Recipes
115 recipes
All-purpose braai marinade and basting sauce
The classic South African sweet-sour braai sauce of tomato sauce, chutney, Worcestershire and ginger beer, used raw as a marinade or simmered into a glossy baste.
Apricot-glazed braai fish
Butterflied fish basted with apricot jam, butter, garlic and lemon, the way snoek is cooked on the Cape coast.
Bacon-wrapped chicken breasts on the braai
Chicken breasts wrapped in streaky bacon, optionally stuffed with mozzarella, mustard and thyme, cooked over medium coals and finished on the cooler side.
Banana boats on the coals
Bananas split in the skin, stuffed with chocolate and marshmallows, wrapped in foil and warmed in the dying fire after the meat comes off.
Beef shin potjie
Beef shin simmered for three hours in a cast-iron pot with red wine, then layered with vegetables and left alone.
Beer and mustard steak marinade
Lager or dark beer with wholegrain mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and brown sugar for rump, sirloin, skirt or flank steak on hot coals.
Beer bread in a potjie on the coals
A no-yeast beer bread baked in a flat-bottomed cast-iron pot with a few coals underneath and more on the lid, with an optional bacon wrap.
Beer-can chicken on the kettle braai
A whole chicken rubbed with paprika and garlic, cooked upright on a half-full can of beer with the lid on and the coals banked to the sides.
Bobotie potjie
Curried beef mince with chutney, raisins and soaked bread, topped with a bay-leaf egg custard and set with coals on the lid of a flat-bottomed potjie.
Boerewors rolls with tomato smoor
A coil of boerewors cooked slowly over medium coals, served in rolls with a soft tomato and onion relish.
Braai beef burgers
Homemade beef patties with onion, garlic and Worcestershire, kept juicy with milk-soaked bread, cooked over medium-hot coals and topped with cheddar.
Braai garlic bread in foil
A crusty loaf cut almost through, packed with garlic butter, wrapped in foil and heated at the edge of the fire while the meat finishes.
Braai pasta salad
The classic braai-table pasta salad: shells or spirals with crunchy vegetables in a creamy mayonnaise and mustard dressing, made ahead and served cold.
Braai s'mores with Tennis biscuits
Marshmallows toasted on skewers over the last of the coals, sandwiched between coconut Tennis biscuits with melted chocolate.
Braaibroodjies
Grilled sandwiches of cheese, tomato, onion and chutney, toasted slowly over the last of the coals.
Braaied baby potatoes with garlic and rosemary
Parboiled baby potatoes tossed in garlic and rosemary butter, cooked in a foil parcel on the coals, then crisped on the grid.
Braaied beef short ribs with a sticky cola glaze
Thick beef short ribs simmered until tender in a spiced cola and chutney sauce, then glazed and charred over medium coals.
Braaied brinjals with garlic and herbs
Thick aubergine slices brushed with garlic, basil and parsley oil, braaied over medium coals until soft and browned, then finished with lemon.
Braaied calamari with lemon and chilli
Scored calamari tubes marinated in olive oil, lemon zest, garlic and chilli, cooked for two minutes over very hot coals and served with a fresh tomato sambal.
Braaied camembert with chutney
A whole camembert with garlic and rosemary, warmed in foil or a small pan over medium coals until runny, topped with chutney and eaten with toasted bread.
Braaied chicken breasts with monkey gland baste
Flattened chicken breasts cooked over medium coals and basted with South Africa's sweet and tangy chutney, tomato and Worcestershire sauce.
Braaied chicken burgers
Butterflied chicken breasts in lemon and braai spice, cooked fast over hot coals and served on toasted buns with garlic yoghurt and chutney.
Braaied crayfish with garlic and lemon butter
Whole West Coast crayfish or rock lobster tails split in half, basted with garlic, lemon and parsley butter, and braaied shell side down over medium coals.
