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Meat, Africa and overseas

Boerewors with pap and tomato sauce

Boerewors with pap and tomato sauce is a South African dish for 4 people, ready in 40 minutes, rated easy, for about €3.10 per person. It brings together grilled spiced beef and pork sausages, a firm polenta called pap, and an onion tomato sauce flavored with coriander. The key to success is grilling the sausages without piercing them so they stay juicy.

Tonight it's a kitchen style South African braai, with grilled boerewors, firm pap and an onion tomato sauce.

Boerewors with pap and tomato sauce
Total time
40 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.10
Calories per person
760 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Summer, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Boerewors is a thick spiced sausage that grills in a pan until golden and crisp outside, juicy inside. Pap, a firmly cooked polenta, gives a mild, comforting base that soaks up the onion and coriander tomato sauce. Together they make a simple, flavorful plate, with a little kick from the sausage spices.

It's the kind of dinner that breaks up the week without asking for much effort on a weeknight. Kids tend to love the grilled sausage and the mild pap, while adults enjoy the well seasoned tomato sauce. You can also serve it on a relaxed Sunday, like a small indoor braai.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Spiced beef and pork sausages 8

Pantry

  • Fine instant polentaoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Crushed tomatoesoften in the pantry 400 g
  • Ground corianderoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Sugaroften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Sunflower oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 2 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onions 2
  • Garlic 2 cloves

The step by step recipe

  1. Cook the chopped onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil until soft. 8 min

    Cook gently, they should turn translucent without browning.

  2. Add the crushed tomatoes, ground coriander, sugar, salt and pepper and let simmer over low heat. 20 min

    The sugar cuts the acidity of canned tomatoes.

  3. Bring 1 liter of salted water to a boil, pour in the polenta in a thin stream while whisking, then stir with a wooden spoon over low heat until you get a thick pap. 10 min

    The pap should hold on the spoon, add more polenta if needed.

  4. Cook the sausages in a pan with the remaining oil over medium heat, turning them, until nicely browned. 15 min

    Too high a heat would make them burst before the center is cooked.

  5. Serve the sausages with the pap and tomato sauce.

    Spoon the sauce into a well on the pap, it won't spread across the plate.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick good quality sausages with a solid beef and pork balance, since that's the ingredient carrying the whole dish.
  • Keep stirring the pap toward the end of cooking, it thickens fast and can catch on the bottom of the pot.
  • Taste the tomato sauce before serving and adjust the sugar if your canned tomatoes are especially tart.

The variations

  • Swap boerewors for chipolatas or merguez if you can't find it, the texture stays close.
  • For a vegetarian version, use grilled plant based sausages and keep the pap and tomato sauce as they are.
  • For hurried kids, serve just the pap and tomato sauce with small cocktail sausages, it cooks even faster.

What to serve it with

  • A fresh tomato salad
  • Mango chutney on the side
  • Homemade iced tea

Storage

Store leftovers separately in sealed containers for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Pap doesn't freeze well since it turns grainy once thawed, but the tomato sauce freezes nicely. Reheat gently in a pan or microwave, adding a splash of water to the pap.

Questions about this dish

What exactly is boerewors?

Boerewors is a South African sausage made from a mix of beef and pork, seasoned with spices like coriander. Some specialty butchers carry it, but regular spiced sausages work fine as a substitute.

Can you make the tomato sauce ahead of time?

Yes, you can make it the day before and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge. Reheat it gently over low heat before serving with the sausages and pap.

How do you keep pap from turning lumpy?

Pour the polenta into the boiling water in a thin stream while whisking briskly from the start. Then keep stirring with a wooden spoon over low heat until it turns smooth and thick.

What can replace ground coriander?

Ground cumin brings a fairly similar warmth and works well in this tomato sauce. You can also skip it, the sauce still tastes good, just a bit less fragrant.

How long does it take to make boerewors with pap and tomato sauce?

Count 40 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in boerewors with pap and tomato sauce?

About 760 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does boerewors with pap and tomato sauce cost?

About €3.10 per serving, or €12.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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