Goat stew potjie with mushrooms

Potjie is a South African name for a type of stew cooked in a cast-iron three-legged pot. In Zimbabwe, which is where I am from, we use the same type of cast-iron pot, which we call ‘bhodho’, and we just call the stew a stew - and in this instance goat stew would be ‘nyama yembudzi’. This goat stew is common in Zimbabwe, though each family has its own recipe.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1:30 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Goat stew

• 500 g goat leg meat, chopped into 3 cm pieces
• 1 brown onion, roughly diced
• 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 250 ml (1 cup) red wine
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 5 potatoes, chopped into 2 cm pieces
• 400 g small brown mushrooms, quartered

Cabbage salad

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ white cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 tomatoes, diced

Peanut butter rice

• 185 g (1 cup) medium-grain rice
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, to garnish

This goat stew is a dish I ate every time we went to visit my grandparents in the village. My grandfather would send the boys to slaughter the finest goat in the herd. Nothing from that goat would go to waste. The hide was dried and used as mats to sit on. The blood would be drained and used to make pudding. The tripe and intestines would be washed and cleaned and then cooked. Some of the meat would be dried and used later on in stews. The meat that was not dried immediately would be cooked on an open fire for hours to make this beautiful hearty stew.

Instructions

For the goat stew, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over high heat, add the goat and brown all over. Transfer to a pressure cooker, making sure to scrape in the browned bits on the base of the pan. Add the onion, tomato, tomato paste and wine. Seal the pressure cooker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.

When ready, release the steam and unseal the pressure cooker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Strain the liquid and place in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Set aside the goat meat and keep warm.

Add the carrot, potato and mushroom to the liquid in the pan cook until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has reduced.

Add the goat and cook for a few minutes until warmed through.

For the cabbage salad, heat 1 tbsp oil in large frying pan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until softened. Add the cabbage and tomato and cook for 5 minutes till tomatoes are soft. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

For the peanut butter rice, cook the rice in a saucepan according to packet directions until tender and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, stir to combine, and warm through over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Garnish with the parsley.

Serve the goat stew with the cabbage and rice on the side.

Photography, styling and food preparation by China Squirrel. 

(Tea towel from The Happenstore.)

This recipe is from The Chefs' Line - a brand new series airing weeknights at 6pm on SBS. Can the passion of a home cook beat the skills of a professional chef? Missed all the action? Catch-up online and get all the recipes #TheChefsLine.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.