South Africans love to braai, no matter what the occasion. In fact, there doesn’t even really have to be an occassion! Any man worth his salt always has extra charcoal, wood and firelighters stashed away, just in case… Yes, a piece of meat is always nice, but Liana Reiners thinks there should at least be something else on the plate.
I enjoy a braai as much as the next guy and if my husband had his way, we’d throw something on the coals every day of the week. I’m not ashamed to admit that we were those people who even baked banana bread in our trusty kettle braai during lockdown… and it was delicious!
Thanks to loadshedding, we now have no choice but to braai a few times a week. Hubby is, of course, in seventh heaven. Me not so much, because the side dishes are my responsibility. And one can only serve so many braaibroodjies and garden salads before mutiny erupts. So, my search for new ideas for salads and side dishes began and before long I had more recipes than there are holes in a braai grill.
I’m certainly no Ina Paarman, so I prefer simple recipes and despite what my children say, chicken does not qualify as a salad, so I tried out some alternatives to my usual combination of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and feta cheese. By the way, hubby reckons you don’t need a recipe for salad. Yes dear… and rump and fillet are both just meat… I think he could actually hear me rolling my eyes!
Pea salad
Ingredients:
1kg frozen peas
1 onion, finely chopped
250g ham (can be replaced with fried bacon)
125g cheese of your choice
Mayonnaise
Preparation:
Boil the peas until soft and leave to cool. Cut the ham and cheese into small squares. Mix everything together, using just enough mayonnaise to coat all the ingredients. The salad can be placed in the fridge before serving, but it is just as tasty at room temperature.
Broccoli salad
Ingredients:
2 broccoli heads (or one head of broccoli and one head of cauliflower)
1 onion, finely chopped
250g bacon bits
150g cheddar cheese, cut into small squares
Dressing:
250ml mayonnaise (or 125ml mayonnaise and 125ml plain yogurt)
100ml condensed milk
Preparation:
Separate the broccoli florets and rinse. Boil the broccoli and onion for two minutes and place in a colander to drain excess water. Fry the bacon until crispy and allow to cool. Place the broccoli, bacon and cheese squares in a salad bowl. Mix the mayonnaise and condensed milk together, pour over the rest of the ingredients and stir through. Refrigerate before serving.
Alternatives
Sprinkle chopped nuts and a packet of croutons over salad before serving. For a more exotic flavour, a teaspoon of curry powder can be added to the mayonnaise/condensed milk mixture.
Copper penny carrot salad
Ingredients
1kg carrots
2 onions, sliced
1 green pepper, pitted and cut
into rings
Dressing:
82g (1 packet) tomato soup
250ml water
200ml vinegar
80ml Worchestershire sauce
125ml cooking oil
250ml sugar
7ml mustard powder
5ml Aromat
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Boil the carrots until half cooked, rinse with cold water and allow to cool down completely. Slice into rings and arrange in a salad bowl, alternating with the onion and green pepper. Boil all the ingredients for the dressing together for two minutes and pour over the carrots while still hot. Allow to settle. Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least two days before serving.
Biltong potato salad
Ingredients:
6 large potatoes
250g carved biltong
1 large onion, finely chopped
15ml fresh chopped parsley
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup plain yogurt
½ cup condensed milk
½ teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste
Preparation:
Boil the potatoes in salt water until soft. Rinse with cold water and peel. Cut into squares or slices and place in a salad bowl. Add the biltong and onion. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together and pour over. Mix through thoroughly. Refrigerate before serving.
