Tamatie Bredie (Tomato Stew)

 

Tamatie Bredie

Brief Description

A deeply comforting South African lamb and tomato stew, slow-cooked until the meat is meltingly tender and the sauce rich and fragrant with warm spices. A true heritage dish that rewards patience.

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Key Details

• Serves: 6

• Prep Time: 30 minutes

• Cook Time: 7 hours

• Total Time: About 7 hours 30 minutes

• Difficulty: Medium

• Dietary: Gluten-free option

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Ingredients

For the bredie

• 1.2 kg ripe fresh tomatoes

• 1 kg lamb rib meat, deboned and cut into 4 cm pieces

• Plain flour, for dusting

• Sunflower oil, for frying

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 leeks, sliced

• 2 ml finely chopped fresh ginger

• Seeds from 3 cardamom pods

• 5 ml coriander seeds

• 6 black peppercorns

• 7 ml fennel seeds

• 7 ml dried thyme

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1 red chilli

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 200 ml white wine

• 15 ml chutney

• 15 ml sugar

Gluten-free option: dust the lamb with gluten-free flour, or skip the flour entirely.

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Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Submerge the tomatoes and leave for about 3 minutes. Drain, peel off the skins and cut the tomatoes into quarters.

2. Dust the lamb pieces lightly with flour.

3. Heat sunflower oil in a large, heavy casserole over medium-high heat and brown the lamb well on all sides. Remove if needed and work in batches.

4. Add the onion and leeks to the pot and fry until well browned.

5. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the ginger, cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, fennel seeds, thyme, garlic and chilli into a coarse paste.

6. Add the spice paste to the pot and stir well to coat the meat and vegetables.

7. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and black pepper.

8. Cover and transfer to the oven at 160°C fan. Cook for 7 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is extremely tender and the sauce deeply reduced.

9. Just before serving, stir in the white wine, chutney and sugar. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

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Alternative method

Slow cooker:
Brown the lamb, onion and leeks as above, then transfer everything except the wine, chutney and sugar to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8–10 hours. Stir in the wine, chutney and sugar for the final 30 minutes.

Instant Pot:
Brown the lamb and vegetables using sauté mode. Add the spice paste and tomatoes. Pressure cook on high for 60 minutes, then allow natural release for 15 minutes. Finish with the wine, chutney and sugar on sauté mode and simmer briefly to thicken.

Sous-vide (for ultimate tenderness):
Seal the lamb with the spice paste, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook at 68°C for 24 hours. Transfer to a pot and simmer uncovered for 30–45 minutes, then finish with the wine, chutney and sugar.

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Storage

• Freezer: Yes, up to 3 months

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Serve with

• Mashed potatoes

• Rice or samp

• Steamed green vegetables

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Source

Traditional South African recipe.

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Tags

main, lamb, south-african, gluten-free option