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Matlebekwane (Dumplings)

Matlebekwane (Dumplings) is a traditional Botswanan recipe for a classic yeasted dumpling that's typically cooked in a stew for the final 30 minutes of cooking. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Botswanan version of: Dumplings (Matlebekwane).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

30 minutes

Total Time:

50 minutes

Serves:

6

Rating:

Tags : Vegetarian RecipesBotswana Recipes

This recipe comes from my wife's collection of Southern African dishes. She is Nigerian originally, but has lived in Namibia and Botswana. I'm now beginning to raid her recipe collection to extend this site. This is a classic example of European influence on Southern African cuisines, however the dumplings here retain the original yeast as a leavening agent whereas most European dumplings now use baking soda.

Ingredients:

800g plain flour
pinch of salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp active, dried, yeast
250ml lukewarm water

Method:

Sift together the flour and salt into a bowl. Mix in the sugar and yeast then form a well in the centre and add the water. Mix the dry ingredients into the water and mix to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead well for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Form the dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover and set aside to rise for about 80 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. After this time, knock the dough back then knead and divide into 12 equal-sized pieces. Roll these into balls.

Place on top of your casserole (typically they are used for magatla (oxtail stew)) but can be added to just about any stew to bulk it out. Simply add the dumplings on top of your stew about 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time (re-cover the pot and continue cooking until done).