Food and Cooking

Unique salad ideas for National Braai Day

South Africa’s favourite pastime is going to be the main event this coming weekend. Others call it Heritage Day, some call it National Braai Day while others call it King Shaka Day. Whatever you choose to call it, you can be rest assured –  a braai will take place!

Many side dishes go with the braai meat – garlic bread, pap, rolls, and most importantly, salads. Mzansi is a multicultural country and it shows in the way we prepare and serve our food. Salads are normally the distinguishing factor at a braai. From the traditional coleslaw or potato salad to the Moroccan-inspired couscous salad or a European Green salad, no braai is complete without these fruit and veg inspirations. It is no wonder that supermarkets are preparing for the big day and putting out a wide variety of ingredients.  

Then, of course, we have the drinks. We shopped around and found great discounts from Pick n Pay Liquor, Checkers and on the current Shoprite catalogue which shows specials from their Liquor Shop. Savings are from R80 to as much as R499 on different types of beverages. They have a grand selection which we would love to discuss, but our focus in this article is on salads. Let’s take a look at our suggestions for you for the big day. Keep reading. 

1.The Heritage Salad

What a very apt name for a celebration as grand as Heritage Day. We bumped into this one while researching the best salads and we feel it would be an interesting addition to your braai buffet. It contains butternut, some cheese, figs, and a variety of seeds. Have a look at the recipe below and try something new this Heritage day.

Ingredients

1 Medium-sized butternut, cut into thin wedges, skin on, seeds intact 

8 preserved figs, halved

100g Chevin log (goat’s cheese)

100g thinly sliced beef biltong

100g baby spinach

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

15ml (1 Tbsp) coriander seeds

30ml (2 Tbsp) sunflower seeds

45ml (3 Tbsp) pumpkin seeds

45ml (3 Tbsp) preserved fig syrup

15ml (1 Tbsp) olive oil

15ml (1 Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 200*C
  2. On a baking tray, rub the butternut shards with olive oil. Season well. Roast for 40mins or until tender and slightly charred. Break roasted butternut into small pieces.
  3. Place a dry frying pan over medium heat. Toast the coriander seeds. Once toasted, crush with a pestle and mortar.
  4. Coat chevin cheese with crushed coriander seeds and cut into bite-size pieces
  5. In a salad bowl, arrange the baby spinach, biltong, figs, butternut, and sliced red onion. 
  6. Sprinkle the remainder of the seeds on top. Drizzle fig syrup and extra virgin olive oil generously over the salad. Serve.
The Heritage Salad
Photo By: Louis Hansel on Unsplash

2. Summer Beetroot Salad with a Herby Pesto Dressing

Yes, we know beetroot is an unusual choice at a braai, but what better day to incorporate this versatile vegetable into your braai menu? This salad is fresh, herby, and light. A perfect addition to your already vibrant braai day menu. Find the recipe here and let us know how it goes on braai day. 

Photo By: Radek Grzybowski on Unsplash

3. Carrot Salad aka Copper Penny

This is a beautiful sweet and sour salad that you can prepare the day before you’ll eat it. It tastes better when left to marinate overnight and served chilled, but you can also reheat it if you wish. With simple ingredients of penny shaped carrots, onions, green pepper and tomato juice, this South African favourite is easy to make and easy on your pocket too. 

Conclusion

These are our exciting and different contributions to your braai day salad menu. There are several more to choose from, take a peep here to see if there are others that pique your interest or make use of the ingredients already in your pantry. Happy National Braai Day!