Soweto chakalaka recipe is a vegan, gluten-free dish that leaves you feeling satisfied and nourished. This Chunky African Stew is a vegan recipe perfect for a cold, warm or summer day. Although Chakalaka aka (Soweto Chilli) is a vegan dish, it has a sense of richness and depth that proves it is very satisfying. The dish has a wonderful texture and a delicious, tangy flavor.
Now, I am not a fan of baked beans (or any canned food). So I replaced the baked beans with some red kidney beans. I made a thick red bean stew from red kidney beans, cornflour, and parsley. It was a simple, vibrant and beautiful. Traditional Soweto Chakalaka recipe is made with baked beans.
A spicy South African dish that includes a unique mix of rich and colorful vegetables. Surely this shoult not be ruined by baked beans (apologies to baked beans fans). My Soweto’s chakalaka always adheres to the concept of “food for all”. It is always a delight to have a dish everyone at the table can eat without concerns. This dish fits into any diet meal plan keto, vegan, gluten-free, low card, etc. Soweto Chakalaka can be a simple vegan dish, a sauce, a salad, or a condiment on its own. Although this dish is not respected as a salad and sidelined as a sauce – it does not get the full credit it deserves.
Soweto Chakalaka Recipe
The amount of liquid you add to the red bean sauce is critical. I love to boil down and wash the red beans first, before measuring the liquid that recooks them. This way, I know my beans are soft. I am only measuring out the liquid I need for sauce – not cooking the beans.
Elevate this dish with some corn, mushrooms, or even tofu. Serve with bread, rice, pasta, or simply eat on its own. This recipe can be purely vegan, vegetarian, or keto. It contains no animal product. Experiment with this recipe and use different types of vegetables and meat-free options such as chickpeas, white beans etc. Skip the scotch bonnet if you are not a spice fan or add more to make things a little but interesting. You can serve this with bread, buns, crackers, toast, rice, yams and potatoes.
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Soweto’s Chakalaka
🥢 Equipment
- 1 Non Stick Cooking Pot
🍜 Ingredients
- 1 Cup Red Kidney Beans (You can use Canned Baked Beans or Beans)
- 1 tsp CornStarch Optional
- 1 tsp Finely Chopped Parsley
- 1 tsp Vegetable Stock Powder
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Hard Tomatoes
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Red Ball Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Green Ball Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Corn
- 3 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Red/White Onion
- 1/4 Scotch Bonnet
- 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 tsp Crushed Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Black Pepper
🍰 Instructions
Preparing your beans (if you are using raw kidney beans)
- If you are using raw red kidney beans, in a bowl, pour some boiling water over them and soak for about 1 hour.1 Cup Red Kidney Beans (You can use Canned Baked Beans or Beans)
- Strain the water (from your soaked) beans and transfer into a cooking pot.
- Leave some liquid in the beans
- Add 2(1/2) cup of water, cornstarch and salt and boil for 30 Mins.1 tsp CornStarch, 1/2 tsp Salt
Making the Chakalaka
- In a non-stick pot, heat up the toasted sesame seed oil.3 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
- Caramalize the onion lightly.1/2 Cup Chopped Red/White Onion
- Add in the tomatoes, scotch bonnet, Ginger, Garlic, red ball peppers, green ball peppers and corn.1/2 Cup Chopped Hard Tomatoes, 1/2 Cup Chopped Red Ball Pepper, 1/2 Cup Chopped Green Ball Pepper, 1/2 Cup Corn, 1/4 Scotch Bonnet, 1 tsp Crushed Garlic, 1 tsp Crushed Ginger
- Add the vegetable stock powder, Parsley, oregano and black pepper.1 tsp Vegetable Stock Powder, 1 tsp Oregano, 1 tbsp Black Pepper, 1 tsp Finely Chopped Parsley
- Let cook for about 5 mins on medium heat until vegetables are properly cooked.
- Add the beans with 1/2 cup of water. Stir and bring to simmer for 10 mins on medium heat.
- Add more water to loosen up to your preference
