Traditional Pap & Bredie
This classic South African dish is a popular braai side, served with rich tomato relish (known as sheba) and grilled meat. Pap or mielie meal, is a grain very similar to polenta, but white in color. Cooked for a long time, it becomes "stiff" and perfect for mopping up meat juices.
- Large pot/saucepan
- 2½ cups Coarse Maize/Cornmeal (Mieliemeel)
- 4 cups Water (Stywe or stiff pap) (For Krummel pap, use 2 cups of water)
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Salted Butter
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Large Onions , thinly sliced
- 400 g Canned Cherry Tomatoes (Optional)
- 3 Large Tomatoes (Use 5 if no Cherry tomatoes)
- ½ cup Dry White Wine (Optional, you can use 2 tbsp white vinegar.)
- ½ tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (Optional, you can use 100 ml ketchup)
- ½ tbsp Dark Brown Sugar (Optional, especially if you use ketchup, it's not required)
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
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Bring the Water , Salt and Salted Butter to a boil in a large pot.
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Add the Coarse Cornmeal into the center of the pot and don't stir.
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Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes.
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Remove the lid, and using a large wooden or metal fork, stir the maize until it forms large clumps.
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Cover pot with a lid again, and continue cooking on low for 1 hour.
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While your maize meal is cooking, get started on the relish by cutting all the Tomatoes into cubes
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Heat up Olive Oil in a skillet and add thinly sliced Onions.
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Cook on medium high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Step 9Add assorted cherry tomatoes and the Canned Cherry Tomatoes (1 can) .
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Step 10Add Dry White Wine (1/2 cup) , Worcestershire Sauce (1/2 Tbsp) and Dark Brown Sugar (1/2 Tbsp) .
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Step 11Stir everything together and simmer on low to medium heat for 1 hour. Season with Kosher Salt (to taste) and Freshly Ground Black Pepper (to taste) .
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Step 12About 20 minutes before the maize meal and relish are done, grill the Boerewors Sausage (2.2 lb) over a medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, turning often.
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Step 13Serve hot pap on a large plate, covered with sheba and a piece of grilled sausage. Enjoy!
While it’s not absolutely essential, Cooking the Bredie on a low heat for 4 to 6 hours makes it darker and richer. It adds to the depth of flavor.
This recipe shows ‘Stywe pap’ or stiff pap. The alternative is ‘Krummel pap’ or Crumbly pap.
The way we make the Pap here is not the only way to cook it. You can stir the pap, if that’s what you want to do but I advise against it…