Braaied mielies with flavoured butters
Sweetcorn cobs cooked in foil over medium coals, then charred on the grid and finished with curry, chakalaka, herb or lime-chilli butter.
Braaied mushrooms with garlic butter
Large brown mushrooms grilled gill side up over medium coals, with garlic and parsley butter melting into each cap.
Braaied mussels with garlic, white wine and cream
Fresh mussels steamed open in a heavy pan or potjie lid over hot coals with garlic, white wine and cream, then finished with chives and eaten with bread.
Braaied pineapple with cinnamon sugar
Fresh pineapple wedges brushed with butter and cinnamon sugar, grilled over medium coals until caramelised. Serve with vanilla ice cream or Amarula cream.
Braaied salmon with lemon and herb butter
Skin-on salmon or salmon trout fillets cooked over medium coals and topped with a cold lemon, dill and chive butter that melts over the hot fish.
Braaied sardines with lemon and garlic oil
Whole fresh sardines brushed with oil, salted and cooked in a hinged grid over hot coals for a few minutes a side, then dressed with lemon and parsley.
Braaied tuna steaks with soy, ginger and lemon
Thick tuna steaks marinated for 30 minutes in soy, ginger, garlic and lemon, seared over very hot coals and sliced to serve.
Braaied whole mackerel
Whole mackerel slashed, stuffed with lemon and parsley, oiled and cooked in a hinged grid over hot coals for crisp skin and moist flesh.
Braaied whole trout with lemon and herb butter
Whole rainbow trout stuffed with lemon, onion and fresh herbs, cooked in a hinged grid over medium coals and served with melted lemon butter.
Butterflied lamb shoulder on the kettle braai
A boned lamb shoulder rubbed with garlic, rosemary and lemon, seared over the coals and finished under the lid until pink.
Cape crumbed chops on the gridiron
A heritage recipe from 1908: loin chops beaten thin, dipped in fat and seasoned crumbs, and browned in a hinged grid over wood coals.
Cape Malay sosatie marinade
A cooked marinade of onion, curry powder, apricot jam, vinegar and bay leaves, simmered and cooled, for lamb or chicken sosaties.
Cape-style seafood potjie
A lightly curried tomato and wine sauce built slowly in the potjie, with fish, calamari, prawns and mussels steamed on top in the last quarter hour.
Cheese and onion beer bread
A savoury beer bread loaded with sharp cheddar, spring onion and a little mustard, baked in a loaf tin in a covered kettle braai or the oven.
Chicken espetada with garlic and bay leaves
Big chunks of chicken salted with garlic overnight, threaded with bay leaves on long skewers and cooked fast over hot coals, Madeira style.
Chicken potjie
Browned chicken thighs and drumsticks in a mild curry and chutney sauce, layered with potatoes, butternut and mushrooms and left to simmer over a few coals.
Chicken satay skewers
Thigh pieces marinated in soy, brown sugar, turmeric and garlic, braaied on skewers over medium coals and served with a warm peanut and coconut sauce.
Chicken sosaties with apricot and curry
Skewers of chicken thigh, dried apricot and onion in a sweet, mild Cape curry marinade.
Chimichurri steak marinade
A raw parsley, oregano, garlic, chilli and red wine vinegar marinade for steak, with half kept back to spoon over the sliced meat as a sauce.
Chocolate orange cakes in the coals
Chocolate cake batter baked in hollowed-out orange halves, wrapped in foil and set in low coals. The peel flavours the cake as it bakes.
Cinnamon sugar pannekoek
A heritage recipe: thin Cape pancakes from a 1908 recipe book, cooked in a pan over the coals, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and rolled up.
Classic beer bread (bierbrood)
The four-ingredient South African bierbrood: self-raising flour, a can of beer, sugar and salt, baked in a loaf tin in the oven or a covered kettle braai.
Creamy potato bake
Layers of thin potato and onion baked in cream and brown onion soup under a cheese crust, in the oven or a closed kettle braai.
