Vetkoek

Nutrition · per serving

Steps

1. 1

   Make the dough first so it can rise while you cook the filling. In a bowl, mix the strong white bread flour, instant dry yeast, caster sugar, and fine salt. Add the lukewarm water and sunflower oil, then stir into a shaggy dough. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic; if it feels very sticky, oil your hands lightly rather than adding much more flour. Cover and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes.

   250 g strong white bread flour4 g instant dry yeast5 g caster sugar4 g fine salt170 ml lukewarm water10 ml sunflower oil
2. 2

   While the dough rests, heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes until beginning to soften, then add the garlic and curry powder and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant; do not let the garlic burn.

   10 ml sunflower oil80 g onion, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, minced8 g curry powder
3. 3

   Add the beef mince and break it up well with a spoon. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes until browned and no pink remains. Stir in the tomato paste, water, fine salt, and ground black pepper, then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the filling is thick rather than saucy. A dry filling prevents the vetkoek from going soggy. Remove from the heat.

   250 g beef mince15 g tomato paste60 ml water3 g fine salt1 g ground black pepper
4. 4

   Punch down the dough lightly and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball, then flatten gently into rounds about 1.5 cm thick. Let them stand for 5 minutes while you heat the frying oil; this short second rise helps them puff better.

5. 5

   Pour the sunflower oil for deep-frying into a small, deep pot and heat to about 170 to 175°C. Fry the dough rounds in batches, without crowding the pot, for 2 to 3 minutes per side until deeply golden brown and cooked through. Adjust the heat as needed so they colour steadily rather than too fast. Drain on paper towel.

   700 ml sunflower oil, for deep-frying
6. 6

   Split each vetkoek open while still warm, but not all the way through. Spoon in the curried mince filling generously. Serve hot with chutney on the side or spooned in, if you like.

   30 g chutney, to serve

Origin & History

Vetkoek, meaning “fat cake” in Afrikaans, is a beloved South African fried bread with roots in Dutch-influenced settler cooking. It became a practical, filling staple and is now widely enjoyed across the country, often split and filled with curried mince, jam, or cheese.