Lamb braised slowly with onions, bay leaves and allspice, soured with tamarind and sweetened a little.
What makes it denningvleis
Lamb, cooked long.
Tamarind for sourness, a little sugar against it.
Bay leaves, allspice and nutmeg rather than curry spices.
Where it comes from
It's one of the oldest dishes in the kitchen, and the name is often linked to dendeng, the spiced dried meat of Java, though the dish itself is a braise. It's the plainest statement of the Cape's liking for sweet with sour.