Recipes
South African

Pap & Chakalaka

A classic South African staple — creamy maize meal pap served with spicy, colourful chakalaka.

Pap & Chakalaka

Ingredients

  • 2 cups maize meal
  • 4 cups water
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 bell peppers (mixed colours), diced
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 tin chopped tomatoes)
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1–2 fresh chillies, chopped
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • Optional: baked beans, coriander, thyme

Method

  1. 1

    Bring water and salt to a boil. Gradually add maize meal while stirring. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 20–30 minutes until thick and smooth.

  2. 2

    Sauté onion, garlic, peppers, and carrots in oil for 5–7 minutes.

  3. 3

    Stir in curry powder, paprika, and chillies.

  4. 4

    Add tomatoes and cook until softened and saucy. Add baked beans if using. Season with salt and pepper.

  5. 5

    Spoon warm chakalaka over pap. Garnish with coriander.

Swaps & variations

  • Add beans for extra protein
  • Add cabbage or green beans
  • Add peri-peri for heat
  • Add turmeric for colour
  • Make spicy chakalaka with extra chillies

Storing & freezing

Pap keeps 3 days refrigerated. Chakalaka freezes well for 3 months. Add fresh herbs after reheating.

Grow it yourself

  • Maize: Plant in blocks for wind pollination; sow in spring; full sun and deep watering; grow with beans and pumpkin (Three Sisters)
  • Tomatoes: Start indoors late winter–spring; transplant after frost; water deeply and mulch well; prune lower leaves
  • Peppers: Need heat — start early indoors; plant in warmest garden spot; feed with potassium-rich fertiliser
  • Carrots: Direct sow in loose sandy soil; thin seedlings; keep soil moist during germination
  • Interplant maize with beans and pumpkins to deter pests and shade soil
  • Use garlic spray for aphids on tomatoes and peppers
  • Hand-pick caterpillars early in the morning
  • Plant marigolds to deter nematodes and whiteflies
  • Maize: Harvest when silks turn brown and kernels feel full; for mealies pick earlier when milky
  • Tomatoes: Harvest when fully red and slightly soft; do not refrigerate
  • Carrots: Harvest when roots reach desired size; store in sand or cool boxes
  • Peppers: Pick green or allow to ripen to red/yellow for sweetness

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