We, as South Africans, know the best way to celebrate Spring and Heritage Day – and that is, of course by having a Braai, or barbecue, for those not familiar with our “local slang”!
It is so much more than just the cooking of food, but also the gathering of friends and loved ones. The atmosphere and VIBE of the braai is what makes it such a special event for all South Africans.
A braai has no specific time or place but rather it exists everywhere and has the potential to happen at any given moment.
We cannot imagine any of these scenarios without bringing in the all-important “side dishes”, which not only round off the day properly, but it also just wouldn’t be a braai without them!
“It is important to keep it light and simple and try to be a little healthier this year”, says Sean Granger, the General Manager of Granny Mouse Country House & Spa! He emphasized that salads and sides with different textures, cooked or uncooked, is only going to be yummy! He suggested that some great local ingredients such as avocado, couscous, cabbage, pap and lentils can be incorporated into the menu, offering and delivering some delicious salads and sides.
Below are some side dish recipe suggestions from the “Mouse House” team.
COBB SALAD
Ingredients:
- 80g Chicken Breast
- 50g Butter Lettuce
- 20g Blue Cheese
- 50g Avocado
- 50g Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- 50g Bacon, chopped and fried
- 25ml Basic Vinaigrette
- 1 Egg, hard boiled
- 3 x Edible Flowers
- 5g Micro Herbs
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 50ml Olive Oil
Method:
- Dress lettuce in olive oil
- Mix all other ingredients, except the egg, in a bowl and dress with vinaigrette
- Place lettuce on to the plate
- Place dressed ingredients on top of lettuce
- Garnish with the boiled eggs, edible flowers and micro herbs
- Serve immediately
TUNA NICOISE SALAD
Makes: 4
Ingredients:
- 50g Baby potatoes
- 30g Green pepper
- 30g Red pepper
- 30g Yellow pepper
- 50g Onions
- 20g Capers
- 100g Tomatoes
- 10g Chives
- 200g Tuna fillet
- 20ml Olive oil
- Butter
- 2x Egg yolks
- 20g Anchovies
- 4 each Quail eggs
- 30g Fennel bulb
- Salt
- Coarse black pepper
- 30ml Lemon juice
- 50g Black pitted olives
Salad Method:
- Peel the potatoes and cut into dices or cubes
- Boil the potatoes until cooked and firm
- Remove from heat and place in ice water
- Cut peppers, onion, capers, tomato, and chives into fine dice and mix
- Add the potatoes to salad mix
- Add olive oil and salt and pepper for taste
Tuna Method:
- Cut the tuna into perfect rectangular blocks
- Very quickly sear in hot oil until rare
Anchovy Hollandaise Method:
- Melt the butter in saucepan over medium heat
- Blend egg yolks and anchovies in a blender
- Add 200ml of very hot melted butter to the rotating blender
- Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice – blend for 1 minute
- Remove from blender and allow to cool to room temp – DO NOT REFRIGERATE
- Drizzle the already made anchovy hollandaise over the salad
- Arrange in a bowl and place cooled seared tuna on top
So this heritage month, keep it local and lekker by including these iconic side-dishes into your next braai and let’s recognize and celebrate the cultural wealth of our nation.
