Potjiekos, literally little pot food, is cooked in a round, three legged cast iron pot set over the coals of a braai. Its roots go back to the Dutch settlers and the trekkers who carried their iron pots inland in the nineteenth century, cooking whatever meat and vegetables they had in one vessel over a fire. Today a potjie is a social event in itself: friends gather around one pot for an afternoon, and competitions are held across the country to judge the best.

The one rule is the one that surprises newcomers: once the meat is browned and the vegetables layered on top, nobody stirs. The meat braises at the bottom while the vegetables above it steam in their own juices, each keeping its shape and flavor. A heavy lidded casserole on a stove or in an oven follows the same rules, and nobody at the table will know the difference except the person who did not have to light a fire.

The meat base

Ingredients

• 3 lb (1.4 kg) bone in lamb neck slices or shoulder chops
• 2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 large onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary
• 1 cup (240 ml) dry red wine
• 1 cup (240 ml) beef or lamb stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

The vegetable layers

Ingredients

• 4 medium carrots
• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) baby potatoes
• 1 lb (450 g) butternut squash
• 8 oz (225 g) button mushrooms
• 1 green bell pepper
• 6 oz (170 g) green beans
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

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