Updated July 2026
Chakala is a sweet and spicy vegetable relish that is really popular in South Africa. Sometimes called Soweto chilli as it originates from the townships there.
Originally, it was made as a quick meal to go with pap. Today, it is eaten with barbecue meats at a Braai or just as a side condiment.
We were shown how to make this recipe by Abigail Mbalo, a South African chef and restaurateur of 4roomed at a recent South African cooking event. This was served as a typical 7 colour plate that they serve at her restaurant in the townships.
She told us that this is one of those recipes that you don’t need the exact ingredients for. You just measure by eye. As you can imagine, every home will make this in a different way. So feel free to add or subtract more of the spices to your taste.
How to make chakalaka
It is very quick to make and in less than 30 minutes, we had made a delicious pot of this delicious Chakalaka that fed 20 people. The recipe below is for a smaller portion.
You start off by frying the onions, ginger, garlic and peppers until soft.
Then you add the baked beans and the secret ingredient, Mrs Balls’ chutney, which gives it the sweetness. What you get at the end is a sweet and spicy condiment that goes really well with fried chicken or grilled meats. It is so delicious that you can just have it with rice.
South African Chakalaka
Ingredients
- 2 onions sliced
- 1 tsp chilli powder or to taste
- 1 tsp curry powder or to taste
- 3 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 each red/yellow peppers sliced
- 1 carrot grated
- 2 tbsp Mrs Balls Peach Chutney or equivalent
- 1 can baked beans
- coriander for garnish
Instructions
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Prepare all the vegetables, slice the onions, grate the carrots, slice the peppers, grate ginger, crush garlic.
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Fry onions, chilli powder, ginger and garlic, the peppers in some oil until soft.
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Add the baked beans and a squeeze of tomato puree, heat through.
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Add a generous dollop of the Mrs Ball’s Peach chutney, to taste.
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Cook for a bit more until all the flavours are blended.
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Serve in a bowl if you are eating it immediately or keep it in a sterilised jar.
Notes
Chakalaka can be eaten hot or cold.
You can get ready made Chakalaka in cans too.
You can experience the real flavours of South African townships when you visit, more details here: Township Tours at https://www.southafrica.net/. If you want to know about South African food, check out this list here for some suggestions.
EatCookExplore was a guest of South Africa Tourism.
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