Kapana and Pap
During our stay in Namibia being involved in tourism development, we were introduced to Kapana. The local Namibian street food. Visit Katutura and you will undoubtedly encounter a Kapana stand.
Kapana originates from the north of Namibia and has a strong west African spice influence. Any type of meat or cut of meat can basically be used, although beef is preferred. The meat is cut into small pieces and grilled on an open fire. At the launch of the official Namibian Kapana competition, we were treated by a French chef to beef fillet Kapana. Although it was absolutely divine, it is my view that it kind of defeats the essence of what Kapana is. The idea is to get a cheap cut of meat and enjoy the maximum out of it.
We started to experiment with our own spice recipe and which cut of meat to use. Our choice eventually was beef short rib as it has the perfect combination of meat, fat and bone. It can be cut in smaller sized and has a good flavour.
Now for the spice! This is the secret to Kapana. It has to be spicy and that is what you need the pap for, to balance out the spice. At home I cook a bit like a witch. I grab a lot of spice bottles from the pantry and mix the whole lot up. Thus, every home Kapana would be slightly different according to my mood.
The meat strips are then coated in the spices. It should form almost like a crust. Let it rest for about half an hour and then grill on the fire. The next important component to the total dish and how you would eat it, is the salsa. Here again, every chef has his own secret mix. I usually grab what is available but my standard go-to ingredient is cilantro. In my view, salsa is just not good without a modest hand full of cilantro. I am yet to try my hand on a lacto fermented salsa, so watch this space.
So, the dish consists of the Kapana meat, pap to absorb the spice and a nice salsa on the side.
Now for how Kapana found its way onto the OuSkool Menu. Well since we are based in the actual old school, education is always at the back of our minds. Compiling the menu, we decided to add a few traditional dishes from across southern Africa and well yes, Kapana came up as the obvious choice to represent Namibia. We have "standardised" the spice a bit and I was a bit more conservative on the spice, so that it should taste more or less the same every time you order this dish.
The salsa though changes according to what is available in our garden. If you have never eaten Kapana and love meat, some spice and a bit of tradition, this dish is waiting for you.
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