Blatjang

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dried apricots
• ½ lb. fresh red chillies
• 12 large flat white onions
• 1 lb. brown sugar
• ½ lb. salt
• 2 tablespoonfuls coriander seeds
• 1 large garlic
• 2 bottles of vinegar

Method

1. 1

   Soak the dried apricots overnight in vinegar.

2. 2

   Remove seeds from chillies and mince them.

3. 3

   Bake onions and mince them as well.

4. 4

   Mash the soaked apricots.

5. 5

   Combine all ingredients in a pot and boil until clear, stirring constantly.

6. 6

   Store in jars.

Nutrition per serving

As published

This recipe was extracted from Hilda's diary of a Cape housekeeper (1902) by Hildagonda J. Duckitt, page 32. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

BLATJANG it requires a strong, deep soil, and where one can easily irrigate it in dry weather. A pretty Kitchen-garden. — How few think also of the possibilities of arranging a kitchen-garden ornamentally! But what pretty effects might be had with such a beautiful variety of foliage and fruit as, say, parsley, the crimson leaves of beet, some of the handsome kinds of curly kales — almost like miniature palm trees in their growth — carrot leaves which change to such beautiful tints, the blue flowers of borage, hedges of scarlet-runners, great clambering plants of cucumber and vegetable- marrow or melon, clusters of scarlet or yellow tomatoes — one could make an endless variety of beautiful groups. February y. — To-day I have been looking through my old recipe-books to see how I could best use the red chillies while they are so plentiful, and I find there is a good recipe, which will keep well, for blatjang (the Malay condiment) — this keeping kind is my own invention. All Cape housekeepers know how useful blatjang is to add to fish sauce, etc. My recipe for it is as follows — Blatjang. — Soak i lb. dried apricots over-night in vinegar. Take ^ lb. fresh red chillies, and (after removing the seeds) pass them twice through the mincing-machine. Take 12 large flat white onions, and after taking off the outer skins, bake them in the oven in an enamelled dish, and then pass them also through the mincing-machine. Now mash or mince up the apricots you soaked over-night in vinegar. Besides the apricots, chillies, and onions, you will want — 1 lb. brown sugar, lb. salt. 2 tablespoonfuls coriander seeds. I large garlic. 68 ROSES. SHEEP’S BRAINS Feb. lb. Valentia almonds minced. 2 bottles of vinegar

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.