Coastal Cape Dutch kitchen Print

South African history is very rich and many cultures have formed the culinary dishes of this beautiful land. This painting is a tribute to the influence of the Malay and Indians who were imported to South Africa to work with the Dutch East India company. Many of the Malay and Indian woman who moved to South Africa worked in the kitchens of rich white landowners of Dutch, French, German and English decent. While they learned to prepare the European dishes, they had access to the spices from their homelands. This was the Spice Route after all. When they could prepare their own food, they would use the absolute cheapest ingredients and their amazing spice combinations. This is a painting of such a scene, I imagine it on a farm, near the coast. A catch of fresh pilchards will soon be transformed into a incredible curried Pickled Fish dish. When the European landowners had a chance to smell and then taste these simple, yet evocative, meals... The South African cuisine started to form. It is a fusion of African, Indian, Malay and European cuisines all rolled into one eclectic taste sensation. And there is no quintessentially South African COASTAL recipe that is more popular than Pickled Fish. Recipe: 18 pieces of any fish cut into mid-sections, floured and fried (usually in old oil locally known as visolie), left to chill salt and pepper 750ml vinegar 400g (500ml) Huletts White Sugar or Huletts SunSweet Brown Sugar 4 onions, chopped 10 dried peaches 25ml tumeric 12,5ml curry powder 10ml salt 6 peppercorns 4 cloves 4 bay leaved Method Dry the fish portions with a kitchen towel and flavour with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with 125ml vinegar. Dust fish with flour until completely coated. Fry the fish portions in shallow, medium hot oil until done, ± 4 minutes per side. Mix 60ml of the vinegar with the cornflour to form a smooth paste and keep aside. Place all the other ingredients, except the fish portions and the cornflour paste, in a pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the cornflour mixture and boil until the sauce is thick and shiny. Place the fish portions in layers in a container and pour curry sauce over each layer. Top with the remaining sauce. Keep in the fridge until needed. Serve chilled. This is a typical meal over the Easter holiday.