Ingredients

Method

• 125 g maize meal
• 3 cups water
• 1 t salt
• 1 T butter
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• a few sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 litre vegetable oil, for frying
• 60 g tapioca flour or cornflour
• Fresh coriander, roughly chopped
For the charred corn salsa:
• 4 cobs sweetcorn
• 1 t fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 3 T spring onion, chopped
• ½ chilli
• 2 t lemon juice
• vegetable oil
• sea salt, to taste
For the Boerenkaas custard:
• 1 litre cream
• 200 g Boerenkaas, grated
• 10 free-range egg yolks
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Ingredients

1. Place the maize meal and water in a saucepan and mix well. Add the salt and simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes, or until cooked.
2. Add the butter, black pepper, thyme and Parmesan and mix well.
3. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray or olive oil and place the cooked pap mixture into the baking sheet. Press down firmly and evenly with the back of a spoon to fill the sheet. Chill for 20–30 minutes to set.
4. Once set, tip the pap onto a work surface and slice into 3 cm strips.
5. Heat the oil to 170°C in a cast-iron saucepan.
6. Lightly dust the chips with the tapioca flour or cornflour and fry in small batches for 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt.
7. To make the charred corn salsa, lightly brush the corn with oil. Char over a gas flame or in the oven at 200°C. Allow to cool completely, then remove the kernels from the cobs, but do not discard the cobs. Combine the remaining ingredients with the corn.
8. To make the Boerenkaas custard, place the cream and corn cobs in a saucepan over a low heat and infuse for 45 minutes. Strain the cream and return to the saucepan over a medium low heat. Add a little of the hot cream to the egg yolks and whisk, then return the mixture to the cream to cook further. This is to ensure that the egg yolks do not scramble. Cook, whisking continually, until the custard starts to thicken. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
9. To serve, place the pap fries in a bowl, pour over the custard and top with corn salsa.

Find more braai recipes here.

Photography: Jan Ras
Videography: Romy Wilson
Food assistant: Unathi Taffa
Stylist: Marcelle van Rooyen
Production: Amy Ebedes-Murray