This prayer is for everyone — no matter your colour, race or religion. For all those who are sick. For all the troubled souls. For the old, the young, the hungry and the homeless. Last but not least, for our dearly departed… May the Almighty…
Spices bring food to life and is a must in every Cape Malay kitchen. It adds colour and taste to any dish and your kitchen cannot go without it. I have several spices in my kitchen which I love experimenting with. It just gives me goosebumps…
This delicious treat is basically a deep-fried thick vanilla cake batter that’s then dunked in sugar syrup and sprinkled with a light snowfall of desiccated coconut. Traditionally served during Ramadan, but they can be made throughout the year for a lovely Sunday afternoon treat.
125 ml (1/2 C) castor sugar
2 large eggs
75 ml (5 T) oil
15 ml (1 T) vanilla essence
700 ml (2 and 3/4 C) cake flour
15 ml (1 T) baking powder
300 ml buttermilk
Oil for deep-frying
500 ml (2 C) water
500 ml (2 C) sugar
250 ml (1 C) dessicated coconut
So many people are a bit baffled when I say I’m making denning and I often have to explain the meaning of the word. It originated from the Javanese word dendeng, which is water buffalo meat. Here in the Cape though, we use lamb or mutton. It’s uniquely sweet-and-sour taste comes from the addition of tamarind. A true gem of a dish.
45 ml (3 T) oil
4 onions, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1.5 kg lamb or mutton pieces
5 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 whole allspice (pimento)
salt and black pepper to taste
45 ml (3 T) tamarind paste stirred into 250 ml (1 C) boiling water and 45 ml (3 T) sugar.
Hello! My name is Fatima. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I started a Facebook page, "Cape Malay Cooking with Fatima Sydow", and it became so popular I decided to self-publish my first book, The Journey of Cape Malay Cooking with Fatima Sydow. You can now find me on my TV show, Kaap, Kerrie en Koesisters, on VIA TV.
