Last week Cape Town Tourism invited me to have lunch at The Purple House in the Bo-Kaap.
Faldela Tolker prepared an authentic Cape Malay lunch for me, La Carmina (CNN TV Host) and Cape Town Tourism.
Wale Street – the heart of the Bo-Kaap. The Bo-Kaap is tucked into the fold of Signal Hill.
We visited the Bo-Kaap museum, a social history museum that documents life in the area. A visit to the museum is a must and I felt I was stepping back in time. You are not allowed to take pics inside the museum.
I buy all my spices from this 70 year old shop. The first thing you will notice is the strong and fragrant spice smell.
Mr Ahmed weighing some spices.
I always add a bit of Atlas’ mother-in-law masala to my masala mix.
La Carmina in the colourful row of houses in Chiappini Street.
Starters | Chicken and corn samosas + chilli bites
Tomato bredie with flavoured rice.
We finished this perfect lunch with traditional koesisters.
Make your own cardamom tea by adding five cardamom pods to a pot of tea.
Koesisters vs Koeksisters – recipe Lanice Snyman via food24
There are two types: koeksisters and koesisters (without the “k” in the middle).
KOESISTERS Spongier, plumper and spicier than koeksisters (spelt with a “k”) – and never plaited – these traditional Sunday morning Cape-Malay treats were hawked by District Six children, to enthusiastic response from passers-by.
- 500g cake flour
- 100ml sugar
- 2ml salt
- 10g (20 ml) instant dried yeast
- 10ml ground ginger
- 10ml ground cinnamon
- 10ml ground aniseed
- 5ml ground cardamom
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 200ml milk
- 200ml water
- desiccated coconut
- Syrup
- 500ml water
- 250ml sugar
- 1ml bicarbonate of soda
- 10ml butter
- Sift together flour, sugar, salt, yeast and spices into a bowl. Lightly mix together the oil and egg, and mix thoroughly into the dry ingredients.
- Mix together milk and water, heat to blood temperature, and mix in to form a soft dough. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and set aside in a warm spot until double in bulk (about 2 hours, depending on the weather).
- Roll out with your hands on a lightly oiled surface into a sausage about 5cm thick. Cut into 2cm lengths, form into flattened doughnut shapes and arrange on a tray; leave space for rising. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes until double in size.
- SYRUP Bring the water and sugar to the boil in a large saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil uncovered for about 5 minutes until thickened to a light syrup. Stir in the bicarb and butter.
- Deep fry the koesisters in medium-hot oil for about 5 minutes, turning constantly, until golden, crisp and cooked through. Drain briefly on kitchen paper. Add to the syrup and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Lift onto a serving plate and sprinkle with coconut.