There are not two ways about it: braaibroodjies (or BBQed toasted cheese sandwiches) play an integral role in many South African households. Some people make it their whole personality; so many people judge you on how you make this traditional sidedish.
There are more "traditional" ways in which you make these, as I wrote many years ago. But this not the only way to make them!
As I noted in that post, I think, my dad always say "chutney of glad nie", or in English "chutney or don't even bother", or something along those lines.
In this variant on the classical side dish, I took some inspiration from a toasted sandwich that I always made in the one bakery I worked in many years ago. There, I made a grilled or toasted sandwich made with salami, four cheeses mixture, and a homemade sweet pepper chutney that I made.
Here, I want to show you how I make something similar but with a homemade and homegrown spekboom chutney! In a previous recipe, I showed you how to make a rather complicated spekboom and purslane chutney. In this recipe, I simplified the original recipe considerably. I also changed the purslane with garlic chives. I will also show you how I made this incredibly delicious braaibroodjie that goes against most purist perspectives! I am always kind of a rebel.
Recipe/Ingredients List
The following ingredients made 5 individual braaibroodjies (grilled cheeses), and it was also enough chutney for just these five grilled cheese sandwiches. I used the following ingredients for the chutney:
- 50gr vinegar,
- 50gr brown sugar,
- half a lemon's juice,
- about 50gr spekboom and garlic chive leaves.
For the grilled cheeses, I used the following:
- 10 slices of salami (2 per bread),
- 10 slices of bread,
- enough cheese for 5 slices of bread, and
- loads of black pepper.
Process/Method
Spekboom Chutney
I began the morning making the chutney. It needs to cool off before we can use it. Making this chutney is as simple as chopping a bunch of things and then boiling it with equal parts vinegar and sugar.
I began by adding all of the sugar and vinegar to a pot, which I then brought to a boil BEFORE I added the spekboom and garlic chives.
I then boil everything together until a thick chutney emerges! The spekboom will make the texture unlike anything you have seen. If you have worked with okra and similar types of plants, you will be familiar with the slime texture.
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But in the end, it is all about your mindset! It thickens really quickly and then you are left with a delicious chutney made with simple ingredients you grew in your own garden.
Braaibroodjies with a Twist!
Braaibroodjies starts with bread. I prefer and always use my own sourdough loaves. Older bread is perfect because it is dried out a bit.
But most people will have their own preference for the type of bread that they use.
In my own opinion, white bread makes the best and most superior type of braaibroodjies.
But all I had was a hearty brown or whole wheat loaf, but this makes just as yummy grilled cheese sandwiches.
In either case, you will also need a bunch of cheese. Again, some people prefer little cheese, others prefer too much cheese! Here, I mixed cheddar, gouda, feta, and pecorino with loads of black pepper to make my perfect cheese mixture.
And then the assembly line starts. Having friends and family to assist you in this process will help! But I did this on my own, so it is not that bad. But I started with layering the bread with the spekboom chutney. I then added the salami slices. And then I finished them with copious amounts of cheese!
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And then the assembly is done. You will have five perfect pre-grilled grilled cheeses!
We grill them over open coals, and as I said in the previous post about braaibroodjies, you need to continually flip them otherwise they will burn and the cheese will not melt!
And if you did everything correctly, you will end up with perfect braaibroodjies, toasted on the outside and melted cheesy on the inside!
This is by no means a traditional recipe. This is one that I developed throughout the years working in a bakery that also sold grilled cheese sandwiches. I loved this recipe whilst working there and people always asked us where they could buy the chutney. Now, I think I made another winning chutney! Always a family favourite.
In any case, I really hope that you will give this recipe a try! Grilled cheese, if you make it in a pan or over open coals, remains so versatile. Add so many different ingredients and go crazy. Pulled pork with a spicy pepper pickle, straight-up cheese, tomato and basil with mozzarella for a pizza vibe, the combinations are endless.
For now, happy cooking, and stay well!
All of the writings are my own unless hyperlinked to previous recipe posts of my own writing as well. This is a hybrid and renewed recipe post! All of the photographs are my own, taken with my iPhone and Nikon D300.