South African chakalaka recipe – The Tasty Chilli (2024)

Chakalaka is a traditional South African vegetable relish consisting of root vegetables combined with tomatoes and spices. Bursting with delicious flavours, this versatile dish can be eaten as a side, relish or condiment.

What is Chakalaka

The origins of the recipe for chakalaka are to this day still unclear. Urban legend has it that it may have originated from the Mozambican people who worked in the goldmines around Johannesburg. They would prepare a mix of canned produce, like beans and tomatoes, with any available fresh vegetables. This vegetable dish would then be eaten as a condiment or side dish together with ‘mielie pap’, which is a corn based porridge similar to polenta.

Chakalaka has in the meantime been integrated into the general South African food heritage by all cultures of the Rainbow Nation, as South Africa is also known. It is still served as a side dish with pap, but also as a relish with a curry, a stew or with a typical South African ‘braai’ (barbeque).

For some people, chakalaka is served during gatherings or celebrations, for others, it is considered a staple food and served during any random day of the week.

Which ingredients to use

Not only is chakalaka a very versatile dish, it also comes in many different tastes and flavours. There isn’t any single traditional recipe for chakalaka since it will vary per region, per family and per personal taste. However, there are some basic ingredients that form the base of this dish.

Most recipes will use tomatoes, onions, carrots and various spices, like garlic, ginger and curry powder as key chakalaka ingredients. Depending on if it’s going to be served as a side dish, relish, condiment, salsa or even as a main dish, more ingredients and spices can either be added or left out.

I usually like to add cabbage, bell peppers and baked beans to this dish and to make it medium spicy. Other vegetables like butternut, corn, zucchini and baby marrow work great in this dish and can be added as well.

How to make chakalaka

Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

This vegetable relish comes together in under 30 minutes. However, for the flavours to fully bloom, make the homemade chakalaka a few hours in advance or even a day before. Follow below steps to know how to cook chakalaka to perfection.

• Prepare the vegetables:
  Start by chopping, grating and dicing all the vegetables. The final cooking time will depend on how thick the vegetables are cut. I would suggest to grate the carrots and shred the cabbage. If the carrots are diced or chopped, the cooking time will increase and the other vegetables will become too soft. By grating the carrots, shredding the cabbage and finely dicing the bell peppers, all the vegetables will blend much better with the spice mix.
• Cook the vegetables:
  Heat oil in a large saucepan add the vegetables according to their cooking time. Start by sautéing the onions until translucent. Stir in bell pepper, garlic, ginger and chilli peppers. Add the carrots, cabbage and spices and stir regularly to prevent burning. Make sure all the vegetables are coated in the spice mix.
• Simmer the chakalaka sauce:
  Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and baked beans and cook covered with a lid until the vegetables are cooked through but still have a little bit of crunch. Season to taste.
• Serve:
  You can serve the chakalaka immediately, but preferably let it rest for at least an hour so all the flavours can fully develop.

Serving suggestings

Chakalaka is a typical South African dish that can be eaten in so many different ways. It can be served hot or cold and prepared mild, medium or very spicy. It can have either a thicker or more liquid consistency and more or less vegetables can be added. All this depending on the occasion for which it will be served.

In South Africa, it is often served as a side dish or relish with a braai (South African barbecue). It pairs perfectly with grilled meat and fish, with South African braaibroodjies, or as a relish with sausages in which case serve it according to this chakalaka recipe, but you can leave out the beans to make it less heavy. Serve the relish hot or cold.

Chakalaka works really well as a warm side dish with corn porridge (pap) as it was traditionally used, but it also goes well with plain or yellow rice. As a side dish with a stew or a curry, like with this South African bobotie, it can be served either warm or cold.

More side dish recipes you should try

• Authentic french ratatouille
• Mashed sweet potato with feta cheese
• Roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash
• Mediterranean roasted vegetables

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment with rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #thetastychilli and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

Inspired to prepare this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it to your Pinterest boards for later: