The WoollyNinja's Pap Tert

Catherine Steyn, you might know her as The WoollyNinja Cooks, is a self-taught chef extraordinaire. From growing up with zero interest in cooking – making toast when it was her turn for her monthly family Sunday supper duties and the occasional chicken in a plastic bag – to running her own cooking school called “Cookalooks” for over 10 years. She did everything from adult- and child-friendly interactive classes, domestic cooking courses, catering for weddings/cocktail parties, and training staff at corporate canteens and kitchens.

When she sold her business, she became the kitchen manager at the local farmer’s club in Eston. Here she was given the nickname “Ninja” because she got work done “fast and furiously”, as she recalled. Catherine then started The WoollyNinja Cooks because she wanted to teach again and use her spare time doing what she loves. “I just wanted people to cook their own food. I get a huge kick from watching people enjoy my food, and I want others to feel that too. The more you cook, the better you get,” she shared. Oh, and the “Woolly” part comes from Catherine’s love for crochet.

Catherine shared a delicious recipe with us, the perfect addition to a Heritage Day braai. “This pap tert recipe is a firm favourite amongst my family and friends because it’s familiar and nostalgic. We all grew up eating a form of pap/putu, but not a lot of us eat or make it anymore. I always get comments like ‘Oh, my gran made it like this’, or ‘Our nanny made it like this’.”

Let’s dig in!

Ingredients
For the Stiff Pap
2 cups maize meal
2tsp salt
1L of water

For the Sauce
1 onion, chopped
½ red and green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot, grated
5ml mild curry powder
5ml sugar
Salt for seasoning
A can of whole tomatoes
Olive oil for frying
2 cups of grated cheese

Method
For the Stiff Pap
1. Make a paste by mixing two cups of maize meal with two cups of cold water from the one litre.
2. Bring the remaining two cups of water to the boil, and add salt.
3. Add the maize meal paste in batches and whisk continuously.
4. When all the maize meal is in, use a wooden spoon to beat the maize meal for at least three minutes, until it’s nice and smooth, free of lumps.
5. Put the lid on, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.

For the Sauce
1. In the meantime, make the sauce by adding the veg to a pan with plenty of olive oil and fry until just soft.
2. Add the curry powder and fry for 2–3 minutes.
3. Add the whole tomatoes and season with salt and sugar.
4. Add a splash of water and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the sauce is nice and reduced.

To assemble
1. Add half of the pap to a baking dish.
2. Lay a piece of cling wrap with an overhang over the pap.
3. Add the remaining pap on top of the cling wrap and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the top layer of pap and set aside.
5. Spoon half of the sauce over the pap layer in the dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Place the second layer of paper over the cheese and top with more sauce and cheese.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 30–40 minutes.
8. Allow to cool for 8–10 minutes before slicing into squares to get the fancy pantsy layers.

Note
You don’t have to make separate layers; simply add half the pap, top with sauce, then add the remaining pap and finish with the rest of the sauce and cheese. You can also add a can of corn to the pap or sauce.

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