Potjie potjie!
Mitchelle Phetlhe | Tuesday August 11, 2026 10:30
Every single time the competition rolled around, something entirely unmissable that I just couldn't get out of always came up. If it wasn't the annual Women’s Etiquette Brunch, it was a Table Talk session, or my very own Chellzkitchen class.
My calendar is usually bursting at the seams, but this year was beautifully different. When I started seeing the ads for the potjie competition splashing across social media, I paused and realised the stars had aligned.
I thought it’d be the absolute perfect timing to finally step up to the fire, enter a team, and have Hinds The Strong One tag along as the competition official, ultimate spice sponsors.
With only a very short time to pull everything together, prepare a dedicated team, and lock down a winning menu, my anxiety met with excitement was sky-high. Usually, with writing, you just have to fight through a bout of writer's block.
But in the kitchen, when the pressure mounts, I can easily end up with a complete mental blank where I have absolutely no idea what to do. I was completely stuck, staring at empty recipe pages.
I couldn't think of what to prepare that would be simple enough to execute flawlessly outdoors, but still carry that unique, sophisticated edge required to walk away with the grand prize.
Spoiler alert: we didn't win. The judges had their final say, but I am still stubbornly convinced we easily had the best team name in the entire competition, backed by a pretty good, highly creative menu.
Our team name was 'Kicking beHINDS' a cheeky, high-energy nod to our incredible sponsors. The squad was made up of myself directing traffic, my good friend Guy from Primary school, his energetic son Ez, and the unstoppable duo of Thabiso and Reg, as well as our brilliant supporting acts, Thuli and Mandy, who kept our spirits high.
The ambitious menu had a few complex twists to it, and so some of it I deliberately practiced at home ahead of time. I meticulously noted down all the exact steps to share with the team, knowing full well that we’d have to divide and conquer on the chaotic day itself.
Of course, because I subconsciously love a culinary challenge, some of the most exciting bits on the menu only came about a chaotic 24 hours before the big day, so we had to just trust our instincts and feel them out as we went.
I successfully tried the rich, Aromatic Garlic and Herb Hot Curried Samp at home first, ensuring the Hinds spices hit that deep, comforting back of the throat warmth perfectly. Then, because I love pushing boundaries, I daringly made cake in a Potjie twice using two completely different outdoor techniques.
After scrubbing those cast iron pots, I am pretty sure both methods can absolutely work if one has a very precise gauge, a massive amount of patience, and a well trained eye for managing a live wood fire.
Otherwise, if you want guaranteed success, baking the cake inside a gentle steam bath is 100% fool proof. I suddenly remembered making a delicate cake on a standard stove top years ago using the exact same water bath method, and so I knew with absolute certainty it would work over the coals.
The official rules and regulations clearly stated that starters and desserts would be welcomed for the experience but would not be officially judged. What a massive bummer, right? All that sweet effort and no official points! Still, we didn't let that minor technicality detour us for a second.
We were proudly serving a full three course experience: a Starter, a Main, and a show stopping Dessert all of which were carefully made with premium, punchy spice from Hinds and infused with elegant Robertson's wine. When the fires lit up, the energy around our station was pure, unadulterated chaos, but it was exactly the kind of beautiful, high vibe kitchen chaos where true magic happens.
To build our dessert masterpiece, we had the iconic, reliable Snowflake chocolate premix as our sturdy foundation, but we elevated it by folding in massive, decadent chunks of chocolate.
Then, instead of sticking to the standard, traditional script for the required liquid, we went incredibly bold using a daring ratio of half rich Cabernet Sauvignon red wine and half water.
Young Ez was right there in the thick of it, holding down the fort on the cake batter with absolute focus, ensuring everything was perfectly incorporated and silky smooth.
Meanwhile, Guy completely took over the fire management, truly mastering the delicate art of the low and slow cook inside a heavy, rustic cast-iron potjie pot. While very much enjoying the use of the Tuliman. A great innovative tool each team was sponsored.
The tool is a game changer for anyone who loves outdoor open fire cooking and the potjie tradition. If you are tired of burnt fingers, dropping hot lids into the sand, or juggling multiple heavy utensils around live coals, this multi functional tool is exactly why you need to own one, it's compact and packs away easy and it's user friendly. It's not intimidating at all, I even had a go with it and enjoyed how easy it made things around the fire.
