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Waterblommetjies, for those of you who don’t know, are also commonly known as the  Cape pond weed and can be found mostly in the dams, ponds and marshes of the Western Cape in South Africa. Waterblommetjie Bredie is a classic stew made from the little flowers and can be directly translated as “small flower stew”!

If you can’t find waterblommetjies at a speciality grocer, you can substitute 250g of cooked artichoke hearts plus 125g canned water chestnuts (drained and sliced) and this will give the same texture and will be similar in taste.

Serves 4

You’ll need:

500g waterblommetjies
2 x onions diced
4 x potatoes cubed
300g green beans
250g mushrooms
1 tablespoon coconut oil
500ml vegetable stock
300ml white wine
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
Sprinkle of sea salt
Sprinkle of ground pepper
Handful fresh coriander

Here’s how:

  1. Soak the waterblommetjies in salted water for at least an hour and then rinse
  2. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot
  3. Add the diced onions and spices and let them cook on high heat to brown.
  4. Add the potatoes and coat in spices.
  5. Add the stock and wine.
  6. Leave to cook on a fairly high heat for about 40 minutes.
  7. When the potatoes begin to soften, add the green beans.
  8. Leave to simmer until the beans are al dente.
  9. In the meantime place the waterblommetjies in a small pot with water and bring to the boil for 5 minutes.
  10. Add the mushrooms to the main pot.
  11. When the mushrooms feel soft, add the waterblommetjies and fresh coriander to the top and leave them to steam slightly
  12. Check after about 10 minutes and if all the veggies are soft and tender, your bredie is ready!
  13. Serve on its own, or with rice sprinkled with chopped coriander and some sliced roasted butternuts.

* In the cooking process try not to mix the vegetables too much as they will start to disintegrate and become mushy.