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Chefy Umngqusho (Chefy Samp and Beans)

Chefy Umngqusho (Chefy Samp and Beans) is a tradition South African recipe for a classic accompaniment of boiled samp (hominy) and beans (sugar beans) flavoured with butter, stock, herbs, onion and cheese. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic South African version of: Chefy Samp and Beans (Chefy Umngqusho).

prep time

25 minutes

cook time

35 minutes

Total Time:

60 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : Vegetarian RecipesHerb RecipesCheese RecipesBean RecipesSouth-africa Recipes

Samp and beans is a South African staple, made from a blend of decorticated white maize and sugar beans. Typically, this is soaked over-night in water, drained, placed in a pot and boiled for about 30 minutes to cook before being drained to remove excess starch and served as an accompaniment. This version is a slightly more chefy, packing more flavour into the dish.

About 500g (2 ½ cups) is enough for four.

Ingredients:

500g pack of samp and beans
2 bayleaves
3 sprigs of thyme
2l vegetable, fish, lamb of beef stock
5 tbsp butter
2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
4 tbsp onion, minced
2 tbps pecorino or parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

The night before, place the samp and beans in a bowl and cover with water. Swirl to mix then pour off the water. Cover the samp and beans with plenty of water and set aside over night.

The following morning, pour off the water and replace with fresh water. Set aside to continue soaking until ready to cook. Before cooking, turn the samp mix into a sieve and allow this helps remove excess starch. Heat 1 tbsp of the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the thyme, bayleaves and garlic and fry for 2 minutes more. Remove the thyme and stir in the samp mix.

In the meantime, bring the stock to a boil in a separate pot. Just like cooking risotto, add a ladleful of the hot stock and cook, stirring constantly, until this is absorbed before adding the next. It should take about 30 minutes until cooked. By this time, the samp and beans should be soft but will still retain a bite. Stir in the butter and cheese and adjust the seasonings to taste.

Serve hot as an accompaniment.