Mamma’s Portuguese Yet South African Banjira
Banjira
- 1 1/2 cups of black eyed peas
- 1/2 cup of mixed peppers
- 1 tbsp of spices (your choice)
- Handful of fresh coriander
- 1/2 cup of tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of red and white onions
- 1 tbsp of corn flour
Dressing
- 4 tbsp of yogurt
- 1/2 tsp of paprika
- 1 Big clove of garlic
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Banjira
Soak black eye peas in cold water for about 2hrs. Once soaked, soft sieve and use a clean kitchen towel to dry the beans. Wait an hour to completely dry.
Get a nice clean blender and put your beans in there. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend everything together.
After blending to a smooth paste (according to how you would like it) add one tablespoon of corn flour. Then get a nice deep pan and add one and half cups of vegetable oil for deep frying. Turn your cooker to a high heat. Form patties or balls in your hand, like a meat ball shape, from the mixture. Once your oil has heated up to the right temperature, place your Banjira balls in.
Cook them for about 5- 7 min make sure they are cooked inside and browned.
Once they are all cooked up get your naan bread or chapatti and heat it on the gas fire or a hot dry pan. Open it in half and start filling it with your sauce and choice of your fresh salad leaves.
Dressing
Then make my Banjira dressing:
Put yogurt in a nice deep bowl and add your paprika and garlic. Finish by topping with olive oil. You can add lime water if you wish but as it will break your yogurt apart, I prefer mine without.