When that heavy lid finally came off at the end of the cook using our Tuliman. It showed off an incredibly fudgy, intensely rich, and baked to absolute, moist perfection.
The judges were impressed by the innovation, and the public? Let’s just say literally, people lined up just to get a single, heavenly bite. The mains were also enjoyed, with people coming back for samp long after the oxtail was done. It was a massive, undeniable hit, and honestly, this red wine chocolate cake could easily hit the commercial shelves tomorrow.
The only real mystery left for us to solve on that hectic day was the last minute chocolate glaze, which we had to figure out in real time under pure, ticking clock pressure.
I knew exactly what deep, glossy flavours we needed to contrast the cake, but the exact ratios of chocolate dessert sauce, red wine, and butter were a total, terrifying guessing game in that intense moment. We had the best time and can't wait to recreate this menu for family and friends to enjoy.
INGREDIENTS
1kg Snowflake Chocolate Mix (the ultimate, fool-proof chocolate foundation) 150g Chocolate pieces, roughly chopped into rustic chunks 4 Eggs 320ml Oil (for ultimate moisture retention) 200ml Lukewarm Water 200ml Deep Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wine (plus extra for the cook to sip!)
For the Real-Time Wine & Chocolate Glaze:
150ml Chocolate dessert sauce 60ml RobertsonCabernet Sauvignon Red Wine 45g Good quality butter, cold and neatly cubed
INSTRUCTION
1. Prepare the Equipment & Fire: I used a massive size 7.5 cast-iron potjie pot and found a big, sturdy enamel bowl that fits inside the belly of the pot perfectly without touching the outer walls. Carefully prepare your braai coals ahead of time, aiming for a gentle, steady, and low intensity heat source.
2. Whisk the Wet Base: In a large, clean mixing bowl, vigorously whisk together the 4 large eggs, vegetable oil, lukewarm water, and the rich red wine until the mixture is completely uniform, aerated, and beautifully combined.
3. Incorporate the Dry Mix: Gently whisk in the Snowflake chocolate cake mix, adding it gradually to avoid any dry pockets. Continue mixing just until the batter transforms into a glossy, smooth consistency that is entirely free of lumps.
4. Fold in the Chocolate: Take your roughly chopped chocolate pieces and gently fold them into the smooth batter using a spatula, ensuring the chunks are evenly distributed so every single slice gets a rich pocket of melted chocolate.
5. Set up the Steam Bath: Pour the rich, dark batter into the prepared enamel bowl and cover the top tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil to keep out excess moisture. Place your heavy size 7.5 potjie pot over the coals, placing a clean house brick flat inside the bottom. Carefully pour in water until the level reaches maybe 10cm above the top of the brick.
6. The Slow Bake: Carefully lower the foil covered enamel bowl into the potjie, resting it securely on top of the submerged brick. Put the heavy cast-iron lid on. Keep a careful bed of cool to medium coals underneath, adding just a few small, glowing coals onto the flat lid to create an even, oven-like heat from both top and bottom.
7. The Donness Test: Let the cake slow cook completely undisturbed in its steam bath for about 45 to 50 minutes. Carefully lift the foil and check the center with a long wooden skewer until it comes out clean but still noticeably moist and fudgy.
8. Simmer the Glaze: While the chocolate cake is slow cooking to perfection over the fire, quickly prepare your signature glaze. In a small, light saucepan placed over low, gentle embers, combine the smooth store-bought chocolate dessert sauce and the Cabernet Sauvignon. Simmer the mixture gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly to let the sharp alcohol notes cook off while beautifully locking in that deep, aromatic wine flavor profile.
9. Emulsify with Butter: Remove the saucepan entirely from the direct heat and immediately drop in your cold, cubed butter. Whisk vigorously and continuously until the cold butter completely melts and emulsifies into the warm wine-chocolate mixture, instantly creating a gorgeous, glossy, silky, and easily pourable glaze.
10. Glaze and Serve: As soon as the steaming potjie cake comes safely off the live fire, use thick oven gloves to carefully lift the enamel bowl out of the hot water. Pour the warm wine and chocolate glaze generously over the top of the cake, letting it pool beautifully and seep deep into the warm, fudgy crust before slicing it up and serving it to an eager crowd