Ingredients

Method

• 1 litre cold water
• 1 T chicken stock powder
• salt, a pinch
• 200 g maize meal
• 250 g bacon rashers, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 T parsley, chopped
• 2 T coriander, chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the toppings:
• 2 T harissa paste
• 100 g cream cheese
• roasted vine tomatoes
• 4 T Woolworths jalapeño atchar
• caperberries, for serving
• Woolworths sliced jalapeños, for serving

Method

Ingredients

1. In a saucepan, mix the water, chicken stock powder and salt and bring to the boil. Whisk in the maize meal, adding a little at a time, whisking continually to prevent lumps from forming.
2. Stir using a wooden spoon, mashing the pap against the sides of the saucepan to prevent lumps from forming. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir again and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until cooked.
3. Dry fry the bacon in a large, non-stick pan until crispy, then set aside. Using the rendered bacon fat, sauté the onion and garlic for 3–4 minutes. Add the herbs and stir. Add the herbed onion mixture and crispy bacon to the pap and knead well to combine.
4. Transfer to a baking tray and press into the tray evenly. Cut into rounds using cookie cutters and brush each cake with melted butter.
5. Heat a nonstick pan and grill the pap cakes for 2–3 minutes on each side until they form a crust or until they’re golden.
6. Stir the harissa into the cream cheese and serve with the pap cakes and remaining toppings.
7. Siba’s tip: The pap forms a hard, tortilla-like shell when cooked and will leave the pan clean underneath once removed. As kids, we used to add jam and eat it as a snack.

I grew up eating maize meal. We ate this staple in the same way most of the time, but now I add my own Sibalicious twists, including bacon, chilli and cream cheese.

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