Recipes
South African

Tomato Bredie

A slow-cooked Cape stew — tender lamb and tomatoes infused with cinnamon and bay.

Tomato Bredie

Ingredients

  • 500g lamb (or beef), cubed
  • 4–5 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 potatoes, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp sugar (optional)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • Salt & pepper

Method

  1. 1

    Heat oil and brown lamb cubes well. Remove and set aside.

  2. 2

    Add onions and garlic to the pot. Cook until soft and golden.

  3. 3

    Stir in tomatoes, cinnamon, sugar (optional), salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Cook 10 minutes until tomatoes break down.

  4. 4

    Return lamb to pot and add potatoes. Simmer gently for 1–1.5 hours until meat is tender.

  5. 5

    Serve with rice, pap, or crusty bread.

Swaps & variations

  • Use sweet potatoes instead of potatoes
  • Add green beans
  • Add cumin or coriander
  • Make vegetarian with aubergine and chickpeas

Storing & freezing

Improves in flavour the next day. Refrigerate 3–4 days. Freeze 3 months.

Grow it yourself

  • Tomatoes: Need heat, sun, and consistent watering; start early indoors; mulch to prevent soil splash
  • Potatoes: Plant seed potatoes in early spring; hill soil around plants as they grow; water deeply once flowering
  • Onions & Garlic: Plant sets/cloves in well-drained sunny beds; keep weed-free
  • Bay: Grows well in large pots; protect from frost in cooler regions
  • Neem spray for whiteflies on tomatoes
  • Rotate crops yearly to prevent soil-borne diseases
  • Use chilli-garlic spray to deter caterpillars
  • Plant basil or parsley near tomatoes to improve flavour and deter pests
  • Tomatoes: Pick fully red for richest bredie flavour; overripe tomatoes work especially well
  • Potatoes: Harvest once plants die back; cure for 1–2 weeks before storage
  • Onions: Lift bulbs when tops yellow and dry
  • Bay Leaves: Pick mature leaves; young ones lack flavour

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