How to host a South African braai at home

If these recipes from Peckham favourite Kudu don’t inspire you to travel south of the river once in a while, Hannah Twiggs doesn’t know what will

There’s a reason hungry Londoner’s have been flocking to Peckham since Kudu opened in 2018... (Kudu)

The Kudu Collective – which comprises Kudu, Smokey Kudu, Curious Kudu and Kudu Grill – has been making a name for South African braai in Peckham since 2018

The country’s answer to the British barbecue isn’t as complicated as you might think, Kudu founders Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams tell The Independent. “The best advice for braaiing at home is to use good quality wood and good quality cuts from a local butcher,” they say.

You’ll only need to whip out the coals for one of the recipes – straight from the restaurant – below.

Kudu bread with bacon butter

The Kudu bread with melted seafood or, in this case, bacon butter is a signature dish at the OG site Kudu (Kudu)

Serves: 2 loafs (20 rolls)

Ingredients:

For the bread:

100g raisins

5g fast-action yeast

1kg organic bread flour, plus extra for dusting

100g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease

50ml whole milk, plus 1 tbsp extra

100g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra

10g fine salt

10g ground cumin

1 egg

For the bacon butter:

200g smoked back bacon rashers, cut into small pieces

200g unsalted butter

8 sage leaves, roughly chopped

Bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

Method:

Boil the raisins in 300ml water for 10 minutes; cool until lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast in 50ml lukewarm water then add to the raisin mixture. Stir well, cover and set aside for 4 hours. Put 500g flour in a large mixing bowl. Sieve and discard the raisins, then, using a wooden spoon, stir the liquid into the flour, along with 180ml warm water. Cover with oiled cling film; leave for 1 hour.

Melt the butter and add 50ml milk. Add to the dough, along with 250ml warm water. Add the 100g sugar, the salt and cumin, plus the remaining 500g flour. Knead well, adding more flour if needed, until a smooth surface is formed on the dough. Cover with oiled cling film and leave overnight in the fridge.

Grease 2 x 900g loaf tins and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. Shape the dough into 20 small buns, about 90g each, and place 10 in each tin. Cover with oiled cling film and allow to rise in the tins, until doubled in size (around 40-50 minutes). Preheat the oven to 200C, gas mark 6.

Beat the egg with 1 tbsp each of milk and sugar, then brush over the proved loaves. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and set; cover with foil towards the end, if browning too much. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the bacon butter. Crisp the bacon in a frying pan over a medium heat (6-8 minutes). Add the butter and heat until it foams, then add the herbs and garlic for 10 seconds. Serve with the bread for dipping.

Grilled bream with preserved lemon dressing and roti

You won’t want to miss the whole bream with butter roti at Kudu Grill (Kudu)

Ingredients:

1x 600-800g butterflied quality black sea bream

For the rotis:

400g all purpose flour

1 tbsp melted butter

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp veg oil

Extra flour for dusting

230 ml hot water

For the preserved lemon dressing:

250g salt preserved lemons

2 green chillies

120g caster sugar

80 ml vegetable oil

Method:

For the preserved lemon dressing:

Blend the preserved lemons, chillies, olive oil and sugar until smooth. Season and set aside

For the roti:

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, add salt, boiling water and oil and mix until a soft dough forms. Once the dough is soft, place in a bowl and cover. Allow to rest

Place a non-stick pan on high heat. Divide the dough into three portions. Roll each flat then spread with melted butter. Roll to form a snake-like shape then cut into even pieces. Press the now cylinder shapes flat then roll into rounds

Place each roti into the pan to cook. Cook the first side for less than a minute. The dough will bubble up, turn and cook the other side for a minute or two. Turn the roti once again, once the dough rises, remove from the pan and smother with butter. Once all roti are cooked, cover with a cloth to keep them warm.

For the fish:

Cook the fish over medium coals on the barbecue, skin-side down, for 4-5 minutes. Turn over and cook for 1-2 minutes. If you don’t have a barbecue, cook the fish in a grill pan for 4-5 minutes each side. Once cooked, glaze the skin side with the lemon dressing and leave to rest. Serve with the rotis!