On a cold winter day, I decided to make boerewors chakalaka samoosas with mango atchar dipping sauce. I didn’t grow up with this tradition of sitting around a kitchen table folding samoosas, but it’s one I’d like to start and do in my own way.
A quiet love and revolution as opposed to marching in the streets, it’s done from one’s kitchen, without leaving one’s house. Is it possible to use samoosas as an art medium, a form of expression, to advocate for a more united and better world?
I’d like to create new traditions and teach the children in my life to be creative, to question their comfort zones and fight the system on a daily basis.
Thinking about everyday creativity and everyday action to be expansive, to question why we are doing things the way we do them and find more exciting and adventurous ways forward if desired. The way things are is not the way they have to be.
Can we start a movement by making new South African dishes and rethinking our taken-for-granted traditions. Why are we not more culturally mixed in our cuisines? What can we create together?
I have two grandmothers who were born in the 1930s and have seen so many changes in South Africa, from growing up with WW2 rations, living in culturally mixed environments to racial segregation and apartheid.
From forced removals and the struggle for equality and freedom, to democracy and witnessing their children and grandchildren in relationships with people of different races, nationalities and religions, plus having descendants now that are culturally mixed, I’ve been appreciating their ability to move with the times.
On my journey through personal growth and development, I have always been interested in neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to adapt by creating new neural pathways in response to experience and learning). This is a lifelong process important for brain function, memory, mental health, avoiding dementia and more.
In terms of South Africa, I have been questioning how we can shift and change the collective mindset of this country and what it could look like in the future? What is it looking like right now? I think it could do with some training, stretching out different muscles, learning new things, growing and expanding out of its existing limitations.
Samoosas in the African context: I’ve just been playing with the idea of a “Braaimoosa” — samoosas filled with chakalaka and boerewors with mango atchar dipping sauce as just one option — in the category I like to think of as unity cuisine. What does the idea of unity cuisine look like to you?
I think we have been braaiwashed into thinking that the braai/barbeque is our heritage while throughout the world and history, people have been barbecuing and grilling, cooking meat on fire. It is definitely our human heritage, though not specifically South African. The word braai may be unique but not the braai itself.
Right now it seems the world around us is so divided, from Palestine to the US to the racism and xenophobia that exists in SA. Instead of having no borders or being united, the majority of South Africans stay culturally separated, from who we choose to socialise with to the food we eat.
I grew up with what is now viewed as the “lie” of the rainbow nation but still think of it fondly as an aspirational concept for the country, where we can all live together in harmony one day, our diversity united and celebrated.
Everyone living with dignity, respect and equal opportunities to wealth, leisure and time to adventure. We all deserve freedom in all its forms — freedom of expression and movement, freedom to love who you want and to live how you want, freedom from division and war and freedom from hunger.
There are still people in SA without basic rights and freedoms so the idea that the right to leisure and adventure is a fundamental right is not a widespread one.
Nonetheless, as a nation we love samoosas. You can buy them at every supermarket chain now so why not start experimenting with different fillings?
I just fried up some boerewors and chopped it up with a store-bought chakalaka, folded it into samoosas, fried them and enjoyed them with a dipping sauce made from mango atchar. I highly recommend you do the same or create your own concoction.
Boerewors, Chakalaka Samoosa with Mango Atchar Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 can of chakalaka
- 1 boerewors ring
- Samoosa pur
- Sunflower oil for frying
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup mango atchar/pickle
Method:
- Fry the boerewors in a pan.
- Heat the chakalaka in a separate pan.
- Chop the boerewors very well and add to the chakalaka.
- Mix flour with water to create a thin paste.
- Fold the wors chakalaka mix into samoosas (about one tablespoon per samoosa). and seal them with the flour paste.
- Heat the oil and fry the samosas.
- Drain on a paper towel.
- Put the mango atchar into a blender to make the dipping sauce.
Parusha Naidoo is an artist and cookbook author.
