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Kota
Stuffed quarter loaf
Kota: Soweto's hollowed quarter loaf stuffed with chips, polony, cheese, egg and atchar
South AfricanSpaza shops and kasi takeaways from Soweto to Tembisa sell the kota by the thousand at lunchtime: a quarter of a white loaf, hollowed out and crammed with hot chips, fried polony, a slice of cheese, a fried egg and a spoonful of fiery mango atchar. Each bite is soft bread, salty meat, crunchy chips and a sour-hot hit of pickle, all dripping with sauce. Polony is a smooth cooked sausage that usually contains pork and/or beef or chicken, so read the label if you avoid pork. The mistake is building with lukewarm chips, which leave the bread doughy, so time everything to finish together. Chef's tip: tear out the soft middle of the bread but leave a 1.5 cm wall, so the kota holds its shape in your hand.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chips
- 1 ¾ lb floury potatoescut into 1 cm chips, rinsed and dried well
- 6 ¼ cups sunflower oil for deep-frying
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp malt or brown vinegar (optional)optional
For the filling
- 1 unsliced white loafabout 700 g, cut into quarters
- 4 polonythick slices (about 200 g); usually pork and/or beef or chicken
- 2 Russian sausages (optional)halved lengthways; usually pork and beef
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 tbsp mango atchar
- 4 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
- 2 tbsp chilli sauce (optional)optional
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 6 ¼ cups sunflower oil for deep-frying in a deep pot to 325°F, no more than a third full. Fry 1 ¾ lb floury potatoes in two batches until soft but pale, then drain.
8 minStep 2: Cut a lid off the top of each quarter of 1 unsliced white loaf and pull out the soft crumb, leaving a sturdy wall of bread; keep the lids.
Step 3: Heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 4 polony and 2 Russian sausages if using until browned at the edges and piping hot, then set aside on a warm plate.
4 minStep 4: Fry 4 eggs in the same pan until the whites are fully set; cook the yolks firm for small children, pregnant women or anyone vulnerable.
4 minStep 5: Raise the frying oil to 375°F and fry the chips again until crisp and golden. Drain and toss with ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp malt or brown vinegar if using.
5 minStep 6: Working fast, layer each kota: chips, polony and sausage, a slice of 4 processed cheese slices so it melts on the hot chips, a spoon of 4 tbsp mango atchar, more chips and the egg on top.
Step 7: Squeeze over 4 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup) and 2 tbsp chilli sauce if using, put the bread lid on and eat while hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 980 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 112 g
- Fat
- 46 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kota take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of floury potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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