Cucumber sambal (heritage recipe)
Shredded cucumber and spring onion with chilli, lemon juice, salt and a dash of soy. A cool, sharp Cape Malay side for curries, bredies and braaied fish.
Curried noodle salad (kerrie noedelslaai)
Pasta screws in a sweet and sour curry dressing made from ketchup, vinegar, sugar and chutney, chilled overnight.
Durban curry yoghurt marinade
A tikka-style marinade of thick yoghurt, Durban masala, garam masala, ginger, garlic and lemon for chicken pieces or a flattie on medium coals.
Frikkadels (heritage recipe)
Old Cape frikkadels of lamb mince, milk-soaked bread and nutmeg, shaped into flat patties and cooked on the braai, adapted from an 1891 Cape cookbook.
Garlic butter prawns on the braai
Shell-on prawns split down the back, basted with garlic, lemon and parsley butter and cooked fast over hot coals in a hinged grid.
Geelrys (yellow rice with raisins, heritage recipe)
Sweet Cape yellow rice with turmeric, cinnamon, butter and plump raisins, cooked in a pot on the braai or stove, adapted from an 1891 Cape cookbook.
Greek salad
Chunky tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, olives and feta with oregano and an oil and vinegar dressing, the fresh salad most braais need.
Grilled peaches with honey and mascarpone
Peach halves grilled over medium coals until soft and marked, served warm with sweetened mascarpone, honey and toasted almonds.
Herb and garlic beer bread
A beer bread loaf with honey, fresh herbs and garlic butter brushed over the top, baked in a covered kettle braai or the oven to serve with braaied meat.
Homemade boerewors
Coarse beef and pork sausage with toasted coriander, cloves and vinegar, stuffed into hog casings in one long coil and braaied over medium coals.
Honey, soy and garlic chicken marinade
A sweet and salty marinade of soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and lime that turns into a sticky glaze on chicken thighs, breasts, drumsticks or wings.
Jacket potatoes in the coals
Large potatoes wrapped in double foil and baked in low coals for about an hour, split open and filled with sour cream and chives or garlic butter.
Jaffles with curried mince
Sealed toasted sandwiches cooked in a cast-iron jaffle iron over the coals, filled with a thick curried mince and cheese.
Karoo-style lamb chops
Thick lamb loin chops with salt, coriander and lemon, cooked fast over hot coals with the fat crisped first.
Kudu or venison steaks on the braai
Thick game steaks soaked overnight in buttermilk, then braaied fast over hot coals and kept pink, with bacon or butter to make up for the missing fat.
Lamb potjie (lamb knuckle and vegetable)
Lamb knuckles browned and simmered for hours with coriander, cumin, tomato and red wine under a layer of potatoes and carrots.
Leg of lamb on the kettle braai
A bone-in leg of lamb studded with garlic and rosemary, roasted with the lid on over indirect medium heat and carved pink.
Lemon, garlic and dill fish marinade
A short, bright marinade of lemon juice and zest, garlic, dill and oil for fish fillets, steaks and skewers, ready in 20 minutes.
Lemon, garlic and herb chicken marinade
A fresh marinade of lemon, garlic, olive oil and chopped herbs for chicken pieces or a flattie, ready in 10 minutes.
Malva pudding (oven or kettle braai)
A light apricot-jam sponge baked in the oven or a closed kettle braai, then soaked while hot with a butter and cream sauce.
Melktert (milk tart, heritage recipe)
A cinnamon milk custard set in a crisp pastry case, baked in the oven or a kettle braai, adapted from an 1891 Cape cookbook.
Mielie bread (sweetcorn bread) in the kettle braai
A moist South African quick bread made with creamed sweetcorn, maize meal and buttermilk, baked in a loaf tin in a covered kettle braai or the oven.
Mieliepoffers (sweetcorn fritters)
Small golden fritters of creamed sweetcorn, egg and flour, fried in a pan on the braai. Serve them savoury with chilli and coriander, or sweet with cinnamon sugar.
