from Atmosfire / Atmosvuur by Jan Braai
Learn how to make traditional South African askoek and boerewors directly on hot coals, with this easy braai recipe from Jan Braai.
INGREDIENTS FOR BOEREWORS AND ASKOEK
FEEDS 6
1 pack boerewors
2 metal skewers
FOR THE ASKOEK
4 cups cake wheat flour (500 g)
1 sachet instant yeast
½ tot salt
1½ cups lukewarm water
1 tot olive oil
Butter
WHAT TO DO
- Make a very hot fire. Bigger is absolutely better.
How to Make Askoek on the Coals
- Prepare the askoek dough: In a bowl, mix together the flour, yeast and salt. Then, add the water and olive oil, and use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix until everything is combined and the dough comes together and is soft and elastic.
- Cover the dough with cling wrap so that the cling wrap sticks directly onto the surface of the dough and leave it somewhere warm to rise for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, sprinkle lots of extra flour onto the surface of a table or work area. Remove the cling wrap from the dough. Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl onto the floured surface. Divide the dough into six equal portions – easiest is a dough cutter and second prize is a knife. Use your two hands to roll the six pieces into balls. Sprinkle more flour over them. Now roll each ball with a rolling pin or wine bottle to a flatter shape, almost like a small pita bread. If things are sticky, add more flour.
- Once the coals are ready, scrape them open and place the bread discs directly onto very hot coals. Braai them, turning often, until baked all the way through. This will only take a few turns and minutes. Once they are done they will look beautifully toasted and obviously have a few charred spots. Remove the bread from the fire and scrape and wipe off any significant coals and ash. A fine layer of ash here and there is acceptable and part of the meal. Sand is not acceptable and means you did not have enough coals.
How to Braai Boerewors Directly on the Coals
- Prepare the boerewors: Keep the boerewors in one long piece and coil it into a circle on a flat surface. Insert two metal skewers all the way through the boerewors at a 90-degree angle to each other, effectively putting the boerewors on a skewer cross. This way you can braai and turn the boerewors easily with your tongs on the open coals without it breaking. This trick also works when you have to braai boerewors on an open grid.
- While you braai the bread, also braai the boerewors directly on even hotter coals. This takes about 6 minutes and you turn the boerewors once. Remove the boerewors from the fire and scrape off the odd coal sticking to it, which will be less than you anticipate if your fire was big enough and your coals were hot enough.
How to Serve Boerewors and Askoek
- As soon as you’re ready, it’s time to serve. Remove the skewers from the boerewors. Break the bread, generously lather with butter and serve with the boerewors.
Recipe extracted from Atmosfire / Atmosvuur by Jan Braai, available now.
