Springbok Potjie

Springbok meat is uniquely South African. The word “springbok” makes most South Africans think of the national rugby team, but today we are actually focusing on the game meat that’s oh-so-loved by every South African in the country (and out). Springbok, being venison meat, is considered the “healthier” meat option as it’s very low in fat. As a result of this low fat content, it is not quite as tender and moist as other South African meat options. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t whip up a mouth-wateringly delicious springbok potjie recipe with it! While springbok has been eaten as venison for many years, the concept of potjies made its way to South Africa in the 17^th century along with the voortrekkers. Ever since then, venison potjies have been a firm favourite in the country. Every South African family has a handful of springbok stew recipes safely stashed away.

You’re probably thinking that making a springbok potjie overseas is going to be impossible. While abroad; you might even wonder where you can get your hands on some springbok meat in order to make some of the good old favourite springbok stew recipes. The good news is that there are suppliers of exotic meats in most countries that South Africans popularly emigrate to. For instance, in the UK, you can buy springbok meat at Osgrow as well as at Meat Love Butcher. With a bit of online research you will be able to find that in certain countries, you can in fact buy springbok. Keep an eye out for South African meat shops in New Zealand and Australia too.

Without much further ado, let’s leap right into how to cook springbok meat and come out with a delectable potjie that absolutely nobody could say “no thanks” to. You can make the dish in a potjie pot or on the stove in a regular pot too. 

Springbok Potjie Recipe

If you are wondering how to cook springbok meat in a way that will wow your new friends and colleagues, we have the very best of all the springbok stew recipes for you! Follow the instructions below to cook up a delicious springbok potjie.

What You Need:

• 1 leg of springbok
• 500ml of buttermilk
• 8 teaspoons of cloves
• 6 juniper berries (Cracked)
• 1 teaspoon of allspice
• 2 tablespoons of roasted coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of salt
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• ½ tablespoon of ground nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons of chutney
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ cups of wine vinegar
• 1 cup of muscadel
• ½ cup of sweet sherry
• 150g of bacon
• 1 large finely chopped onion
• 10 pickled onions
• A few fresh chillies chopped
• 500ml of white wine.

What to Do:

• First, cut the springbok meat into large cubes.
• Place the cubes of meat into a glass bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Make sure that all the meat is coated in the buttermilk. Cover the container and leave it in the fridge overnight.
• Use a pestle and mortar to crush the black pepper and coriander seeds and pour this into the vinegar.
• In the vinegar, mix the cloves, juniper, coriander, pepper, nutmeg, sale, and sugar.
• Remove the meat from the fridge and pat the cubes dry.
• Place the meat pieces into another bowl and rub each of them with the vinegar mixture. Make sure that the vinegar is massaged well into the meat.
• Cover the meat and allow it to rest for a further 6 hours.
• Heat a flat bottom potjie over hot coals and heat a little olive oil.
• Place the meat into the pot and fry on all sides until it is seared and golden brown.
• As the meat is turning brown, add the bacon, onion, and bay leaves. Simply fry these lightly.
• Now, pour the wine over the meat and cover the pot. Let it cook this way, covered, for around 1 and ½ hours on low heat.
• Keep the meat covered up with liquid throughout the cooking process. You might have to add boiling water every so often.
• Add the pickled onions to the pot and stir them in.
• Pour small amounts of the muscadel at a time while stirring in. At the end of the muscadel, pour in the sherry and allow it to simmer for around 30 minutes.
• Keep cooking the meat until it falls apart when touched with a fork.

This potjie can be served with rice and stewed dried fruit, or with fresh bread rolls. And there we go! You have a delectable South African springbok potjie just ready to enjoy.

FinGlobal: Financial and Tax Emigration specialists

Wouldn’t it be nice if the financial aspects of emigrating were as easy as whipping up a traditional South African springbok potjie?! With nearly a decade of experience behind us, we know just how challenging financial emigration and tax emigration from South Africa can be. We also know how confusing the process appears when it comes to getting your accrued retirement annuity funds out of the country. These are bound to be issues that are currently on your radar and if you want to chat about them, you simply have to get in touch with one of our friendly and knowledgeable consultants. When dealing with a FinGobal consultant, you can expect the entire process to be simplified and streamlined for you. For more information and advice, all you have to do is contact us. You can get in touch with us via email or telephone – whichever option is easiest for you.