Sunday, 18 June 2017

Day 122: Namibia and Vetkoek


Good evening, Raffies!

Today we are going to Namibia! Finding a dish for this country was all but easy. To be honest, I was looking for a traditional dish, but I quickly came to realise that most traditional dishes contain ingredients very hard to find here, such as crocodile meat, bugs and dried or smoked meats.
So I dug deeper. I found out that Namibia had been a German colony for a very long time and therefore its cuisine was influenced by German cuisine. One of the most famous dishes and most appreciated ones seems to be Wiener Schnitzel (let's not get into details about the fact of it being originally an Austrian dish).
So I went further. After the German colonisation, Namibia became part of South Africa, inheriting parts of its cuisine too, for instant the smoked and dried meats, but also Dutch dishes. And here we are: Vetkoek.
My dish for Namibia is Vetkoek, which is basically a type of doughnut with different fillings.

The recipe is simple:

3 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 package of yeast
lukewarm water
oil for frying
grated cheese
jam
minced meat sauce

Start by mixing the yeast with the sugar and some lukewarm water. Wait until it foams.
Now in a bowl, mix the yeast, the flour and the salt. Add more water until you get a dough that has the consistency of a bread dough. Cover with a cloth and leave it to raise for one hour.

Form tennis balls with the dough and press them down a bit. In a pan, heat up the oil to 200°C. Fry the balls of dough until golden brown.
Set them aside on some paper to get rid of the oil. Cut them in half and fill them with either jam, cheese or meat. Enjoy while still hot.


It was incredibly filling, but also very satisfying. A lovely dinner snack for when you do not feel like a big meal.


Love,

Raffi

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