A South African classic, vetkoek, meaning ‘fat cake’, is golden fried dough with roots in Cape Malay and Afrikaans kitchens. Once made for travel, now a street food favourite – it is stuffed with curried mince, cheese or jam
| Created by | Spinneys |
| Prep time | 25 minutes |
| Proofing Time | 2 hours |
| Cook time | 45 minutes |
| Serves | 12 |
| Cuisine | South African |
| Diet | Other |
| Preparation | Moderate |
Ingredients
Cooking Instructions
Download PDFIn a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, brown sugar and 1 tsp salt. Add the warm water and olive oil, then mix to form a rough dough. Knead on a lightly oiled surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Oil your hands and place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover and set aside to rise for 2 hours or until doubled.
To make the pickled red onion, finely slice the onion and place in a bowl. Heat the vinegar with the white sugar and ½ tsp salt in a pot until just simmering. Pour over the sliced onions and let sit for at least 20 minutes. Chill if making ahead.
Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the mince and brown well, breaking it up. Stir in the curry powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the stock and simmer for 15–20 minutes until thick. Stir in the chutney and season.
Punch down the dough and divide into 12 balls (approx. 80g each). Heat the oil in a deep pot to 180°C. Fry the vetkoek in batches for 3–4 minutes per side until golden and puffed. Drain on paper towels.
Slice open each warm vetkoek and fill with curried mince. Top with pickled onion and coriander.
Serve while warm.
