Thursday, March 4, 2010

Vetkoek Night

My lovely Mum Marie is visiting us for a few days. She goes home to South Africa next week. Time goes so quickly when you want it to go slowly! Having her with us is a treat. She cooked us a delicious South African treat last night. Vetkoek and mince.

Vetkoek (pronounced FET-cook) is a traditional South African pastry. It is dough deep-fried in cooking oil and either filled with cooked mince or spread with jam or jam. It is thought to have its origins in Dutch oliebollen, which go back to the time of the migration period. It is similar in taste to Mexican Sopapillas. A common Afrikaans dish is vetkoek (pronounced fet-cook) literally meaning "fat cake." The word "koek" refers to the fact that this dish was used as a dessert as well as a meal. It is similarly shaped to a doughnut (jam filled, no hole) and is made from flour, salt and yeast. It is dough rolled into a ball then deep fried. It is commonly eaten with butter or filled with jam or a more savory filling. In a traditional South African braai, or barbecue, vetkoek may be served alongside boerewors, (South African sausage). Koeksisters are made from a similar, but sweeter, dough but are braided in long strips then coated in a sticky sweet syrup.
The Black township version of the vetkoek is called magwenya by the locals living in the Gauteng province of South Africa. In the South African townships vetkoek/magwenya are fast selling food items since they are popular, cheap, and easy to eat on the go.
Sara rolling and shaping out the dough.
The master at work. It's a tedious task standing in front of a hot pot cooking around 40 pieces of vetkoek.
The end result. Split the vetkoek. Fill with mince and a bit of grated cheese for added decadance!

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