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Denningvleis
Denningvleis: Cape Malay lamb braised with tamarind, bay leaves and allspice
Older Bo-Kaap cooks make denningvleis for family lunches and for the day after Eid, when there is lamb to use up: chunks of shoulder braised with a mountain of onions, bay leaves, allspice and sour tamarind, finished with a little brown sugar. It is not a curry; there is barely any chilli, and the flavour is all sweet against sour, with the fragrance of bay running through a dark, sticky gravy. Serve it with geelrys, the Cape's turmeric rice with raisins, and a sharp tomato-and-onion sambal. The classic slip is pouring in tamarind pulp straight from the block, seeds and stringy fibres included, so soak and strain it first. Chef's tip: let the onions cook down almost to a jam before adding liquid; they thicken the sauce, so you never need flour.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb lamb shoulderbone in, cut into large chunks
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 3 onionsthinly sliced
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 8 allspice berrieslightly crushed
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 dried red chilli (optional)optional
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepperfreshly ground
For the sweet-sour finish
- 1 ⅜ oz tamarind pulpfrom a block (or 2 tbsp ready-made tamarind paste)
- ¾ cup boiling waterfor soaking the tamarind
- 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar
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What you'll need
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅜ oz tamarind pulp in a small bowl, pour over ¾ cup boiling water and leave to soften.
20 minStep 2: Season 2 ⅝ lb lamb shoulder with ¾ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy pot over a medium-high heat and brown the lamb in batches until well coloured; set it aside.
12 minStep 3: Add 3 onions to the pot with a pinch of salt, lower the heat to medium-low and cook slowly, stirring often, until they are soft, deep golden and jammy.
20 minStep 4: Stir in 4 cloves garlic, 5 bay leaves, 8 allspice berries, 3 whole cloves, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and 1 dried red chilli if using, and cook for 1 minute until the spices smell warm.
1 minStep 5: Return the lamb and its juices, add 1 ¼ cups water and the rest of ¾ tsp salt, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over a low heat until the lamb is almost tender.
50 minStep 6: While it cooks, mash the soaked tamarind with your fingers and push it through a sieve, scraping the underside; throw away the seeds and fibres.
Step 7: Stir the strained tamarind and 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar into the pot. Simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, until the meat is falling-apart tender and the gravy is dark and coats the back of a spoon.
15 minStep 8: Taste and balance: more sugar if it is too sharp, a splash of water if too thick. Rest for 10 minutes before serving so the flavours settle.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does denningvleis take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 100 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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