Curried brawn, a South African delicacy, evokes memories of summer Christmas celebrations. Its vibrant yellow hue and aromatic curry spices fill the air, signalling the festive season. The rich, gelatinous texture, coupled with tender meat, offers a unique culinary experience. This dish, often enjoyed with warm bread rolls or crusty toast, embodies the spirit of South African hospitality and tradition.
Ingredients
2.5kg cow heel, sliced
1 kg cleaned tripe (bleached white tripe)
2 large onions, chopped
1.5kg beef shin, sliced and bones removed
1 beef tongue (pickled or plain)
3 bay leaves
5ml black peppercorns
50ml curry powder
8ml turmeric
70ml apricot jam
150ml apple cider vinegar
Method
1. Soak the cow heel overnight in vinegar water and the tongue in plain water.
2. Drain the tongue and cow heel.
3. Place the tongues in a large pot, cover with water, add the bay leaf and black peppercorns and cook on low heat for about 2 hours until the tongue is soft. Remove from the liquid, allow to cool and peel the outer skin from the tongue, then chop the tongue into small pieces.
4. While the tongue is cooking, add the cow heel and rinsed tripe in another large pot with 50ml of the vinegar, cover with water and allow to cook slowly, skimming any foam that forms at the top.
5. After 1 hour, add the chopped onion.
6. After another hour, add the beef shin and cook another 2 hours until all meat falls off the bones.
7. Remove the meat and bones from the cooking liquid, take all bones out carefully and shred the meat and tripe finely.
8. Drain the cooking liquid to ensure no bones are left behind, then return it to the pot.
9. Blend the curry, turmeric, apricot jam and vinegar in a bowl and add to the cooking liquid. Return the chopped meat, tripe and tongue to the same pot and mix well. Cook over low heat for another 30 -45 minutes, until the spices are cooked out.
10.Season the brawn and spoon about 4cm deep into trays, to cool and set.
11.To serve remove the set brawn and cut into 15cm x 2.5cm rectangles about ½-1cm thick.
12. Serve with salad and apricot chutney.