by Alex Well
A braai is South Africa's version of a BBQ and is a weekend tradition enjoyed among all races and age groups. Picture sizzling food grilling on a crackling outdoor fire-pit encircled by friends and family under the starry African night sky.
Here are some delicious South African vegetarian braai recipe options for you to try with your friends this weekend.
To get your taste buds going here is a quick and easy vegetarian starter braaibroodjie recipe.
Braaibroodjies pronounced (br-aye-bro-kees) are South Africa's equivalent to a grilled cheese sandwich and are typically eaten hot off the braai grill while the meat is being cooked. For this recipe you can easily opt for an oven grill or a cast iron pan on the stove top if you don't have a BBQ grill.
Contents
Slice your tomato and onion thinly into circles that can easily fit into your sandwich. Grate your cheese and set aside.
Spread your butter on both sides of the bread, this gives the bread a delightful crunchy buttery flavour. Next, spread your mayonnaise on the inside of both slices and layer your onion, tomato rings with a sprinkling of grated cheese on top.
At this point you can choose to add some herbs like dried parsley or thyme, salt and pepper for seasoning. Once you're happy with the contents of your braaibroodjie, place the other slice of bread with the butter side on the outside on top to close the sandwich. Press down a little so that none of the fillings spill out during cooking. To save time make up a few sandwiches so you can cook them all in one go.
The trick for a perfect braaibroodjie is to cook them over medium coals on a grill for two minutes on either side or until the bread has turned a golden colour and the cheese visibly melted. If you are doing it in the oven choose a medium high heat as you would with other toasted sandwiches, similarly if using a stove top aim for about three to four minutes per side. Remember all kitchen equipment differs so keep your eye on these otherwise they will burn!
To serve, slice into bite sized squares with a chutney dip or just sliced in half on their own. Enjoy!
While you're munching on your braaibroodjies you can use the heat of your BBQ coals or your hot oven/pan to make some lip-smacking veggie skewers with grilled corn cobs smothered in garlic butter. All you need is some skewers and your favourite vegetables to make this delicious vegetarian recipe.
Also See: Best Cape Malay Vegetarian Foods Recipe
To assemble your skewers, chop your vegetables and alternate them onto your skewer. You should leave enough space at the top and bottom of your skewer so that they can be easily turned on the grill and the vegetables don't fall off. Put them on a plate, then evenly sprinkle some olive oil, salt and pepper over them.
Next finely slice your garlic and mix in with roughly two to three tablespoons of melted butter. Leave the mixture to harden slightly, roughly 15-20mins.
Wash and remove any leaves from your corn cobs.
Place your veggie skewers and corn cobs directly onto your medium hot grill and turn every now and then until cooked through. This whole process should take about 15 to 20 minutes, if using harder vegetables like carrot or potato then factor in some pre-cooking time before you skewer.
Finally, rub your garlic butter onto your hot corn cobs and add a dash of chilli sauce or mayonnaise to your veggie skewers and you're ready for some awesome grilled food!
And Finally, no braai is complete without something sweet toasted on the fire at the end. To satisfy your sweet tooth here is a vegetarian gooey grilled choc chip cream banana recipe that's simply delicious.
Place your bananas directly on the medium coal grill or in a medium heated oven until the skin blackens. This should take around 15 minutes on the grill and 25 minutes in the oven. When the bananas are ready, remove from the heat and split open the top. To finish them off, Sprinkle some chocolate chips and place a dollop of cream inside the split. You can wait for the chocolate to melt or eat them straight off the grill!
There you go! If you decide to host your own South African vegetarian braai this weekend you'll have some delicious options to try. And better yet if you are self-isolating at the moment you can practise these recipes until you can invite your friends and family over again.
About Alex Well
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