Snoek head curry & bokkom bread

Carmelitha Mostert, a local fisherwoman, shares her authentic traditional seafood recipe with us. Buy the book, Beyond the Blue – Women of the Sea, to read her and 16 other fisherwomen’s stories.

Carmelitha Mostert (left) shares her story in Beyond the Blue.

Snoek head curry

Carmelitha Mostert from Saldanha

Ingredients

• 6 snoek heads, cleaned

• 3 medium onions, chopped

• 7 medium-sized potatoes, cubed

• 1 tsp (5 ml) salt

• Pepper, to taste

• 1 tsp (5 ml) fish masala

• 2 tbsp (30 ml) apricot jam

• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp (40 ml) vinegar

• 3-4 tbsp (45-60 ml) sugar, to taste

• 3 tbsp (45 ml) curry powder

• 2 tbsp (30 ml) turmeric

• ½ tbsp (7,5 ml) crushed chillies

Directions

1. Shallow fry the onion until soft, then add potatoes.

2. Cook potatoes until almost soft, then add snoek heads with salt, pepper and masala, to taste. Bring to a boil, add the other ingredients, and lastly add sugar, then check for sweet/sour balance.

3. Simmer for 12-30 minutes until done.

Bokkom bread

Carmelitha Mostert from Saldanha

Ingredients

• 1 kg flour

• 2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder

• 1 tbsp (15 ml) sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 4 bokkoms, grated

• Lukewarm water to form a dough

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients with the lukewarm water and knead until it forms a puffy dough.

2. Place in a greased baking pan and bake in a preheated oven at 180˚C until golden brown.

To read more about Carmelitha Mostert and the other fisherwomen featured in Beyond the Blue, buy the book here.