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Tomato bredie
Tamatiebredie: Western Cape mutton stewed slowly in ripe tomatoes with cinnamon and potato
Winter Sundays in the Boland and the Cape Flats smell of tamatiebredie: fatty mutton neck left to murmur for two hours with a kilo of ripe tomatoes, a stick of cinnamon, a few cloves and potatoes that soften into the sauce. The tomatoes collapse into a thick, brick-red gravy that is sweet, gently spiced and glossy with mutton fat, and the meat falls from the bone at a nudge. Serve it over plain white rice with a spoonful of fruit chutney or a beetroot salad on the side; like most bredies it tastes even better the next day. Most people drown it in water at the start, which leaves a thin, sour soup, so let the tomatoes provide the liquid and top up only by the splash. Chef's tip: for a meat-free pot, skip the mutton, soften the onions and spices the same way, then simmer two drained 400 g tins of butter beans with the tomatoes and potatoes for 40 minutes.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb mutton neck or shoulder chopsbone in, cut into large pieces (lamb also works)
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionsthinly sliced
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 tbsp fresh gingergrated
- 1 green chilli (optional)slit lengthways; optional for gentle heat
- 2 ¼ lb ripe tomatoesskinned and chopped, or 2 × 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 ⅛ lb waxy potatoespeeled and halved
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped, to finish
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Pat 2 ⅝ lb mutton neck or shoulder chops dry with kitchen paper and season it with half of ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
Step 2: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the mutton in two batches, leaving each piece alone until it releases easily and is deep brown underneath, then lift it out.
10 minStep 3: Lower the heat to medium and add 2 onions to the fat. Cook, stirring, until soft and golden at the edges.
10 minStep 4: Stir in 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves and 2 bay leaves and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
1 minStep 5: Return the mutton and its juices to the pot, then add 2 ¼ lb ripe tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tsp sugar and 1 green chilli if using. Stir well; there should be no need for water yet.
Step 6: Bring to a gentle bubble, cover, and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring now and then and adding a splash of water only if it starts to catch on the base.
75 minStep 7: Tuck 1 ⅛ lb waxy potatoes into the sauce and add the rest of ¾ tsp salt. Cover again and simmer until the potatoes are tender to a knife tip and the meat pulls easily from the bone.
40 minStep 8: Take off the lid and simmer for a final few minutes, until the sauce is thick and fat pools on top. Spoon off some of the fat if you like, fish out the cinnamon and bay leaves, taste for salt, and scatter with 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tomato bredie take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 130 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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