Recipes SA Favourites & Traditional Foods

Corn and Cheese Mealie Pap Balls with Chakalaka

Conversions

easy

SERVES 6

PREP TIME 30 minutes

COOK TIME 1 hour 30 minutes

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Ingredients

Chakalaka

2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, coarsely grated
1 red pepper, seeded and cubed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tbsp (30 ml) coarsely grated fresh ginger
½ tsp (2,5 ml) coriander seeds, crushed
1 small red chilli, whole or more to taste
½ tsp (2,5 ml) mild curry powder
½ tsp (2,5 ml) ground turmeric
1 Tbsp (15 ml) red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp (30 ml) Huletts Sunsweet Brown Sugar
1 x 410 g tin chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp (30 ml) each chopped fresh Italian parsley, thyme and origanum
salt and pepper

Pap

600 ml water
½ tsp (2,5 ml) salt
1½ cups (375 ml) fine mealie meal
2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil
kernels cut from 1 uncooked corn on the cob
1 Tbsp (15 ml) Huletts Sunsweet Brown Sugar
1 cup (250 ml) finely grated white mature cheddar cheese

Method

Chakalaka

Heat oil in a saucepan over a medium temperature and sauté onion until soft. Add carrots and pepper and sauté for another few minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and coriander seeds, and continue sautéing until aromatic. Add chilli and ground spices and sauté for a few minutes.
Add vinegar, brown sugar, chopped tomatoes and herbs, and bring to the boil over a medium temperature.
Reduce the heat and simmer with a lid for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid and simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until slightly thickened. Season to taste and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Spoon half of the sauce into a bowl and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Stir the smooth sauce back into the chunky mixture and keep warm.

Pap

Meanwhile, pour the water and salt into a large pot and bring to the boil over a medium temperature. Add mealie meal to the water, but don’t stir yet.
Cover with a lid and simmer for 2 minutes, then only stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and steam with a lid for 40-45 minutes or until cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent it from burning. Add a tablespoon or two of extra water if the pap looks too dry but remember that it should not be too wet as you need to roll it into balls.
Once the pap is cooked stir in the oil, corn, brown sugar and cheese until the cheese is melted. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, so that it’s easy to handle.
Roll into about 20 balls (30 ml each) and pack onto a serving platter. Serve with warm chakalaka as a dipping sauce.
Serving suggestion: Chakalaka is delicious with any braaied meat. Enjoy the aromatic sauce on pap at your next braai, boerie rolls (boerewors rolls), with eggs for breakfast or dollop some onto a burger. You can even toss the sauce into cooked pasta and add any leftover meat.
Tip: Don’t blend some of the chakalaka as described above and enjoy it as a delicious warm side dish with chicken, fish or red meat.

Reviews

Interested

22 October 2025

I’m gonna try it

Smangele

The pap with corn and cheese sound interesting. You can roll it in mazina and bake it for 1minute

14 October 2025

Well explaint

You can add mayonnaise and serve the chakalaka as a salad

Brooker

The use of Huletts Sugar in almost every dish I make

14 October 2025

I am more into Cape Malay dishes, I will try it out as it looks delicious.

Salome Holland

Huletts your Sweetheart

14 October 2025

I love Cape Malay dishes and use Huletts for extra tastiness. I love the flavour of Chakalaka so I’m looking forward to trying out this dish.

Salome Holland

Rich in flavour

14 October 2025

You get to decide how spicy you want it.

Salome Holland