No need to take the kitchen cupboard with you: these pre-mixes will sort you out for breakfast, lunch, supper and everything in between.
By Amerae Vercueil
Image By Samantha Pinto
1. Magic Dry Mix
A simple flour mixture that gives you four different choices. Keep the recipes taped to the ziplock bag and you can whip up whichever you like in minutes.
• 8 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1½t bicarbonate of soda
• 3t baking powder
• 1T salt
• 2T sugar
Image by Samantha Pinto
Pancakes
Makes 8-10
• 2 cups dry mix
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups amasi
• 2 cups water
• oil for greasing
Place the dry mix in a large bowl.
Crack in the eggs, and whisk in the amasi and water. Whisk until it’s a smooth batter.
Dip a piece of paper towel in oil and lightly grease a round frying pan. Heat the pan over medium-low heat.
Add ½ cup batter, tilting the pan to cover the base with batter.
Cook for a minute. Then flip and cook for another minute.
Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve with a bacon-and-egg breakfast or just with cinnamon sugar and lemon juice.
Flapjacks
Makes 8-10
• 2 cups dry mix
• 1 cup oats
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups amasi
• butter or oil for cooking
Place the dry mix in a large bowl.
Add the oats, eggs and amasi, and mix to form a thick batter.
Heat a greased pan over medium-low. Pour in a ¼ cup of batter per flapjack.
Fry them for three minutes until bubbles form, then flip and cook for two minutes.
Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve warm with grated cheese, preserves and/or charcuterie.
Flatbreads
Makes 6
• 2 cups dry mix, plus extra for kneading
• 3T oil, plus extra for cooking
• ¾ cup milk
Place the dry mix in a large bowl. Add the oil and milk, and mix with your fingertips until a soft dough forms.
Form into six balls and roll these out on a floured surface into 5 mm-thick flatbreads. (A wine bottle makes a great rolling pin.)
Place flatbreads on the braai grid over medium coals and grill until bread puffs. Gently flip over to cook the other side.
Serve with a stew, the kebabs (see recipe below) or as a braai side.
*TIP: Flick water onto the flat breads during cooking to create more steam, which makes for softer, more pliable bread.
Scones
Makes 6
• 2 cups dry mix
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup milk
Place the dry mix in a large bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it resembles crumbs.
Add the milk and mix in with a knife until a dough forms. Portion into six scones.
Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 180 ˚C until golden brown.
Serve with your favourite jam.
Braai Scones
• Grease a rectangle of foil generously, then place the dough portions on it.
• Cover with a larger, loose piece of foil and lightly pinch the sides closed.
• Place on the braai grid over low coals for 20 minutes.
• Gently turn the scones to cook the other side for 20 minutes more.
Image by Samantha Pinto
2. Spicy Tikka Marinade
Marinate the meat before you travel for a delicious braai treat. We used chicken but beef or lamb is good too.
• ½ cup tikka masala mix (or garam masala)
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• juice of 2 lemons
• 6 chicken breasts, cut into chunks (800 g total)
Place all the ingredients into a ziplock bag.
Rub the bag between your hands to combine.
Seal the bag, pushing any air out, and keep in the fridge until use.
Kebabs
Makes 12
• 1 bag marinated chicken
• 2 cups plain yoghurt
• 12 skewers
Pour the chicken and marinade into a large bowl, and add the yoghurt.
Skewer the chicken chunks.
Braai over medium coals, turning every five minutes and basting with leftover marinade.
Serve with flatbreads, if you like.
3. Perfect Pasta
*Store-bought pre-mixes often have preservatives and additives. You know what’s in it if you make your own.
Toss the ingredients in a ziplock bag and you’ve got a classic tomato-based pasta that can travel and keep for days, even weeks. Just add water!
Serves 6
• 1T vegetable stock powder
• 2T flour
• 2T garlic flakes
• 2T chilli flakes
• 2T onion flakes
• 1t sugar
• ½t salt
• ½t pepper
• 2t dried mixed Italian herbs
• 1 cup (100 g packet) sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
• 1 packet (500 g) linguine
Bring 5 cups of water to the boil in a large pot.
Add the pasta pre-mix and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, without the lid on, stirring continually.
Reduce the heat to low and cook with the lid on for five minutes, stirring every minute or so to ensure the pasta does not stick to the bottom.
Turn off the heat and leave to steam for five minutes, then serve immediately.
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