Chakalaka Recipe (Tasty South African Dish)

Chakalaka is a South African vegetable relish, cooked down from onion, carrot, capsicum and tomato with curry powder and chilli, and usually finished with tinned baked beans. It happens to be naturally plant-based, it takes about 40 minutes, and it is eaten hot or cold beside pap, samp, bread or anything off the braai.

The usual method is to soften finely chopped aromatics and root vegetables, garlic, onion and carrot, in oil with spices such as curry powder and leaf masala, then build in capsicum, tomatoes, tinned beans and whatever else is on hand.

Other ingredients could include chillies, ginger, shredded cabbage or cauliflower. The flavour is as good cold as it is warm, and like most relishes it settles and deepens by the second day.

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Where does chakalaka come from?

Accounts vary and no single version is definitive. The dish is most often traced to the townships around Johannesburg and the mine hostels of Gauteng, where workers cooked a fast, heavily spiced vegetable relish from tinned goods and whatever produce was cheap that week. The curry powder and masala reflect the long-standing Indian influence on South African cooking, particularly out of Durban.

It is now standard at a braai, it turns up at weddings and funerals, and it is sold in jars in South African supermarkets. Every household makes it differently, from soft and stew-like to hot enough to clear your sinuses. Treating any one recipe as the correct one misses the point of the dish.

What do you serve chakalaka with?

Traditionally it is a side rather than the centre of the plate. The classic pairing is pap, the stiff maize meal porridge eaten across Southern Africa, where the plain starch carries the spice. Samp and beans, steamed bread such as ujeqe, or plain rice all work the same way.

At a braai it sits alongside the grilled food. For a plant-based table, serve it with corn on the cob, chargrilled mushrooms, roasted sweet potato or a crusty loaf. It is also good cold, spooned into a wrap or used as a salsa with corn chips.

Chakalaka tips and tricks

• Onions should be sliced into pieces or cut into cubes. The onions for chakalaka must be cooked first in hot vegetable oil until they turn translucent or slightly caramelised.
• Choose fresh and tinned tomatoes. Either whole or pureed can be used to make the chakalaka. Tomato puree makes it soupier, and if needed, its acidity can be tempered with a touch of sugar. Fresh tomatoes can be cooked for a short time before being added to the other vegetables to get the full flavour.
• Tinned baked beans are the most popular choice for chakalaka because they do not need cooking, they just warm through alongside the other ingredients. Butter beans or cannellini beans in tomato work if you want less sweetness.
• Leaf masala powder and curry leaf masala powder give chakalaka its distinct spice. They are blends of spices and herbs, typically built from turmeric, coriander, chilli powder, cloves, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, curry leaves, pimento, star anise and bay leaves, among others. They usually go in early, cooked in the hot oil with the onions so the spices bloom.
• Chakalaka can be enjoyed cold or hot. Keep it covered in the fridge for up to five days.

Other vegan recipes to try

If you liked this Chakalaka Recipe, then you might like these recipes also:

• Olive Garden Vegan Gnocchi Soup Copycat
• Vegan Dill Pickle Soup Recipe
• Authentic Turkish Delight Recipe from Narnia Chronicles

Vegan Chakalaka Recipe

This recipe is a simple, everyday chakalaka rather than any one family’s version.

• Cook Time: 20 min
• Prep Time: 20 min
• Total: 40 min

Video Recipe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVMt6rC60\_Q

Ingredients

• 5 TBSP of oil for cooking
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 TBSP curry powder
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons of thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1-2 tomatoes
• 1 - 2 Chili peppers cut into pieces, seeds removed to reduce heat
• 4 large carrots, grated on the large side or sliced thinly
• 1 TBSP Hot Sauce
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 medium green capsicum diced
• 1 red capsicum medium chopped
• 2 cans of baked beans
• 1 teaspoon of bouillon powder
• 1 tsp of Salt
• 3 TBSP of Sugar or (Maple Syrup)

Directions:

1. In a pan on medium heat, add oil.
2. Then, add the onion and cook until soft and translucent.
3. Add ginger and garlic along with curry powder. Stir until combined.
4. Add the peppers - Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add carrots. Mix well, and be sure that they’re coated with curry powder.
6. Add tomato paste and tomatoes. Mix to combine.
7. Cook for 5-10 minutes. The mixture should be well incorporated and slightly thickened.
8. Add Baked beans, fresh thyme, sugar, salt, and hot sauce. Simmer for 5 mins.
9. Take the heat off. Serve hot or cold.
10. Add Chives and Mint for decoration and extra taste.

How spicy should chakalaka be?

That is up to the cook. Chakalaka is known as a hot relish, but heat levels swing wildly between households. The chilli and cayenne here give a warming kick without wrecking the meal. If you are feeding people who do not enjoy heat, drop the cayenne, deseed the chillies and lean on the curry powder instead, then put hot sauce on the table for anyone who wants it.

Is chakalaka vegan?

Made the usual way it is, since the base is vegetables, spices and tinned beans. The two things worth checking on the label are the baked beans, which are occasionally made with non-vegan additives depending on the brand, and any stock or bouillon powder you use, which can contain dairy or meat extract. Some cooks also finish the pot with butter, so ask before you eat someone else’s.

How long does it keep?

Store it covered in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it within five days. The flavour actually improves after a night, as the curry powder softens into the tomato and carrot. It also freezes for up to three months, though the capsicum goes noticeably softer on thawing. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water, or eat it straight from the fridge as a cold relish.

Conclusion

Let me know in the comment section how this chakalaka recipe turned out for you and if you have any other questions.

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• Chakalaka recipe
• South African Dish