Here’s a quick and easy, pocket friendly method of making a traditional Cape Malay veggie curry, with real roti – not the frozen kind. Firstly, there are two types of roti. Regular salome roti and the richer flavoured roti. Regular roti is firmer and preferred when making curry with heavy seasoning like butter chicken curry, or mutton curry. Rich roti is used with milder flavour and does well to enhance it.
Let’s start with the Roti
Ingredients for the both roties are the same, the method differs. This recipe serves six.
• 3 Cups of cake flour
• ¼ cup seed oil
• Salt
• Half cup of water
• Butter (only rich roti)
Mix flour, oil and salt until crumbly. For regular roti add ½ cup warm water and knead well until you have tough dry dough. Cut into portions and it’s ready to fry. For rich roti, add ½ cup cold water and mix until dough. Flour your table top, and then roll out the dough into a 2cm thick sheet. Butter the sheet as you would a slice of bread and roll into a pipe. Then refrigerate for an hour. Cut into portions and it’s ready to fry. Both types are fried the same. Roll out each portion into a 1cm thick circular sheet. Wet your heated pan with some oil and fry! (Emphasis on “wet”, you’ll spoil it with too much oil)
Now the curry
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• Throw in a chopped chilli for fun (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 2 tablespoons Paco roasted masala
• 1 level tablespoon turmeric
• Generous pinch of salt
Sear the onions, then throw in tomato and simmer. Let the garlic and spices simmer along with the rest for about 5-10 minutes. Toss in the veg selection of your choice. The best part is that you can use whatever you have. For recipe’s sake though,
• Head of cauliflower
• Some carrots
• Pumpkin and butternut cubes
• Add salt to taste
Let it cook on moderate heat for about 20-25 minutes and your curry is done.
