Vetkoek have been on the African kitchen table and cooked in the outdoors since ma and pa fell off the wagon. They’re great padkos, but I also love them hot, cut in half and smeared with butter and a sprinkle of sugar. If you’re in the outdoors and forget this recipe for the dough, make a basic bread dough – it works just as well. Stuffed vetkoek make lekker padkos: make them on the road, or the night before. You decide!
You’ll need:
250 g cake flour
10 ml baking powder
15 ml sugar
2 ml salt
2 eggs, beaten
125 ml water
Oil for frying
For the filling:
6 boiled eggs, shelled
Coil of thin beef sausage, cooked
Sieve the flour and baking powder together, then add the sugar. Mix the beaten eggs with the water and then add the salt. Add this mixture to the dry
ingredients and knead until you have a smooth dough.
Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a pan. The oil must be hot, but not smoking. If you want to make normal vetkoek, drop in a ball of dough and fry until
golden on all sides. Drain and eat. Do the same for stuffed vetkoek, but first wrap the egg or sausage in dough, then deep fry. Simple.
For more recipes and outdoor cooking ideas, read Justin Bonello’s Cooked in Africa: A cooking journey through Southern Africa.
