Recipes
South Africa

Lamb Potjiekos

A slow-cooked South African outdoor stew — layered lamb, vegetables, and herbs over gentle coals.

Ingredients

  • 1kg lamb neck or stewing pieces
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 2 potatoes, cubed
  • 1 cup green beans
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary or thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup stock or water
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • Salt & pepper

Method

  1. 1

    Heat oil in potjie pot. Brown lamb pieces on all sides.

  2. 2

    Add onions and garlic. Add carrots, potatoes, beans, and tomatoes in layers. Do not stir.

  3. 3

    Add rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper. Pour in stock (just enough to steam-cook).

  4. 4

    Simmer gently over low coals for 2–3 hours. Do not stir until the end.

  5. 5

    Once tender, gently fold layers together. Serve with rice, pap, or bread.

Swaps & variations

  • Add butternut or sweet potato
  • Add apricots for Cape Malay notes
  • Replace lamb with beef or chicken
  • Add wine for richer broth

Storing & freezing

Keeps 3–4 days refrigerated. Freeze without potatoes for best texture.

Grow it yourself

  • Carrots: Sow directly in loose sandy soil; keep moist; thin early
  • Green Beans: Thrive in warm soil; fix nitrogen
  • Potatoes: Plant early spring; hill up as they grow
  • Tomatoes: Love heat and full sun; mulch well
  • Rosemary & Thyme: Drought-tolerant perennials ideal for hot SA gardens
  • Plant rosemary near beans to deter beetles
  • Use garlic spray on tomatoes and beans
  • Mulch carrots to minimise root fly
  • Encourage spiders and birds for insect control
  • Carrots: Harvest when firm and bright
  • Green Beans: Pick young and tender
  • Potatoes: Harvest when tops turn yellow
  • Tomatoes: Use overripe tomatoes for stews
  • Herbs: Snip rosemary and thyme as needed

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