Madikwe Safari Lodge - Chicken Curry

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

3 fresh green chilies, seeds removed and thinly sliced

1 handful curry leaves

 2 thumb sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

 3 onions, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon curry powder
 6 tomatoes, chopped

 1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk

salt and pepper

4 chicken breasts, sliced

1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed

Heat the oil in a heavy based pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seed and wait for them to pop. Add the chillies, curry leaves and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Add the onions and fry until translucent then add the curry powder and turmeric. Add the chopped tomatoes and allow to cook for a few minutes stirring continuously. In a separate pan, fry the chicken strips with the coriander seeds. Add the chicken mix and the coconut milk to the main pan and cook for 10 minutes on a low heat. If required, chicken stock can be added.

Serve with rice

Lion Sands - Gemsbok Potjie with Sweetcorn Fritters:

Boma dinners at Lion Sands cannot be described, they must be experienced. The chefs cook under the stars with the guests almost drooling over the fires. One of our favourites is the Gemsbok potjie - YUM!

Ingredients:

2 kg (± 4½ pounds) deboned Gemsbok, cut into small blocks
(kudu, springbok or impala also work really well)
1 kg (± 2.2 pounds) beef shin (shank, knuckle-bone), cut into slices
75 ml (5 tablespoons) cake-flour
15 ml (1 tablespoon) salt
Freshly ground black pepper (to your taste)
3 ml (a pinch) graded nutmeg

5ml braai spice

5ml curry spice
1 can (± 400 ml) mushroom soup
1 litre (4 cups) apple juice
250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
4 potatoes, cut into small blocks
5 carrots, sliced
4 onions, sliced
1 butternut squash, sliced
4 peeled tomatoes, coarsely chopped

MethodBraai the meat in a heated "potjie" until brown.
Add cake-flour, soup and flavouring substances .
Heat the apple juice and wine in a small pan and pour it over the meat.
Put on the lid and simmer for 3-4 hours,
Put the vegetables in layers on top of the meat,
Put on the lid and simmer for another half an hour.

Serve hot, straight from the pot.

Sweet Corn Fritters: 360 g (750 ml/3 cups) self-raising flour
7 ml (½ tea spoon) salt
375 ml (1½ cups) milk

410g Tinned Sweet Corn

Method
Mix all the ingredients together. Heat oil in a pot. Drop balls of the sweetcorn batter into the oil. The fritters are ready when golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slatted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Madikwe Safari Lodge - Vetkoek with Curry Mince Filling (Vegetarian Option too)

Before setting off on the afternoon game drive, Madikwe Safari Lodge packs out a spread of scrumptious treats including freshly prepared vetkoek. The key to this dish is the curry filling, either meat, chicken or vegetarian. The more curry spice you add the hotter the filling will be so take it easy if you're not keen on a hot vetkoek filling!

Vetkoek
Ingredients
6¾ cups Flour (all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons Salt
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 packet Yeast
Lukewarm water
Cooking oil (for frying)

How to make the dough
Mix sugar and yeast with some lukewarm water and leave to foam.
Sift flour and salt.
Pour yeast in flour and knead.
Keep adding water and knead until you have a consistency like a bread dough.
Leave the dough in the bowl and cover the bowl with a cloth.
Leave the dough to rise for about 45 – 60 minutes until it is about double its original size.

How to make the vetkoek
Pour the cooking oil into a frying pan to have about 3 or 4 cm of oil in the pan. Heat the oil to about 200°C.
Divide the dough into balls about the size of a tennis ball.
Flatten the dough until it is about 3 centimetres thick and about the size of your palm.
Place two or three pieces of the flattened dough at a time into the oil. Fry each side until golden brown.

Beef Filling for Vetkoek
1 onion, chopped
1tsp chopped garlic
1tsp chopped ginger
1 leek, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
500g lean beef mince
2tbsp curry powder
2tbsp cumin
2tbsp tumeric
2tbsp coriander
1tsp ground cloves
1 cup chutney
1tbsp oil
salt and pepper

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil. Fry all the vegetables until translucent. Add the spices and allow the aromas to develop. Keep stirring and be careful not to let the vegetables stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the beef and allow to brown. Season with salt and pepper and allow the mince to cook through. Just before serving, mix in the chutney to create a sweet and spicy flavour to your mince.

Now, cut open your vetkoek and stuff with mince - best serve warm!

Vegetarian Filling
4 potatoes, chopped, cooked
salt
2tbsp oil
2tbsp chickpeas (cooked)
2tbsp rough chopped cashews
1tsp fresh ginger, chopped
1tsp garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2tbsp curry powder
2tbsp cumin
2tbsp tumeric
2tbsp coriander
1tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup cooked peas

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil. Fry onion until translucent and add the garlic, ginger, chickpeas and cashews. Saute for about 3 minutes and then add the spices. Cook for 1 minute before adding the potatoes and peas. Season with salt and pepper.