Ever heard of a traditional African cuisine called pap? Indeed, pap is one of the staple foods of the people of South Africa. When cooked properly, pap has a very delicious taste and is guaranteed to fill your stomach. Want to try an easy recipe? Read on for the article below!
Ingredients
Pap
- 500-750 ml water
- 1 tsp. salt
- 240-360 grams of cornstarch
- A little butter
Pap variety
- 2 red onions
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 20-30 cherry tomatoes that have been divided in half
- 120 grams of dry white wine
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tbsp. chopped spices
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- A pinch of ground pepper
Pap sauce
- 1 apple
- 1 sweet onion
- A few cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- A small can of tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp. salty soy sauce
- A pinch of salt and pepper
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing Pap
Step 1. Prepare an aluminum pan, heat it on the stove at medium temperature
Warm the pan while you prepare all the other ingredients.
- If using a gas stove, heat the pan over a lower heat. Remember, gas stoves conduct heat faster than electric stoves.
- If you want, you can also use a steel or copper pan. However, always remember that aluminum pans can conduct heat more evenly so that the cooking level will be more perfect.
Step 2. Pour the water into the pot
You can use tap or boiled water at this stage; pour about 500-600 ml of water, wait for it to boil, and add 1 tsp. salt when the water is boiling.
If you're worried that the water will overflow when it boils, reduce the heat or drain the excess water in the sink
Step 3. Add cornstarch
In fact, cornstarch is corn flour that comes from Africa; in Indonesia, various online cake ingredient shops sell this type of flour at a price that is not too expensive. Put 240-360 grams of cornstarch into the boiling water, reduce the heat, and cover the pot tightly.
- If using a gas stove, cook the cornstarch over low or medium heat.
- If you have trouble finding cornstarch, you can replace it with plain rice flour or cornstarch.
Step 4. Stir in flour
After cooking for 5 minutes, remove the lid from the pan and stir in the flour until the heat is evenly distributed. To enrich the taste, you can add butter with the amount according to taste. After stirring the flour for a while, cover the pot again and reduce the heat to a low.
- You can also use margarine instead of butter.
- The flour dough should not be too thick or too runny; To check the consistency, try scooping up a small amount of the mixture with a spoon and then pouring it back into the pan. If the dough falls slowly, it means you have reached the right consistency.
Step 5. Cook the cornstarch again for half an hour over low heat
Make sure you only open the lid once or twice during the cooking process to stir in the flour; immediately after stirring, put the lid back on the pot tightly. Most likely, the flour will even be cooked before half an hour. Therefore, always keep an eye on the condition of the flour so it doesn't end up burning.
- If the pan is too hot, try moving the lid slightly to make room for the hot steam to escape. Hold this position for about 1 minute.
- If the pap dough is not thick enough, try adding some butter.
Step 6. Turn off the stove
Remove the pan and place it in one corner of your kitchen until it cools down. Don't open the lid if you don't want to serve pap! When serving, take the pap using a large spoon, and serve with meat and vegetables of your choice.
- Remember, a pot of pap will be very hot! Make sure you lift it using oven-specific gloves or similar tools to prevent injury to your hands.
- It's best to let the pap be covered for a while before serving. The hot steam circulating in the pan will make the pap texture very soft when eaten. On the other hand, opening the lid prematurely will dry out the texture of the pap and take away the deliciousness.
Part 2 of 3: Adding Delicious Pap
Step 1. Thinly slice two red onions, put them in a skillet that has been given 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Heat a skillet on the stove over medium heat, sauté until the onion is translucent. Keep stirring so that all parts of the onion are fully cooked.
- If you have trouble finding red onions, you can use white onions.
- If using a gas stove, sauté the onions over low heat. Remember, gas stoves conduct heat faster than electric stoves.
Step 2. Mix all the remaining ingredients that you have prepared
While waiting for the onions to cook, prepare a bowl. After that, put the other ingredients in a bowl, namely 20-30 cherry tomatoes that have been divided into two, 120 grams of dry white wine, 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 3 tbsp. chopped spices, 2 tsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp. salt, and a pinch of ground pepper. Mix all the ingredients with your hands or a spoon.
- Be careful when stirring so that the tomatoes don't crumble. Tomatoes must remain intact to enhance the final appearance of your dish!
- Some examples of spices you can use are parsley, rosemary, basil, or thyme; if you want, you can even mix two or more spices to taste.
Step 3. Place the mixture in a bowl into the sautéed onions
After the onion is transparent, add all the other ingredients, stir until everything is well blended and the aroma is fragrant. After that, cover the pan and reduce the heat.
Add olive oil if any of the ingredients stick to the bottom of the pan
Step 4. Cook all ingredients over low heat for about an hour
Every 10 minutes, open the lid of the pan to stir all the ingredients so that they are evenly cooked. After an hour, turn off the heat.
Don't overcook to avoid the risk of scorching (especially since tomatoes burn very easily). If the stir-fry looks cooked, immediately turn off the stove
Step 5. Remove the pan from the stove, let sit in one corner of the kitchen until the temperature cools down
Once it has cooled down, take a spoon and pour the stir-fry onto the surface or next to the pap. Garnish the surface of the pap with a sprinkling of fresh herbs such as parsley, oregano, or basil.
Part 3 of 3: Making Pap Sauce
Step 1. Prepare the main ingredients for making the sauce
Peel the apples with a sharp knife, then grate using a cheese grater; finely chop the onion and a few cloves of garlic. After that, combine the grated apple and chopped onion in a bowl, mix well.
Do not grate or chop the sauce ingredients too finely. Make sure you can still feel the texture of each ingredient when you eat the pap sauce
Step 2. Heat a pan on the stove over medium heat, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil in it
After the oil is hot, put all the ingredients in a saucepan, stir until smooth.
- Add olive oil if any of the sauce ingredients stick to the bottom of the pan.
- If you are using a gas stove (not an electric stove), cook the sauce ingredients over medium heat.
Step 3. Add extra ingredients
After all the ingredients start to cook, add 1 tbsp. sugar, a small can of ketchup, and 2 tbsp. salty soy sauce. Perfect the taste by adding a pinch of salt and pepper, mix well again.
- If possible, choose canned tomato sauce that has bits of tomato in it to enrich the texture of your pap sauce.
- If you don't like the taste or smell of soy sauce, you can substitute Worcestershire sauce.
Step 4. Cook all the sauce ingredients over low heat, stirring occasionally as they cook
After 10 minutes, turn off the stove and let the pot of sauce sit on the counter until it cools down.
- If the sauce looks too thick or sticky, you can add more olive oil.
- Immediately remove the pan from the stove if it starts to smell burnt.
- If the pan is too hot, try tilting it to release a little hot air; Once the temperature has decreased, put the lid back on the pot.
Step 5. Serve a delicious sauce to accompany your pap
The sauce can be poured over the pap or served in separate small plates. If you wish, you can decorate the surface of the pap with a sprinkling of fresh herbs or other seasonings of your choice; also add chopped tomatoes or other vegetables to enrich the taste.
Tips
- Always stir the food after adding new ingredients so that the heat distribution is even. As a result, there will be no ingredients that are still raw or cold when served.
- Season the dish with salt and pepper to make the taste stronger and more delicious!
- Get creative by adding various meats and vegetables to enrich the taste of your homemade pap.
- Use a spoon or wooden spatula to stir the cornstarch and water periodically to prevent lumps.
Warning
- Be careful when operating a hot pan. Never hold a pot with your bare hands! Always use heat-resistant gloves or other tools.
- Make sure your food doesn't burn. If the food looks cooked, immediately turn off the heat.
