Ask any South African and they would agree; Braaiing needn’t just be about ‘wors’ and some chops. You can really get experimental when it comes to cooking on the braai and delicious braai recipes can take you from breakfast in the morning all the way through to a delicious meal in the evening. If you want to spend a relaxing day by the braai, here are some braai ideas for you to enjoy.

Braai ideas

Breakfast at the braai

Let’s start the day with something traditional – a bacon and egg breakfast braai broodjie. It’s the easy way to enjoy bacon and egg at the braai, and if you get adventurous, you can even add a piece of boerewors or two:

• Aged cheddar cheese
• Onion
• Tomato
• Chutney
• Salt and pepper
• Butter
• Eggs
• Bacon
• White bread

Fry your eggs and bacon sunny side up in a pan on the braai. Then create your sandwich. Butter your bread on both sides and layer up your sandwich with tomato, onion, cheese, bacon and chutney. Place your sandwiches in a braai grid and toast on both sides. Just before serving, open your sandwiches and gently add your eggs. Your breakfast braai broodjie is ready to be served.

Tea-time at the braai

Ready for a nice cup of coffee or tea? Well a traditional s’more will make a great accompaniment:

• Marie biscuits
• Thin squares of chocolate
• Large marshmallows
• Braai skewers

Thread your marshmallows on the skewer and grill them gently over the heat until golden brown. Place a chocolate square on one Marie biscuit and a toasted marshmallow directly on top of it. Top off with another Marie biscuit. Gently press together until the chocolate starts to melt, you now have a delicious tea time treat to enjoy!

Lunch at the braai

There are so many things you can braai for lunch. However if you are planning on enjoying a good meat braai in the evening, why not consider a seafood lunch braai?

To start with, stuffed garlic lemons make a great accompaniment to any seafood dish.

• Lemons
• Feta cheese
• Sundried tomatoes
• Garlic

Cut the top off your lemons and stuff with feta cheese, sundried tomatoes and some garlic. Place the top back on your lemon and gently braai in the coals. Check your lemons – when the feta has melted serve them with some garlic bruschetta.

This recipe is ideal if you don’t want to do too much fiddling with your fish and rather enjoy the company of those around you.

• 1 large snoek, cleaned
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced into half-moons
• A handful of coriander
• 5 tsps olive oil
• 2 tsp butter
• Heavy tin foil

Place the snoek on top of a large sheet of foil and layer your slices of lemon and onion either on top of it or inside its cavity. Generously drizzle with olive oil and the place your coriander sprigs on top of the fish. Carefully wrap your foil over the fish, creating a water-tight fish parcel. Place on a medium-fire and braai each side for 10 minutes. Check your fish, if the flesh flakes it’s ready to eat!

Now for something sweet. To keep things light, (after all we still have another meal to go), why not try some braaied pineapple:

• One large pineapple
• Castor sugar
• Cinnamon

Peel your pineapple and cut into six wedges. Sprinkle the cinnamon and caster sugar over each wedge and then braai over hot coals for five minutes until lightly caramelised. Serve with ice cream.

Supper at the braai

Nothing beats a meat braai – and Karoo lamb on the braai is really something special. But before we leap to the main course, let’s enjoy some grilled artichokes with garlic mayonnaise:

• ½ cup of mayonnaise
• Minced garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
• Pinch of salt

• 4 large artichokes
• Teaspoon of tarragon
• Pinch of salt

Combine the mayonnaise ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate. Cook your artichokes by placing them in a large pot of boiling, salted water until you can pierce them with a knife (around 10 to 12 minutes). While still warm toss your artichokes with salt, tarragon and olive oil. Then grill the artichokes over direct heat on the braai until lightly charred and serve with the garlic mayonnaise.

Now onto the main course, Karoo lamb chops:

• 8 Karoo lamb chops
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 lemon
• A few sprigs of rosemary
• salt/pepper
• Olive oil

Place the garlic in a pestle and mortar and bash until it becomes a paste. When it is a soft paste, add some olive oil and mix. Add some lemon juice. Then place the lamb chops in a Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over it. Close and leave in the fridge for at least ½ hour, although overnight is best! When you are ready to cook the chops, remove from the bag and scrape off the excess marinade. Place your chops on a medium to hot braai until cooked.

To end off the day, try some roasted nectarines with pecans:

• Knob soft butter
• 60ml treacle sugar
• 120ml pecan nuts
• 4 nectarines (firm, but ripe)
• Marscapone or double thick cream to serve

Spread the butter over a 20cmx20cm area in the middle of the piece of foil.  Leave space all around so that the sides of the foil can be folded over the top of the fruit.  Over the buttered area, sprinkle and sugar and the nuts. Wash, and halve the nectarines and remove the pip. Arrange the nectarines, cut side down, as close together as possible in a single layer. Fold the foil over the top, and make sure there are no holes for the butter to escape, use a second piece of foil if necessary. Place over low coals for about 5 – 10 minutes, until the butter is melted and the sugar has started to caramelise. Remove from the coals, open the foil and tip into your serving dish so that the nuts are on top, and the caramel juices drip down over the fruit. Serve with mascarpone or cream.

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