This paptert recipe is maize meal, sweetcorn, cream and cheese baked into one golden dish, and gone by the time the chops come off the fire.
Every braai has a hierarchy. The meat gets the glory, the salads get the polite nods, and then there is the paptert, which gets none of the speeches and all of the second helpings. It is the dish that comes home scraped clean while half a bowl of coleslaw goes back in the fridge, and everyone at the table pretends not to know why.
The vinnige version is the clever one. No standing at the stove cooking pap first: the raw maize meal goes straight into the bowl with the cream, the milk, the corn and the cheese, and the oven sorts out the rest while you get on with the fire. One bowl, one dish, one hour, and a side that outranks most mains.
This is our take on the vinnige paptert that does the rounds on South African Facebook, tested and adapted for Australian shelves. Everything is a normal supermarket item; the maize meal is the only ingredient that takes a moment of planning, and our ingredient substitutes guide covers where to find it.
Table of Contents
Vinnige paptert
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- Mix all the ingredients together in one big bowl, raw maize meal and all. No cooking the pap first; that is the whole trick of the vinnige version.
- Pour the mixture into a well greased oven dish.
- Scatter extra grated cheese over the top if you like a golden cheese crust, and who does not.
- Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the paptert is golden brown and set in the middle.
- Serve warm alongside braaivleis, chops or braaied chicken.
Notes
Getting it right
The maize meal goes in raw. That is the whole point of the vinnige version. The long bake does the cooking, and the cream and milk keep it soft while it happens. If it feels wrong, that means you were raised properly, and it will still work.
Grease the dish like you mean it. Pap and cheese both have opinions about sticking. Butter into the corners.
The middle is the test. Golden on top and set in the centre; if it still wobbles, give it another ten minutes. Ovens vary, so start looking at 45 minutes.
The extra cheese on top is officially optional, in the way that watching the rugby is officially optional.
Which maize meal to use
This is the one ingredient worth getting right, because the grind decides the texture. You want a fine super maize meal, the white, powdery grade. It swells evenly in the cream and milk and sets into a smooth slice.
Coarse braaipap is the other grade South Africans buy, and it is the wrong one here. It is milled for crumbly krummelpap, so in a paptert it stays grainy and never quite settles. Both are white maize, so the bag will not always tell you plainly; look for the word super, or for a flour-fine texture through the packet.
The good news for an expat is that you may not need a specialty trip. Woolworths lists Protea Foods Meal South African 1kg on its own shelves. If your store does not carry it, our state by state directory of South African shops lists the grocers who post nationwide, and a bag keeps for months.
The corn is easier. Any standard tin does the job, and Edgell Super Sweet Corn Kernels come in the 420 g tin this recipe is built around, grown in Australia. Drain them properly, because the liquid in the tin will loosen the mix.
Where it goes wrong
A wet middle. Nearly always undrained corn, or milk poured by eye rather than measured. The mix should pour thickly, not run. If it looks like batter, it will bake like custard.
A grainy slice. The wrong grade of maize meal, or not enough resting. Give the mixed bowl ten minutes on the bench before it goes in the oven, so the meal starts drinking the liquid before the heat hits it.
A pale top. Cheese needs direct heat to brown. If the top is still blonde at the end, move the dish up a shelf for the last five minutes and watch it, because it turns quickly.
Cutting it hot. It needs fifteen minutes out of the oven to firm up. Cut it straight away and you get a spoonful rather than a slice, which tastes the same but looks like an accident.
Variations worth making
- Bacon and spring onion. Four rashers, chopped and fried, plus four sliced spring onions folded through. It turns the side into something you could serve on its own.
- Chilli and coriander. One long green chilli, finely sliced, and a handful of chopped coriander. It cuts the richness and suits a table that already has plenty of meat on it.
- Creamed corn instead of kernels. Swap one of the tins for creamed corn for a softer, sweeter slice. Cut the milk back slightly if you do.
- More cheese on top. Not really a variation. Simply the correct amount.
What to serve it with
Anything off the fire. Paptert next to chops, wors or braaied chicken is the classic plate, and it earns its keep at a bring-and-braai because it travels well and reheats without complaint. If pap is the theme of the day, our microwave mieliepap covers the weeknight version, and the rest of the table fills itself from our braai side dishes round-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is paptert?
Paptert is a baked South African side dish of maize meal, sweetcorn, cream, milk and cheese. It bakes into a soft, savoury slice with a golden cheese top, and it is a fixture next to braaivleis.
Do I need to cook the pap first?
Not in this version. The raw maize meal mixes straight in with the wet ingredients and cooks through during the 45 to 60 minute bake. That is what makes it the vinnige, or quick, paptert.
Which corn should I use in Australia?
Standard tins of sweetcorn from any supermarket, about 410 g each. The maize meal is the ingredient that needs a little planning; a fine white maize meal is the one to use, and our substitutes guide covers where to buy it.
Can I make paptert ahead of time?
Yes, and it is one of its best qualities. Bake it the day before, cool it, and keep it covered in the fridge. Reheat it in a moderate oven for fifteen to twenty minutes, or serve it at room temperature, which is how it usually ends up at a braai anyway.
Can I use polenta instead of maize meal?
You can, and it will bake, but it is not the same dish. Polenta is yellow corn and gives a sweeter, more golden slice with a different texture. For a paptert that tastes like home, white maize meal is the one.
How do I know when it is set?
The top should be golden and the centre should not move when you nudge the dish. A knife into the middle comes out with soft crumbs rather than wet mixture. Start checking at 45 minutes and give it up to an hour.
