Heritage Day recognises and celebrates the cultural wealth of South Africa.

Our country is home to many diverse cultures, each with a rich heritage and unique traditions.

Food plays a central role in these celebrations.

Across the nation, families and friends prepare and share a variety of traditional meals, offering everyone a true taste of South Africa’s diversity.

To help you mark this special day, the Newcastle Advertiser has got you covered with these four delicious, quick and easy recipes that are perfect for your Heritage Day celebration:

Braai Pie Recipe:

• Serves: 6–8
• Prep time: 15 mins
• Cook time: 20–25 mins

Ingredients:

• 6–8 slices of white or brown bread
• 200 g cooked minced beef or beef mince seasoned for braai
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 100 g grated cheese
• 2–3 slices of cooked bacon, chopped (optional)
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise or butter
• 1 egg, beaten (for brushing)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Optional extras: sliced mushrooms, chopped green peppers, chilli flakes

Method:

Prepare the filling:

• Sauté onion in a little oil until soft. Add minced beef and cook until browned.
• Stir in tomato, bacon, and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook for another 2–3 minutes and set aside to cool slightly.

Assemble the pies:

• Lay out the bread slices and remove the crusts if desired.
• Spread a thin layer of butter or mayonnaise on one side of each slice.
• Place a spoonful of the beef mixture on one slice, sprinkle with grated cheese, and cover with another slice of bread.
• Press edges lightly to seal.

Cook on the braai:

• Preheat a grid or braai plate.
• Brush the tops of the pies with beaten egg.
• Place pies on the braai, cover with a lid or foil, and cook for 8–10 minutes per side until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Serve: Slice and serve warm as a snack or light meal with a side salad or chutney.

Tips to remember:

• You can wrap the pies in foil for easier cooking on coals.
• Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce or peri-peri sauce to the filling for extra flavour.
• For a vegetarian version, swap the beef for mushrooms, spinach, and cheese.

Classic Bobotie Recipe

• Serves: 4–6
• Prep time: 15 mins
• Cook time: 45–50 mins

Ingredients:

• 500 g beef mince
• 2 slices of bread, soaked in ½ cup milk
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp curry powder (mild or medium)
• 1 tsp turmeric (optional, for colour)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp chutney
• 2 tbsp apricot jam (optional)
• 1–2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1–2 eggs (1 for the topping, 1 for mixing into the milk)
• ½ cup milk (for topping)
• 1–2 bay leaves

Method:

• Preheat oven: 180°C
• Prepare the mince mixture:
• Sauté onion and garlic in a little oil until soft.
• Squeeze excess milk from the soaked bread and mash it.
• Add the bread, curry powder, turmeric, salt, pepper, chutney, jam, lemon juice, and half of a beaten egg to the mince. Mix thoroughly.

Assemble the bobotie:

• Place the mince mixture into a greased ovenproof dish. Smooth the top.
• Beat the remaining egg with ½ cup milk and pour over the mince mixture.
• Place a couple of bay leaves on top for aroma.
• Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes until the topping is set and golden brown.

Serve: Traditionally served with yellow rice, sambals, and chutney.

Tips to remember:

• For extra flavour, add raisins or sultanas to the mince mixture.
• You can adjust curry powder to taste—mild for family-friendly, or medium for a little kick.

Peppermint Crisp Tart

• Serves: 6–8
• Prep time: 15 mins
• Chill time: 2–3 hours

Ingredients:

• 200 g tennis biscuits
• 1 can (397 g) caramel treat (dulce de leche / caramelised condensed milk)
• 500 ml cream (double cream or whipping cream)
• 1–2 Peppermint Crisp chocolate bars – grated
• Optional: a splash of milk or coffee to soften biscuits

Method:

• Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
• Fold the caramel treat into the whipped cream until smooth.

Prepare the layers:

• Lightly dip the biscuits in milk or coffee if desired.
• In a serving dish, layer biscuits, then a layer of the cream-caramel mixture.
• Sprinkle a layer of grated Peppermint Crisp over the cream.
• Continue layering biscuits, cream, and Peppermint Crisp until the dish is full.
• Finish with a thick layer of cream and a generous topping of cream.
• Refrigerate for at least 2–3 hours, or overnight for best results, to allow the tart to set.

Serve: Slice and serve cold.

Tips to remember:

• Use a glass dish to show off the layers; it looks stunning and adds to presentation.
• For extra indulgence, drizzle a little chocolate sauce over the top before serving.
• Peppermint Crisp can be adjusted according to taste.

JanBraai – braai lasagna potjie

• Serves: 6–8
• Prep time: 20 mins
• Cook time: 1.5–2 hours

Ingredients

• 12 lasagna sheets
• Butter
• 500 g finely chopped left over braaied meat (any mixture of steak, chops, pork, chicken, boerewors)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 cup mix of grated carrots and finely chopped celery
• 1 tot butter
• ½cup dry red wine
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 1 tot tomato paste
• 1 tot oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

For the béchamel (white) sauce:

• 3 tots butter
• 3 tots flour
• 2 cups stock (vegetable, beef, chicken, etc., whatever you have on hand.
• Alternatively 1 cup stock and 1 cup milk)
• ½cup cream
• ½cup grated Parmesan cheese (or aged cheddar, but then use more)
• ½tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper

Method

Make the bolognese sauce:

• In the pot that you will bake the lasagne in, mix the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and fry gently in the butter until soft.
• Some light flames should give you the correct heat.
• If it boils too rapidly, remove the pot from the fames and heat it with a few coals.
• Add the meat, wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
• Stir very well then simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring now and then.
• Keep the cooked sauce in another container until you need it for step 3.

Make the béchamel sauce:

• In a separate pot, melt the butter and use a wooden spoon to mix the four completely into the melted butter.
• Now add the stock bit by bit while you continuously stir the mixture.
• When all the stock has been added, let the sauce simmer for a few minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, Parmesan and nutmeg.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

Make the lasagne:

• Fill the cast-iron pot with layers of Bolognese sauce, pasta sheets and béchamel sauce.
• A fat-bottomed pot will result in neater lasagna but any round-bottomed pot is also fine.
• Put the lid on the pot and bakes the lasagna for about 50 minutes by placing the pot on a stand over coals and also putting a few coals on the lid of the pot.
• When all the pasta sheets are completely soft, the lasagna is ready.

The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us on our WhatsApp Channel