2 1/2cupsplain organic flour (I mix my flour to be 2 cups of plain and 0.5 cups of gluten-free as it seems to stop sensitivities in our household)
1tspsalt
1tbspextrra virgin olive oil
vegetable oil for deep-frying
For the Black Bean Filling
1organic onion chopped
1organic carrot chopped
100gorganic frozen peas
8-10cherry tomatoes halved
1tbspextra virgin olive oil
1tbspmild curry powder
1tspcoriander leaf
1tspgaram masala
1tspturmeric
1tbsporganic apricot jam or a good quality chutney
400gcanorganic black beans with liquid
1tbspbalsamic vinegar
1tbsptomato puree
Fresh coriander, sliced cheese, a few slices of red pepper and humous to serve
Instructions
Prepare the Vetkoek Dough
Mix the sugar and luke-warm water until dissolved. Add the oil and yeast, mix lightly with a fork and let it stand until the yeast gets frothy and rises to the top.
Add the salt and plain flour together in a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
Then add the water mixture to the flour and kneed for about 10 minutes until smooth. I use a Kenwood Chef mixer which helps to speed up this process a bit.
Let the dough rest in a warm place, covered with a moist tea towel for 50 mins.
Once the dough has doubled in size, divide into four equal portions and shape into smooth round buns, then coat each bun with a little bit of oil. This is an essential step as the oil ensures the vetkoek is crispy but not too hard. Cover with a moist tea towel and let it rest for another 20 minutes.
Prepare Curry the Filling
Fry the onion and cherry tomatoes on medium heat and cook roughly for 5 minutes until it softens. Then add the curry powder, coriander, garam masala and turmeric to the pan and cook another minute until they become fragrant.
Next add the peas, carrots, apricot jam and a little bit of water. Cook for around 15 minutes until the carrots are nice and soft.
While the carrots are cooking, add the black beans with liquid and all into a small saucepan. Add the balsamic vinegar, tomato puree and cook over medium heat until the liquid disappears and the beans become a little mushy.
Then add the curried carrots and peas to the beans, mix well and season to taste.
Put the lid on and put on very low heat to keep warm while you deep-fry the dough.
Fry the Vetkoek
Fill a medium-sized saucepan with about 2 cm of oil, it should be just enough to cover one side of the bun and not the whole bun as you’ll be turning them over. If you are using a deep-fat fryer you can dunk them in and submerge. Fry until golden brown in hot oil, turning once or twice to make sure both sides are cooked.
Remove the vetkoek from the oil and let it cool down for a few minutes, then cut and fill as you would with a hamburger bun.
Add fresh coriander, cheese, humous and a few slices of pepper to serve.
You can use any extra left-over filling for a jacket potato or sandwich filling the next day so don’t discard.