Recipes

Biermarinade, the classic South African beer marinade: lager, oil, onion and lemon, mixed in two minutes. One batch, about a kilogram of meat, zero secrets kept.

The South African relish that goes beside the meat, made from an Australian supermarket trolley. The catch is the curry powder, and almost nobody writes down why.

Paptert: maize meal, sweetcorn, cream and cheese baked into one golden dish. The vinnige version, no pre-cooked pap, one bowl and one hour.

Mieliepap in ten microwave minutes: four ingredients, one bowl, no pot to scrub. The quick version of South Africa’s maize meal porridge.

The South African braai bread, worked out for an Australian pantry. Which flour to buy, what to do about 7 g yeast sachets, and three ways to cook it when the fire is too hot or banned outright.

The South African grated potato and cheese loaf, made in an Australian kitchen. One bowl, no yeast, forty minutes in the oven. Includes our own potato bake mix for when the packet is nowhere to be found.

Skon broodjies, the savoury cheese and olive scones baked in a muffin tin. For the balcony braai, the fire ban day and the weeknight when there is meat but no bread.

The bowl at every South African braai, made in Australia. One tin of beans, five things from the crisper, a spoon of honey and an hour in the fridge. Koo or SPC, both work.

A monkey gland sauce recipe built from Australian supermarket shelves, with the chutney swap that works when there is no Mrs Balls, and what to put it on.

A potjiekos recipe for beginners, built around lamb neck. The fire, the layers, the timing, and the one habit that ruins a first potjie.