Step 1
Season the meat and brown it in batches in the oil in a heavy pot. Lift it out.

Slow-cooked South African tomato bredie: lamb or mutton stewed with tomatoes, onions and potatoes until tender. Serves 6.
Cook along
Check ingredients as you gather them, then work through 5 calm, clearly numbered steps.
Tap each item as it reaches your counter.
5 steps · about 140 minutes total
Step 1
Season the meat and brown it in batches in the oil in a heavy pot. Lift it out.
Step 2
Fry the onions in the same pot over medium heat for eight minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom and fry for one minute.
Step 3
Return the meat, add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and 125 ml water. Cover and simmer very gently for 1½ hours, stirring now and then.
Step 4
Add the potatoes, cover again and simmer for 30 minutes more, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick. Add a little water if it catches.
Step 5
Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods, taste for salt and pepper, and serve.
Before you serve
Small details for confident timing, useful swaps, and safer leftovers.
Bredie is even better the next day, once the flavours have settled.
Keep the heat low; a gentle simmer makes the meat tender.
Use fatty cuts like neck or shoulder; lean cuts dry out in a long stew.
Tomato bredie is a Cape classic: lamb or mutton cooked slowly with tomatoes, onion and warm spices until the sauce is rich and the meat falls off the bone.