Waterblommetjie Bredie

For those of you that do not know what a waterbloommetjie is, let me explain.

It is a water plant that grows here in the Cape in and around the many dams and produces very unique looking flowers known to us all as waterblommetjies (water flowers).

There have always been cape communities way back in our history, that went out and harvested these plants and are still today known as the waterblommetjie gatherers.
The harvesting was done mainly by the women, who would wade into the water and gather armfuls of the blooms - which had very long stems.
There have been many artists - including myself, that have captured these wonderful women as they went about their work.

I do not know how they discovered the fact that these flowers could be cooked and eaten, but their recipe for the wonderful "waterblommetjie bredie (water flower stew) has been handed down from generation to generation and is unique to the cape - the flowers are unusual and remind me of prawns.
There are a few variations of the recipe, but most are very similar, so I thought that I would share my own one.

Ingredients:
500g waterblommetjies
600g stewing lamb
1 large onion finely chopped
3 large potatoes diced
2 tablespoons of vinegar or fresh lemon juice
2 cups water
Salt and pepper
(I add a chicken stock cube too)

Method:
Soak the waterblommetjies in cold salted water for a couple of hours, then wash well and drain
Brown the onion in a little butter or oil
Add the meat, salt and pepper and brown slightly
Add water and cover and simmer for about an hour and a half until the meat is tender
Now add the waterblommetjies, potato and lemon juice
Cover and simmer on a low heat until the waterblommetjies and potatoes are soft
Do not stir as the waterblommetjies will break up

This is a winter dish that I look forward to making as it is delicious.