Skopo, otherwise known as “Smiley” is a classic South African delicacy traditionally enjoyed on New Year’s Day after attending church. The meal consisting of a sheep head gained notoriety amongst Zulu taxi drivers and is now found at every taxi rank or township corner throughout South Africa.
Picture: Margret Makhetha
Over generations, it has become a street food enjoyed by mostly commuters at taxi ranks and bus ranks because of its affordability and filling nature. Now it has grown in popularity being included in most high-end nightclub scenes and cuisine spots around the township and middle-class communities.
Getting fall-off-the-bone tender Skopo with rich, meaty flavour takes careful preparation. In this handy tutorial, we bring you the ultimate guide to mastering a sheep head recipe which will baffle your guests.
Preparation:
Over the years as street vendors started competing for customers by updating their recipes, preferred cooking methods for Skopo have evolved. One thing that remains constant is the need to remove the fur, and clean and halve the head. If the labour seems like a bit of work you can probably get a clean lamb head from your local butchery or grocery store.
Cleaning Method for the Shaka Zulu within:
- Use garden scissors to remove thick wool.
- Place the sheep’s head on a braai. This will burn the wool and make it easier to remove with a long knife. You can also scrub the fur off with a scouring pad.
- Place the head in a cool bucket of water and wash off any remaining dirt or wool. Rinse the mouth, ears and tongue thoroughly.
- Halve the sheep’s head by chopping it with an axe.
- Remove the brain
- The meat is now ready to be turned into a hearty Smiley meal.
Traditional Cooking Method:
The most common traditional way of cooking Skopo is boiling the sheep head in a big pot for an hour with salt as the only ingredient until the meat is juicy and tender. This way is preferred for the street vendors because it allows the patrons to spice the meat how they like before eating it which means they can cater for a larger group.
Our Traditional Method:
Ingredients:
- Sheep head
- 2 onions
- 2 chilli beef cubes
- Boiling water
- Brown onion soup
- Olive Oil
- Barbecue spice
- Steak & Chops spice
Method:
- If you want to go the traditional route, we suggest you use 2 chilli beef stock cubes so that the Skopo has a flavour-filled base to marinate in.
- Chop the onions into smaller pieces
- Place stove on medium heat
- Add boiling water to large pot
- Add the Skopo to the large pot of boiling water
- Add the chopped onion pieces
- Boil for 30 minutes before adding the chilli beef stock
- Boil for another hour or so and add brown onion soup to create a sauce for your skopo
- (Always have a kettle of boiling water ready incase your pot gets dry)
- Continue cooking the meal while stirring for an hour and a half or 2 hours (Depends on how soft your want the meat to be)
- Once satisfied with the texture of your meat you can switch off the stove and let it simmer
- One can then either decide to eat as is with pap but because it’s festive and every meal is a statement, we going gourmet and making further changes.
- Remove your Skopo from the chilli beef broth and place in an oven pan.
- Add your favourite spices but we suggest barbecue spice and steak and chops.
- Add a little olive oil and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
- When the Skopo is golden brown and the smell can’t be ignored, then you know it’s ready.
Masala Curry Skopo:
Ingredients:
- 1 kg sheep head
- 2 green chilli’s
- 1 onion
- 1 tomato
- 2 teaspoons of ginger & garlic paste
- 2 potatoes
- 1 star aniseed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 4 tablespoon chilli powder or masala
- 1 tablespoon red chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- Few sprigs thyme
- ½ fresh coriander
- Boiling water
Method:
- Rinse sheep head and place into bowl
- Peel & chop onion
- Rinse & slit the green chilli’s
- Next rinse the tomatoes, and chop them into smaller pieces
- Peel & rinse the potatoes
- Cut the potatoes into quarters & place into bowl
- Cover the potatoes with water until ready to use
- Place a pot on the stove and switch to medium heat
- Add vegetable oil, once the oil is hot add in the chopped onion
- Slit the green chilli’s & sprigs of thyme and add into pot
- Add cinnamon stick, star aniseed, bay leaves, cumin seeds and the fennel seeds
- Mix the ingredients until the covered in oil
- Then add turmeric powder, red chilli flakes, masala, coriander powder, cardamom, ginger & garlic paste
- Mix the ingredients well
- Add the rinsed sheep head
- Add a bit of salt to taste
- Mix well until the sheep head is covered in spices
- Cover the mixture with a lid & allow the meat to seal in the spices for 10 minutes.
- Make sure to stir the pot every once in a while so that it doesn’t burn
- After 10 minutes, give it a quick fry
- Add chopped tomatoes, ¼ cup chopped coriander, curry leaves & pour a little boiling water
- Mix ingredients well
- Cover with a lid & allow to cook for 25-30 minutes
- After 30 minutes the meat should be tender.
- Poke the skin of the meat using a fork or knife, if it goes through easily the meat is cooked
- Next add the potatoes making sure to discard the water they have been resting in
- Pour some boiling water
- Give it a stir, tucking the potatoes under the gravy
- Cover with lid & allow the potatoes to cook until soft
- Once the potatoes are soft, give the curry a stir
- Turn of the dish & garnish with fresh coriander
- Meal is ready to serve
Picture: EatMee Recipes
See video below for a step by step guide:
Note: These recipes can work for beef Skopo or pork as well.
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