Old Cape chicken curry potjie (heritage recipe)
A mild 1890s Cape chicken curry: onions browned in butter, curry powder, vinegar and a little sugar, simmered with chicken pieces in a potjie for an hour.
Old Cape fish parcels with butter, onion and mace
Fish fillets wrapped in foil with butter, onion, parsley, mace and a spoon of tomato sauce, steamed on the coals the way a Cape cook baked them in 1891.
Oxtail potjie
Oxtail simmered for four hours in red wine and tomato with cloves and herbs, topped with vegetables and finished with a chutney and vinegar sweet-sour twist.
Pampoenkoekies (pumpkin fritters, heritage recipe)
Soft pumpkin fritters fried in a pan over the coals and rolled in cinnamon sugar, adapted from an 1891 Cape cookbook.
Pap tert (pap and chakalaka bake)
Layers of stiff maize-meal pap, spiced chakalaka, cream and cheddar baked until golden on a kettle braai or in the oven.
Peppered beef fillet on the braai
A whole beef fillet in a crust of cracked black pepper, seared over hot coals and finished over medium heat until pink in the middle.
Peri-peri chicken flattie
A whole chicken opened flat, marinated in chili, garlic and lemon, and cooked slowly bone side down.
Peri-peri chicken rolls
Thin chicken breast steaks marinated in paprika, garlic and chilli, braaied fast over hot coals and served in crusty rolls with lettuce and chilli mayo.
Peri-peri chicken wings on the braai
Chicken wings in a garlic and lemon peri-peri marinade, cooked over a two-zone fire and finished with a honey baste.
Peri-peri marinade
A hot, sharp marinade of bird's eye chilli, garlic, lemon, vinegar and paprika, blended raw with oil for chicken pieces, wings or a flattie.
Picanha on the braai
A whole rump cap with its fat scored and salted, crisped fat side down over hot coals, then cut into thick steaks and finished on the grid.
Pineapple coleslaw
Shredded cabbage and carrot with chopped pineapple in a sweet, tangy mayonnaise dressing. No cooking and ready in 20 minutes.
Pizza on the braai
A simple yeast dough rolled thin, cooked directly on the grid over hot coals, then topped and finished with the lid on as the coals drop.
Pork neck chops with honey and mustard
Marbled pork neck chops in a honey, wholegrain mustard and garlic marinade, cooked over medium coals and basted until sticky.
Potbrood (pot bread in the coals)
A round white loaf proved and baked in a greased cast-iron pot, with a few coals underneath and most of the heat on the lid.
Prego rolls (Portuguese steak rolls)
Thin rump steak in a garlic, wine and chilli marinade, seared for a minute a side over hot coals and pushed into a crusty roll with chilli butter.
Reverse-seared tomahawk steak
A thick bone-in rib steak cooked slowly with the lid closed on a kettle braai, then seared hard over fresh hot coals and carved off the bone.
Roosterkoek
Soft bread rolls baked directly on the grid over gentle coals, split and eaten hot with butter.
Rosemary, garlic and red wine lamb marinade
Dry red wine, olive oil, crushed garlic and fresh rosemary for lamb chops, a butterflied leg or a boned shoulder, marinated in the fridge for 2 to 12 hours.
Rump steak with monkey gland sauce
Thick rump steaks seared over hot coals and served with South Africa's sweet, tangy steakhouse sauce.
Sirloin steak with creamy mushroom sauce
Thick sirloin steaks seared over hot coals, served under a garlic, thyme and cream mushroom sauce made in a pan on the side of the fire.
Skilpadjies (lamb liver in caul fat)
Small parcels of spiced lamb liver wrapped in caul fat and braaied in a hinged grid until the outside is crisp and the centre just pink.
Skottel beef stir-fry
Thin beef strips seared in batches on a high flame, tossed with peppers, broccoli and carrot in a soy, ginger and garlic sauce, with noodles.
