Chakalaka

It is rare to come upon a food that is equally fun to say and to eat.  This, my friends, is one of them.  It's called chakalaka.  It's a South African dish.  It's spicy and full of goodness and can be eaten as a side or a main dish.  And, double bonus, it's vegan!  The main components here are baked beans, carrots, tomatoes, onions and curry powder.  I know what you are thinking: that sounds a bit odd.  I'm telling you, the combination is magic.

I learned about making and eating this dish a while ago when I was living in South Africa.  It is generally served as part of a South African barbecue, called a braai.  These events, which can be spontaneous and last for the better part of a day comprise one of my very favorite things about South Africa.  Although decidedly meatatarian, these events have some of the best food you are ever going to eat, and that's not an exaggeration.  My favorite in my strict veg. days was to serve up some chakalaka, pap, and tomato salad and just eat myself silly.  I've actually made all that stuff a couple times for a certain Bengali gentleman, but he hasn't developed a taste for pap.  I guess no one is perfect!

Okay, so here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
 - 1 (28oz) can of vegetarian baked beans
 - 2 c. shredded carrots
 - 1 medium white onion, diced
 - 2-4 serrano peppers minced.
 - 2 tbsp. garlic
 - 1 tbsp. curry powder
 - 1 tsp. chili powder
 - 2 tsp. red chili flakes (optional but recommended)
 - 1 tsp. paprika
 - 2-4 roma tomatoes, diced (or you can used canned, NBD)
 - 1 tbsp. neutral oil
 - Salt and Pepper

Directions:
 - Heat the oil in a large pan.  Fry onions until starting to turn brown.  Add carrots and serranos and saute until soft and onions are browned, 5-7 minutes.
 - Add garlic, tomatoes and spices.  Saute for another 2 minutes, until smelling lovely.
 - Add baked beans and salt and pepper (to taste). If you are in a hurry, just let the things heat through.  If you have a bit more time, leave them to simmer for a bit to let the flavors combine.

Serve with pita, pap, or as a side dish to some burgers (veggie or otherwise).

Enjoy!
ceh.