Mouth watering South African jaffle recipes

Like most tasty recipes, many of which originate from the hot and sunny climes of South Africa, the traditional South African jaffle is synonymous with our lekker Saffa holiday lifestyle. Like braaivleis, boerie and veldskoen, the jaffle is deeply rooted in South African culture and has been the focal point of many a lekker kuier for about seventy years.

What the jaffle is a jaffle iron?

Also called a pudgy pie (chubby pie maker) iron or sandwich toaster, the jaffle iron is a unique cooking utensil made up of two hinged (round or square) cast iron plates attached to long handles.

Sadly, although we love a decadent jaffle, we Saffa’s can’t lay claim to this culinary genius. Instead, we have to give credit where it is due and admit that the infamous jaffle iron South Africa loves originates from down under!

In fact, the jaffle maker South Africa sees as iconic to its culture was invented and patented in Australia by Dr. Ernest E Smithers in June 1949. Furthermore, it wasn’t originally called a jaffle iron but was known as a pressure toaster, perhaps because the edges of the sandwich are firmly pressed together to form a sealed pie-like toasty. Since then, many Saffas have fond memories of enjoying a tasty South African jaffle around the smokey braai.

How to make a typical South African jaffle

Take two slices of bread, butter one side of each, then place them on the jaffle iron plates and pile high with a filling of your choice. Next, snap the two plates together and put the jaffle iron on the hot coals or stovetop; remember to flip and cook both sides of your delicious toastie! From succulent cuts of meat to cheese and beans or thick slices of banana drizzled with honey and syrup, jaffle iron recipes can be as decadent or as simple as you prefer.

If you’re in the market for a jaffle maker South Africa has several outlets from which you can purchase these clever outdoor toastie creators.

• Outdoor Warehouse
• Woolworths
• Takealot

And not forgetting those abroad, places like Amazon UK, Amazon USA and eBay are excellent starting points if you need to purchase that jaffle iron you accidentally forgot to pack!

Campfire jaffle recipes

All this talk about jaffles has certainly got our taste buds salivating, which means there’s only one thing left to do: dive into some tasty campfire jaffle recipes, aka the lekker South African jaffle!

South African curry mince jaffles

What you need:

• Sunflower oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 500 g beef mince
• 2 fresh garlic cloves crushed
• 2 tsp medium curry powder
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tin chopped tomato
• 12 slices of bread (makes 6 sandwiches)
• Butter for spreading 

What to do:

• Heat the oil and saute the diced onion in a medium skillet until soft.
• Add the beef and garlic, season well with salt and pepper and fry until well browned
• Next, add the curry powder, coriander, cumin and turmeric and gently fry for 2-3 minutes to release the spicey flavours.
• Add the canned tomato and a generous tablespoon of tomato puree (paste), stir well and allow the mixture to simmer until the liquid reduces and has a thick consistency. Remember, there’s nothing worse than a soggy jaffle!
• Allow the mince mixture to cool before constructing your sandwiches.
• Heat the jaffle iron on the coals or stovetop while you butter each bread slice on one side.
• Place one slice of bread butter-side down onto the jaffle plate and spoon a lekker dollop of curry mince mixture into the center. Cover the mince filling with the second slice of bread, butter side up and snap the jaffle maker closed.
• Ensure the jaffle iron is closed tightly to prevent any curry gravy from escaping; you want the sandwich to seal all the way around.
• Place the jaffle iron back on the stove or the coals and toast each side for 8 to 10 minutes. When ready, the bread should be a nice golden colour.
• Serve warm on its own, or add a simple side salad of lettuce, sliced tomato and cucumber!

Snoek ‘n chutney jaffle

What you need:

• 8 slices brown bread ( makes 4 sandwiches)
• 1 onion diced
• 450 g smoked snoek flaked
• 2 medium potatoes boiled and diced
• 30 ml Mrs. Balls Chutney
• 1 large tomato sliced
• 10 ml lemon juice
• Ground black pepper for seasoning

What to do:

• Fry the onions until soft; add the snoek and diced potato, stirring well.
• Add the chutney, sliced tomato and lemon juice to the pan and season with freshly ground black pepper.
• Allow the snoek filling to cool before dividing it equally between four slices of bread and cover with the remaining buttered slices. Remember, the buttered sides should be facing outwards like an inside-out sandwich!
• Toast each sandwich in the jaffle iron for 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until crispy and brown. Serve with salad, baby potatoes and extra chutney for dipping, yum!

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