Cuisine:South African

Category:Traditional

Sub Category:Grains

Prep Time:15 minutes

Cook Time:2¼ hours

This rice dish flavoured with spices and raisins and coloured with turmeric adds visual appeal to curries, bobotie and bredies. It is popular with both the Afrikaans and Cape Malay population of South Africa.

• 500 ml white rice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 cardamom pods
• 2 ml turmeric
• 1 litre water
• salt to taste
• 250 ml seedless raisins
• 30 g butter
• sugar to taste

Place the rice, cinnamon, cardamom pods, turmeric and water in a saucepan. Add the salt and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and cook the rice until tender. Pour into a colander and rinse under water to remove excess turmeric. Return to the saucepan. Add raisins, butter and sugar and steam over low heat until warmed through.

When the first auctions were held at the Cape, buyers from far afield travelled in their oxwagons, which were then drawn into laagers. Malay slaves made large pots of food which included rice coloured and flavoured with turmeric and raisins, hence the name vendusierys (auction rice). Another name was begrafnisrys (funeral rice) as in both the Malay and Dutch communities, it was served at the meals held after funerals, a custom which still persists today.