How to make Botswanian Vegetable Potjie with Diphaphata
There’s something quietly magical about slow food.
It remind me of my family meals when I was young: the kind of food that asks you to wait, to trust, and to be present while the ingredients transform under a gentle flame. Potjie is one of those dishes.
The word potjie comes from Afrikaans, meaning “little pot,” but it’s more than that, it’s a symbol of community and patience.
Across southern Africa, a potjie bubbles gently over coals, filled with vegetables, meat, or grains, slowly turning simple ingredients into something rich and comforting.
The name itself is close to pottage, those thick, rustic soups found in many cultures, from Italian minestrone to French pot-au-feu.
Different names, same wisdom: slow cooking brings out life’s sweetest flavours.
In our version, there is little water if not that the one lost from the vegetables and a little bit of stock, so essentially the veggetables are steamed within their own gentle moisture.
At first glance, initially it may look too dry but trust me!
Cover the pot, lower the heat, and walk away. In time, about an hour and a half, the vegetables have soften, their colours deepen, and a little brioth is formed by itself.
As the potjie transform on the stove, it’s the perfect moment to make diphaphatha, a traditional Botswanan flatbread.
Warm, soft, and slightly puffed, it’s a bread meant for sharing and for scooping up tender vegetables from the pot.
If you have come to one of our cooking workshop recently, you will know that I have a sweet spot for making soft bread from scratch.
You will love this slow cooked, traditional food: it is simple, slow and economical.
So let’s see how me make it!
Ingredients
For the Potjie
225g potatoes
450g butternut squash
2 large carrots
125g sweetcorn kernels
1 small turnip
1 celery stick
80ml vegetable oil
3 onions
6 garlic cloves
250ml vegetable stock
2 ts dried oregano
2 tbs dried basil
salt and black pepper to taste
For the Diphaphata
400g self-rising flour (or use yeast)
1 tsp sugar
1 pinch of salt
300 ml milk (or oat milk)
Cooking the Potjie
Start with what takes the longest, the potjie.
Peel and chop your vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pot or lidded pan.
Add the onions first and fry them gently until soft and golden.
Add the garlic and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant anf golden.
Now, layer the chopped vegetables on top of the onions.
Don’t stir.
Sprinkle over the herbs, salt, and black pepper, then pour in the vegetable stock.
Cover with a tight-fitting lid and turn the heat right down.
For the next 90 minutes, resist the temptation to peek too often.
Let the steam do its work.
The vegetables will soften in their own time, releasing their juices and creating a beautifully tender, naturally sweet mixture.
Preparing the Diphaphatha
While the potjie cooks, it’s time to knead.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt.
Gradually pour in the milk, stirring until a sticky dough forms.
Flour a board and knead gently until the dough becomes firm and smooth under your hands (a small meditation in itself!).
Roll it out to about half a centimetre thick and cut into circles roughly 8 cm across.
Heat a heavy frying pan or skillet (no oil needed), and cook the circles on a low heat, about 10 minutes per side.
They’ll puff up a little, like they’re breathing.
When they do, leave them for another minute or so, then remove and keep warm.
Serving
When you lift the lid off the potjie, the sight and scent will tell you everything and remind you that cooking is an art of the senses!
The vegetables are tender, rich with herbs, and carry that earthy sweetness of slow cooking.
Serve them with warm diphaphatha on the side.
Tear the bread, scoop up the vegetables, and take a slow bite.
It’s food that reminds us of our roots, calm, handmade and simple.
