Cabbage Bredie is a traditional South African recipe (from the Cape Malay community) for a classic layered dish of mutton, potatoes and cabbage in a herbed stock base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic South African version of: Cabbage Bredie.
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Bredies are a feature of South African cooking. They derived from Cape Malay cuisine and the word bredie is believed to derive from the Malay word berdaun (meaning 'leafy'). In essence it's a mutton or hogget stew with potatoes and vegetables or even fruit (quince bredie is fantastic). A bredie is layered dish related to a biryani, but using potatoes. This version contains cabbage as the 'leafy' element.
Ingredients:
1kg mutton or hogget, cubed
1 large white cabbage, cored and finely shredded
2 large onions, chopped
6 medium, waxy, potatoes, peeled and cut into 4cm cubes
1 tsp thyme or marjoram, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 tbsp oil for frying
1 tbsp cold water
Method:
Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onions and fry over medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until translucent. Now add the meat and fry until nicely browned all over (you may need to cook the meat in batches).
Take the pan off the heat and add in all the meat (if you cooked in batches). Season with the salt, black pepper and chopped herbs then stir to mix.
Take a flame-proof casserole dish and layer in the potatoes, meat mixture and the cabbage. Begin with a layer of potatoes, followed by a layer of meat and then a layer of cabbage. Continue this layering process until all the ingredients have been added.
Pour in a tablespoon of water then place on the heat and cover the dish. Simmer very gently over very low heat for about 2 hours, or until all the ingredients are thoroughly cooked and the meat is very tender.
