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- 60ml - olive oil
- 2 - large onions finely diced
- 4 - cloves garlic, crushed
- 10ml - Cape Malay curry powder
- 2,5ml - turmeric powder
- 5ml - ground cumin
- 1,25ml - cayenne pepper
- 2,5ml - sugar
- 200ml - chicken stock
- 500ml - pouring cream
- 1kg - black mussels
- 250g - fresh coriander, chopped
- 50g - crispy fried onions
- - rind of 1 lemon
- 750g - all-purpose or bread flour
- 7g - instant yeast
- 5ml - sea salt
- 375ml - lukewarm water
You’ll need your coals at medium heat for this dish. Once ready, get the potjie pot up to temperature before adding your ingredients. A potjie pot builds up heat and once it’s too hot it’s hard to reduce the temperature quickly.
1 Mussels Add the oil, then brown the onions and add the garlic towards the end. Add the spices and fry until the aroma of the spices is strong and pungent, then add the sugar.
2 Add the chicken stock and cream and bring to a gentle simmer, reducing the sauce to a medium-to-thin pouring consistency, about 10 minutes.
3 Scrape the coals into a small pile directly under the pot to increase the temperature so the sauce simmers. Be careful not to burn the sauce or bottom.
4 Add the mussels for 5 minutes. Do not overcook. Get the potjie off the heat as soon as all the shells are open. The heat of the potjie pot will be retained and keep cooking so don’t leave it on longer.
5 Pot bread Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl for mixing. Create a well in the centre and slowly pour in the water. Mix until the ingredients are combined, the dough will be a wet-dough mixture when done. Do not knead.
6 Cover the bowl with a tea towel and store in a warm place for 6-7 hours. Once it has doubled in size prepare a flat-bottomed pot.
7 Lightly oil a flat-bottomed potjie pot then place the pot over low-temperature coal. Remove the dough from the bowl then fold the outer portion of the dough inwards, forming a ball. Tuck all the seams underneath and squeeze together to ensure the dough is pressed together, and the top of the ball is smooth.
8 Place the dough into the pot and cover. Place a few coals on the lid and ensure the fire is low in heat. Check the bread after 30 minutes then bake for a further 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9 Rest the bread for 15 minutes before slicing.
10 Serve the mussels in a bowl and add a handful of coriander and crispy onions. Sprinkle the lemon rind over to taste. Season to taste. Add the bread for dipping into the delectable curry sauce.