Skottel breakfast
Bacon, boerewors, mushrooms, tomato and eggs fried in onion rings, all in one skottel, cooked in order so everything is ready together.
Skottel paella
Chicken, boerewors and seafood paella for a crowd, cooked in a skottel or paella pan on gas with smoked paprika, saffron and short-grain rice.
Slow braai pork belly with crackling
A whole pork belly dried overnight, cooked slowly in a kettle braai over indirect heat, and finished with hard, blistered crackling.
Sousboontjies (sweet and sour bean salad)
Dried sugar beans simmered soft on the stove, partly mashed, then finished with vinegar, sugar and butter. Serve warm or cold.
South African beetroot salad
Boiled beetroot and sliced onion soaked in a warm sweet and sour vinegar dressing. A make-ahead side that keeps for days.
Spiced butternut on the coals
Halved butternut stuffed with onion, garlic, rosemary and butter, wrapped in foil and buried in medium coals for 30 to 40 minutes.
Spiced chicken thighs with tomato basting sauce
Bone-in chicken thighs rubbed with paprika and cumin, braaied over a two-zone fire and basted with a sweet-sour tomato and vinegar sauce.
Steak and bacon kebabs
Cubes of rump steak woven with streaky bacon, onion and green pepper on skewers, cooked fast over hot coals.
Sticky apricot chicken marinade
The South African favourite of apricot jam, soy, lemon, garlic and a little curry powder, warmed together and used on chicken pieces, wings or sosaties.
Sticky barbecue chicken wings
Chicken wings braaied over medium coals, then brushed with a sweet, tangy tomato and honey glaze in layers until dark and sticky.
Sticky braai lamb ribs (lamb ribbetjies)
Fatty lamb ribs cooked soft in the oven first, then finished over medium coals with a dark chutney glaze until the fat crisps.
Sticky chutney chicken drumsticks
Drumsticks marinated in fruit chutney, tomato sauce and Worcestershire, cooked slowly over medium coals and basted until sticky.
Sticky pork spare ribs, twice cooked
Pork ribs braised in the oven until tender, then finished over medium-hot coals with a honey, soy and orange glaze.
Stokbrood (bread on a stick)
Strips of soft bread dough wound around sticks and turned over low coals, then filled with butter and jam. A favourite for children at a braai.
Stywe pap with chakalaka
Firm maize porridge with a spicy relish of onion, peppers, carrot and beans. The side dish for any braai.
Sweet chilli and ginger pork marinade
Sweet chilli sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, soy and lime in a sticky marinade for pork loin chops, neck chops or spare ribs on the braai.
T-bone steak with garlic and herb butter
Thick T-bones seared over hot coals, fillet side kept away from the fiercest heat, then topped with a soft garlic and herb butter.
Three-bean salad
Kidney beans, butter beans and baked beans with onion and pepper in a sweet and sour curry dressing. No fire needed.
Tomato bredie in a flat potjie (heritage recipe)
The old Cape lamb and tomato stew, browned hard and simmered slowly in a flat-bottomed pot until the tomatoes cook down to a thick, rich gravy.
Vegetable and bean potjie
A meat-free potjie of potatoes, butternut, carrots and three kinds of beans in a mild curry and tomato sauce, layered and left to simmer over a few coals.
Whole braaied yellowtail with lemon and herbs
A whole yellowtail stuffed with lemon, garlic and herbs, cooked in a hinged grid over medium coals and basted with lemon butter.
Worcestershire and garlic steak marinade
A quick, savoury steak marinade of Worcestershire sauce, plenty of garlic, olive oil and cracked pepper for rump, sirloin, ribeye or flank on very hot coals.
Wortelslaai (carrot and pineapple salad)
Grated carrot and fresh pineapple with radish, mint and a cumin and lemon dressing. A cool, crunchy braai side that takes 20 minutes.
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