The Story Behind Our Chakalaka Seasoning 

Chakalaka has become a staple dish across South Africa, despite this part of the continent having so many disagreements and tensions between its different countries. The dish chakalaka requires a lot of spices and seasonings for that signature intense flavor to shine through. A dish that goes well with chakalaka and has a similar history uniting the once very divided South Africa is Mealie Pap, a porridge dish made from corn meal.

As with most traditional dishes, the spices and ingredients used in chakalaka vary from family to family, even though most of them have a similar spicy, savory flavor profile. This blend was inspired by the common ingredients found in several chakalaka recipes. The careful crafting of our chakalaka blend was done by our in-house chef who loves to experiment with flavors from cuisines outside of the United States. These flavors are all part of what makes South African cuisine so delicious.

What’s in it?

Our Chakalaka Seasoning is hand blended from Cape Malay Curry Powder, Onion, Garlic, Paprika, Birdseye Chiles, and Thyme.

Flavor Profile

This blend is savory, garlicky, and spicy! It has a little bit of an herbaceous undertone, and it is quite fragrant.

Where to Use

This blend is of course meant to be used on chakalaka, but it is also perfect for rice. Just a shake or two adds dimension to even the plainest rice, improving the flavor tenfold. It works on other grains and small pastas like couscous. For a simple spaghetti topping, mix a teaspoon of this seasoning into a quarter cup of olive oil and then drizzle over the pasta. This will make enough topping for two servings of pasta, but you can adjust the amount if you want more seasoning or more olive oil. Chakalaka seasoning perfectly complements beans, roasted vegetables, soups, stews, and sauces. It’s great for using as a dry rub on meat like chicken or beef.

When used to make the condiment Chakalaka, you can then use this section of suggestions to see what works well with that as well! It’s perfect with vegetables and meat, but it is often served alongside starches or beans. It is used like a thick dip on bite sized pieces of chicken or beef. As a condiment, chakalaka is essential for the South African braai/barbecue experience. It goes well with sausages and other grilled foods, like grilled corn or grilled pineapple. This seasoning blend is perfect for adding flavors for inexperienced chefs who aren’t sure how to build flavors yet, or for those of you who are home chefs that love to keep a perfectly built up spice blend on hand for time saving and ease of use.

This blend is a great complement to vegetarian dishes. It has a flavor that imparts incredible depth to recipes that might otherwise be simple. This is true with bean-based dishes, rice-based dishes, and vegetable-based dishes. South African cuisine has plenty of vegetarian dishes despite what you might think, considering that African meat dishes are often the first to get a lot of attention! Chakalaka is one of those incredible vegetarian dishes, and it is a long-standing favorite. This cuisine was heavily influenced by colonizers like the Dutch and the French, but it also pulls from indigenous populations that ate what was available on the lands around them. Chakalaka seasoning tastes great with this incredibly diverse cuisine.

Helpful Hints

If you are using chakalaka seasoning as a dry rub for meat, use one tablespoon for every pound of meat. This blend packs a flavorful punch because of the Birdseye chiles, so be sure to test how much you’re using with a bite or two while cooking. The amount of seasoning can always be adjusted to include more but cannot be removed once it has been added to your dish! Use a careful, light hand!

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