Ostrich meat is recommended by many dietitians as an alternative to beef and lamb and is often referred to as “the healthiest red meat available”. There are so many good reasons to be eating Ostrich meat, so don’t get caught up in all the media hype about South African Ostrich meat being potential harmful for human consumption and try this tasty ”local is lekker” recipe.

Ingredients

For the vetkoek
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 7g instant yeast
• ½–1 cup warm water
• 1,5 litres sunflower oil

For the curried ostrich mince
• 150g ostrich mince
• 150g beef mince
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, chopped
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 cup beef stock
• sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Sift flour into a bowl, add sugar, salt and yeast. Stir well to combine.
2. Make a well in the centre and pour in warm water. Mix together to form a smooth, stiff dough.
3. Knead for 5 minutes, place in a well-oiled bowl and allow to rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled.
4. Knead the dough for 1 minute. Roll golf-ball size balls and deep-fry until golden and set aside.
5. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and cook onion, garlic and ginger with the curry powder and garam masala for 3–4 minutes.
6. Add the mince and brown. Add the tomato paste and the beef stock. Simmer for 7–10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Slice open each vetkoek, spread with a little chutney and top with the mince.