Easy Chakalaka Recipe | Classic South African Relish| Under 30 Minutes

Chakalaka a classic South African Relish comprising baked beans, grated carrots, bell peppers, and a range of spices (paprika, chilli…)

If you are looking for a REAL crowd pleaser….stop scrolling. This recipe requires very little to no effort. The flavours balance in less than 5 minutes. The baked beans provide a perfectly balanced flavour base that you then build on with the bbq sauce, soy sauce, chilli and the other good stuff.

What is particularly striking about this chakalaka recipe is the addition of the smokey flavour profile, all thanks to the ´’McCormik Grill Mates American Slow and Low Smokin Texas BBQ Rub’. If not told, you would genuinely this chakalaka was cooked on the fire. Bringing smoke indoors just from a sprinkle of a bbq rub is pure genius.

I always find myself making chakalaka for bring and shares, barbeques with family friends and everyday dinners . If you are running late but need to take food with you to feed a number of people, this should be on the top of the list of options. It doesn´t take longer than 25 minutes.

For chakalaka, it is.a great idea to throw in whatver you want into the pot. It is what i consider a pretty low risk recipe in the sense that it is very hard to mess it up. Very little can go wrong.

Additionally, chakalaka is great for freezing. It can last months in the freezer and it will taste like it was prepared that day when you heat it up in the oven. Definitely a great recipe to add to your meal prep menu.

Recipe Notes

• Peppers: I only used green pepper in this recipe because I did not have any other bell peppers in my fridge. However, green, red and yellow is an ideal trio when making chakalaka.
• Carrots: What’s chakalaka without carrots. You can never have too many or too few. Grate as many your hands will let you!
• BBQ sauce: If you have smokey bbq sauce in your pantry, this recipe is where it belongs.
• Grill Mates American BBQ SMOKIN TEXAS RUB: the real STAR of this chakalaka recipe. It adds such a sophisticated smokey flavour profile. You would think it was cooked on a charcoal grill if you weren’t told.
• Royco : Beef or chicken flavoured royco creates the perfect consistency for this chaklaka. Just 1 or 2 tsp of this thickening agent goes a long way.
• Baked beans: I always buy the one dollar cans of baked beans for chakalaka because with all the spices and sauces that are added while preparing the chakalaka, the quality of the baked beans really doesn’t affect much.
• Chilli: if you are aiming to have a loud high-pitch scream after the first spoonful, go ahead and be generous with the chilli. I once accidentally put a whole tablespoon of ground chilli in my chakalaka and I had made a large potful. Finishing that chakalaka took a while so please don’t duplicate my mistake loll.