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A traditional recipe and a camp favourite, oxtail bredie is one of the highlights of The Boma at Xigera. The oxtail is slow-braised in a potjie, with aromatic vegetables, tomatoes and a blend of spices, creating a wonderful aroma. 

A 'bredie' is a word of Cape Malay origin, meaning stew, which is cooked in a 'potjie' a Southern Africa cast iron pot. It is a slow cooking process over an ember of wood-fired coals. You can recreate this at home using a pot or pan.

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Ingredients

Serves four, prep time is 20 minutes.

  • 1kg oxtail (cut, not whole)
  • 1kg ripe tomatoes, (skin removed, and roughly chopped)
  • 800g chopped tinned tomatoes
  • 2 large onions (chopped)
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 4 cloves each
  • 4 pimento each
  • 3 tsp garlic (crushed)
  • 2 tbs paprika
  • 2 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp dried chilli
  • 2 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 3 large potatoes, (peeled and cubed to about 4cm)
  • 3 tbs brown sugar
  • 2 tbs tomato paste
  • 1 tbs chopped parsley

Method

  1. Heat the oil in your pot (if you don’t have a potjie) and brown the oxtail and remove.
  2. In the same pot, saute the onions (in the same oil) with whole spices until soft.
  3. Add all variations of tomatoes, salt, sugar, pepper, garlic paprika oxtail. Cook covered, on a low heat for 3 and ½ hours (or in the oven at 120°C).
  4. Add potatoes and cook for 30 minutes. (top up with water if its too dry).
  5. Finish with chopped parsley and season if needed.
  6. Serve with plain basmati rice and pickled cucumbers on the side.