a tempered oil 🍽️ Serves 4⏱️ 35 mins✓ Vegan

Every South African Indian household has their version of dhal. Made every week, often daily. Red lentils slow-cooked to silk, finished with a tadka — hot oil tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried chilli — poured over the top in a sizzle. Served with roti or rice. No plate is more comforting.

Ingredients · Serves 4

300g red lentils (masoor), rinsed
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin
Salt to taste, juice of ½ lemon
Fresh coriander
Tadka: 3 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp black mustard seeds, 8 curry leaves, 2 dried red chillies, ½ tsp cumin seeds

Method

Place lentils, tomato, onion, garlic, turmeric and cumin in a pot. Cover with 700ml water. Bring to boil, skim foam, then simmer 20–25 minutes until very soft and creamy.
Season with salt and lemon juice. Mash slightly for a thicker consistency.
For the tadka: heat oil in a small pan until very hot. Add mustard seeds — they will pop. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves and chillies. Fry 30 seconds until fragrant.
Pour the sizzling tadka over the dhal. Top with fresh coriander. Serve at once with roti or rice.

Essential Fresh curry leaves — not dried — are what make a South African dhal taste authentic. Find them at any Indian grocery store across Gauteng, KZN, and the Western Cape. Buy a bag and freeze what you don't use.

Cape Coloured — A Heritage Woven from Many Threads

Die Kaapse Tafel

The Cape Coloured community carries within its cooking the most complex heritage of any group in South Africa — Khoikhoi, Malay, Dutch, British, Xhosa, and more. Their food is spontaneous, generous, deeply spiced, and profoundly South African. Denningvleis, pickled fish, koesisters — all have plant-based roots waiting to be explored.

17 Cape Coloured Tamarind Lentil Stew — After Denningvleis The sour-sweet Cape stew reimagined with lentils and tamarind 🍽️ Serves 4⏱️ 50 mins✓ Vegan

Denningvleis is a Cape Malay sweet-and-sour lamb stew made with tamarind, onions, allspice, and bay leaves. It was brought to the Cape by enslaved cooks from Java. This lentil version captures every note of that complex flavour — the tamarind providing that distinctive sour sharpness that defines the dish.

Ingredients · Serves 4

400g green lentils
2 large onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tamarind paste
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp allspice, ground
6 whole cloves, 4 bay leaves
1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp cooking oil
Salt to taste
500ml vegetable stock

Method

Cook lentils in stock with bay leaves and cloves, 20 minutes until just tender. Drain, keeping the cooking liquid.
Caramelise onions in oil for 20 minutes. Add garlic, allspice, ginger, black pepper. Cook 3 minutes.
Mix tamarind paste and sugar with ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Add to the onion mixture with lentils. Simmer 15 minutes until thick and syrupy.
Adjust balance of sour and sweet with more tamarind or sugar. Serve with yellow rice.

18 Cape Coloured & Afrikaner Gesmoorde Tamatie — Slow-Braised Tomatoes The simplest, most forgotten Cape side dish of all 🍽️ Serves 4⏱️ 1 hour✓ Vegan

Gesmoorde tamatie — braised tomatoes with onion, sugar and spice — is the dish Cape grandmothers made from overripe tomatoes at the end of summer. Nothing was wasted. The long slow cooking concentrates the tomatoes into something between a sauce and a stew. Eaten with white rice and pap across both Afrikaner and Coloured communities.

Ingredients · Serves 4

1kg ripe tomatoes (or 2 tins chopped tomatoes)
2 large onions, sliced into rings
3 Tbsp cooking oil or butter
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp white vinegar
Fresh chilli (optional)

Method

Fry onions in oil over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes until deeply caramelised and sweet.
Add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf. Stir 1 minute.
Add tomatoes (if fresh, roughly crushed). Add sugar, vinegar and chilli if using. Season.
Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very thick and reduced. The colour should be a deep, almost brick-red.
Serve spooned over white rice, pap, or potatoes.

Humble Genius This dish requires only pantry staples, costs almost nothing, and rewards long cooking with extraordinary depth. It is the perfect argument that traditional plant-based food was never boring — we simply forgot to look.