For the longest of times I’ve wanted to learn and master the art of making uJeqe, but people always made it seem like it’s so difficult to make…
The person I was asking (practically begging) to teach me was dragging their feet so I Googled: ‘Recipe for uJeqe’ and this recipe from the Lazy Makoti came to the rescue 🙌🏾
uJeqe is one of the beloved South African traditional foods – that is a homemade steamed-bread. It’s usually paired with a stew/curry and is always that side that becomes a main 😋
This really is my favourite side-dish and I was happy to learn that my lifetimes’ worth of baking experience would truly serve me when it came to learning how to prepare uJeqe 🍞
I was inspired to share this steamed-bread recipe as a blogpost because, as already mentioned, there are some pessimistic agents still telling people that: “uJeqe unabantu bawo”, which means that there are only a select few that can truly master the art of steamed-bread making 🙄
This is NOT TRUE – yes, I call proper BS on this premise‼
Whoever has a working pair of hands, a willing spirit and a hungry stomach can definitely make uJeqe – so, without further adieu – let’s get cooking…
Ingredients
♡ 4½ cups of cake flour
♥︎ 500ml of warm water (from the tap, or boiled and then cooled down ❄️)
♡ 10ml of instant dry yeast
♥︎ 5ml of salt
♡ 90ml sugar
Method
- Grease an enamel dish or bowl with butter/margarine (I use a baking pan, because my mom’s kitchen has an abundance of these 🥰)
- In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients and mix them into bowl, using a wooden spoon (or your hands 😒😅)
- Add the warm water and knead until the dough is combined and does not stick to the hands or your mixer’s hooks (I use an electric mixer with kneading hooks, praise God for this creation🙌🏾)
- Pour the dough into the greased bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a clean dish-cloth and let it rise for about 45 minutes.
- Fill a pot with some water until 1/3 (or deep enough to fit your enamel bowl/baking pan) and place the greased bowl inside the pot.
- Steam your dough for at least an hour or until cooked (you can use a long thin stick-like utensil to check if your bread is cooked – I use a chopstick for this 🥢)
- Keep the pot’s lid shut during cooking (except, of course, when you check-up on your bread after an hour or more 😉)
- Once your bread is fully cooked, carefully remove the enamel bowl/baking pan from the pot (using a dish-cloth or baker’s mittens, because it’s 🔥)
- You can now enjoy your jeqe, however you want to – well done chef 👏🏾
You see? That’s just how simple it is to make uJeqe 👌🏾
Do give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes – take pictures of your yumminess and tag @TBOAphsie on any of your socials 📸
Yours – but mine first,
Aphsie ♥︎
P.S. Thanks for having a read & you’re MORE than welcome to share your thoughts on our comment section below – looking forward to hearing from you…
Also, won't you be a darling and...
Hey Aphsy, I will try it out and see if it’s as nice as the ujeqe we had at the Shisanyama by the beach with Siya, Deneo, Pam, Nelly and Londi.
Will let you know how it went
Oh yummy, I remember that day like it was yesterday – enjoy Skonz 🖤