Tips

Potjie basics

How to season a cast-iron potjie, how many coals it needs, why you never stir it, and how to stop it rusting.

A potjie (say poy-key) is a round, three-legged cast-iron pot that stands over the coals. Potjiekos is the food cooked in it: meat at the bottom, vegetables layered on top, a little liquid, and a lid that stays on.

Which size

Potjies are sold by number. A No. 3 is the usual family size and feeds about six to eight people. Fill a pot no more than three quarters full so that it can simmer without boiling over.

Season a new pot

A new potjie has a factory coating that must come off before you cook in it.

1. Scrub the inside with hot soapy water and a stiff brush. Rinse and dry it.
2. Rub the inside with cooking oil.
3. Fill it with water and vegetable peelings, boil it over the fire for an hour, and throw the contents away.
4. Rinse, dry over the heat, and rub a thin film of oil over the inside and the lid.

How much heat

Much less than you expect. Brown the meat over a small pile of hot coals, then scrape most of them away. A handful of coals under the pot keeps it simmering. Add two or three every 20 minutes from a second fire.

The pot should bubble slowly and steadily. If the lid is rattling, there are too many coals underneath.

Layer, and do not stir

1. Brown the meat and onions.
2. Add the liquid and simmer until the meat is nearly tender.
3. Add vegetables in order of cooking time: hard ones such as carrots and potatoes first, soft ones such as mushrooms and green beans last.
4. Put the lid on and leave it.

The vegetables steam in their layers and each one is cooked through at the same time. Stirring breaks them up and can make the bottom catch.

After cooking

Wash the pot with hot water and a brush while it is still warm. Dry it completely over the last of the coals, then rub a thin film of oil on the inside and under the lid. Store it with a sheet of paper between the pot and the lid so that air can get in. A potjie put away damp will rust.