Anatomie of a Potjiekos

Hello from Swakopmund, the town where Brad Pitt and Angelia Jolie had their latest lovechild, Shiloh (you have to check out that link). They apparently came here a few months ago to escape the press to have their first biological child, and because Jolie liked the isolation and beauty of Namibia. The only flaw with this wonderful story is that my friends tell me that the entire time they were here they rolled around with a massive possie in tow, including a film crew who followed them everywhere, including into Mondesa, the township of Swakopmund, to record them giving away money and spending time with the kids of the township. They also did a feature for People Magazine here. And Reader's Digest. Getting away from the press. Right.

Anywho, I digress. I’m writing to share a recipe with all of you food lovers back home. I’ve called this recipe “Anatomie of a Potjiekos,” and I’ve intentionally misspelled anatomy because the way it’s written sounds more pompous and foodie, I think. I also think it’s how the French write it. And who knows food better than the French? I’ll tell you who—the Namibians, that’s who. For value for money, you can’t go better than Potjiekos.

Last night Pam had a bunch of her friends over to cook this traditional Namibian dish. It's more of a stew, really. It's super easy to cook; I'll outline it for you below. We fed 10 people last night for about $10.

Step 1: Construct a braai in your backyard, buy braai wood, and build a fire. Buy a cast iron pot that weighs about 20 lbs to cook the stew in. Integral to all of this is having a Namibian friend who knows how to do all of this and has such a pot, like Mervin below.

Step 2: Buy cheap frozen chicken or meat of choice, add fresh and frozen vegetables of choice, mix together into the pot and place on the fire to cook for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, begin to mix mielie meal (aka pap--it's kind of like porridge), like Marcelino is doing below.

Step 3: Bring pot off of fire and into the kitchen (doesn't necessarily have to be under the sink, but that's a good spot) and stir in final ingredients like seasoning. This can all be done while singing loudly and mockingly in a French accent, as Mervin is doing below.

Step 4: Have your friends bring the wine (the expensive part), like Consta did below.

Step 5: Season to taste and enjoy!