There are so many ways to eat chakalaka. It’s a staple at the braai, as a relish or even as a meal in itself with pap, bread, samp, meat, or whatever you choose to serve it with, for breakfast, lunch or supper!
Fresh veggies form the base, with spices and aromatics added according to the degree of ‘kick’ required and baked beans in tomato sauce are stirred in to hold it all together. In fact, ‘Chakalaka’ means ‘put it all together’ in Zulu.
Although the basic recipe uses chopped onion, red and green peppers, grated carrots and chopped fresh tomatoes all cooked in oil, you can be sure that each household has their own version. Cabbage is often added in winter and chopped fresh chillies may be substituted for chilli flakes.
For seasoning, curry powder, cayenne pepper, BBQ spice or a mix of garlic and ginger are the various options.
Get sowing!
October is the perfect month to sow your ‘Chakalaka’ garden and the Kirchhoffs heirloom, non-GMO collection features Carrot ‘Cape Market’, Green pepper ‘California Wonder’, Capsicum ‘Long Red Cayenne’, Tomato ‘Floradade’ and Onion ‘Hojem’.
Carrot ‘Cape Market’
This is your fastest crop and a good all round carrot is ‘Cape Market’. It was developed for South African conditions and is a sweet medium to large carrot.
Because carrots are a root crop, the soil needs to be dug over deeply, at least 30cm in depth. Rake out or remove all clods of earth, stones, sticks, weeds and roots so that the soil texture is fine. Some people dig over the bed twice to really aerate it.
Sow in drills (rows) and because seed is sown shallowly, water daily or twice a day during germination so that the soil stays consistently moist. Thin out to a final spacing of 5cm apart. There needs to be enough space between plants for the roots to develop fully. Carrots should be ready for harvest with in 90 days.
Green Pepper ‘California Wonder’.
Green pepper ‘California Wonder’ is a large lobed pepper with mild flavoured crunchy flesh. It can be grown in containers as well as in the ground. Germination takes two to three weeks and sowing in seed trays is recommended for better germination.
Plant out seedlings into well composted fertile soil that drains well in a position that receives plenty of morning sun and afternoon shade. Water regularly especially when flowering. The first peppers should be ready for harvesting within70 to 80 days from planting out.
Capsicum ‘Long Red Cayenne’
Capsicum ‘Long Red Cayenne’ is a long red chilli, medium to hot, that also dries very well. It matures from green to red with the first fruit being pickable within 75 to 80 days. This chilli has the same growing requirements green peppers and should be spaced 40 to 45 cm apart as can grow into quite a large bush. Also good for growing in a larger container.
Tomato ‘Floradade’.
Tomato ‘Floradade’ is a widely determinate (bush) grown tomato that is ideal for hot humid climates. The bright red tomatoes are firm and flavourful and the plant has good disease resistance.
Sow directly into well composted fertile soil or into seed trays. Plant out seedlings when they are large enough to handle. Water regularly as tomatoes don’t like irregular under or over watering. Control white fly with Ludwig’s Insect Spray Plus.
Although this is a bush variety it will benefit from staking, especially to keep fruit off the ground. For flavourful tomatoes let the fruit ripen on the plant.
Onion ‘Hojem’
Onions are your longest crop and can take 180 to 240 days to harvest. ‘Hojem’ onions are a good choice because they are easy to grow, can be sown all year round and store well. They are light brown onions with a strong flavour.
- Water regularly during summer and don’t let the soil dry out but don’t overwater either as the onions don’t like to sit in water.
- Feed with a potassium rich fertiliser like 3:1:5 or a liquid fertiliser.
- When the leaves start to turn yellow and fall over to one side the final phase of maturation has started. Taper off watering. Once majority of your onions have “fallen”, dig them up and allow the leaves to dry out before storing the bulbs.
Simple Chakalaka recipe
If you haven’t yet sampled the deliciousness of chakalaka here is the basic recipe.
- Fry diced onions in oil until they are transparent. Stir in your seasonings.
- Add the grated carrots, chopped green peppers and chopped cayenne chilli (optional) and mix with the other ingredients, cooking for about a minute.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer over a low heat for about 10 minutes until the mix is thick and moist. Add some water or more oil if necessary.
- Stir in the tinned baked beans in tomato sauce and simmer until the texture and seasoning feels right.
For more information www.kirchhoffs.co.za
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