Ingredients

Method

• 3 T olive oil or canola oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 t chilli powder
• 1 t ground cumin
• 2 t ground coriander
• 700 g cooked beetroot, cut into chunks
• 2 T sugar
• 2 apple cider vinegar
• 1 T Maizena (cornflour)
• 2–3 T cold water

Method

Ingredients

1. Heat the oil in a medium pot. Add the onion and cook for 2–3 minutes, until just soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently to ensure they don’t burn. Add the spices and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, to coat the onion.

2. Add the cooked beetroot chunks, along with the sugar and apple cider vinegar. Stir well, cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the Maizena with enough cold water to make a slurry. Stir the Maizena mixture into the pot, lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

Cook's note: To cook whole beetroot, place the washed beets in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Cook over medium heat for about 60 minutes or until tender when pierced with a skewer or the tip of a sharp knife. (Add more water if necessary.) Drain and cool slightly. Wearing gloves (to avoid ending up with red hands!), peel the beetroot and cut into chunks. You’ll need about 4 medium beetroots to yield 700 g chunks. To save time, you can also use ready-cooked beetroot. You can serve this as a hot dish or chill it and serve it as a salad.

Cook's note: This recipe is part of Lizwe's Seven Colours Sunday Lunch. "Seven Colours, or 7 Colours, is a meal that includes rice, chicken or beef, and an array of vegetable side dishes that make a rainbow of colour on your plate. When I was growing up, Sunday mornings were for church, and then we’d go home to this fabulous feast, with all the family gathered around the table. From an early age, I used to help my mum prepare the dishes, and now it’s my turn to pass the knowledge on to my own children. I loved Sundays back then, and I still love to cook up a storm for my family now."

Find more South African recipes here.

This recipe is an extract from Dinner at Matloha's, published by Penguin Random House (Pty) Ltd and available at all good book stores.

ALSO READ: From girl-next-door to cookbook author: Liziwe Matloha on reaching your dreams