Chakalaka is an essential South African condiment said to have originated with Mozambican mineworkers in Johannesburg. Chakalaka is typically made with a blend of beans, carrots, onion, peppers, and tomato sauce. Some versions include cabbage or butternut squash, but all are characterized by a signature spicy seasoning made with crushed chiles and fragrant spices.

All about Chakalaka, Spice Blend

What it’s like, and how to make it

HeatMild
CuisineAfrican
Best forSaute pan fry, braising, quick weeknight, marinades rubs
Goes inSoups stews, rice grains, dips sauces
WithBeef, chicken, vegetarian
What’s in itonion, red bell pepper, garlic, sea salt, turmeric, mustard, crushed chiles

How to use it

South Africa's answer to salsa. Stir into baked beans, spoon over pap (cornmeal porridge), or use as a condiment alongside grilled meats and sausage. One tablespoon heats up a pot of bean stew or a skillet of scrambled eggs. Also great stirred into rice or mixed with canned tomatoes for an instant braai (BBQ) side dish. Gentle heat with a turmeric glow.

  • Chakalaka spice, shown over a chalk-and-watercolour illustration
  • Illustration: Chakalaka with a braai in Johannesburg at dusk
  • Illustration: Samp & Beans, made with Chakalaka
  • Illustration: Karoo Lamb Chops, made with Chakalaka
  • Illustration of Chakalaka in The Tea & Spice Shoppe bag and jar, with a braai in Johannesburg at dusk
  • Chakalaka African Spice - The Tea & Spice Shoppe
  • Chakalaka African Spice - The Tea & Spice Shoppe

What’s in it

Every herb in the blend, and where to read about it on its own.

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Onion

    Allium cepa

    Dried onion, in three grinds: granulated blooms in oil, minced rehydrates into pieces you can see, and powder disappears into a dip or a rub. Twenty-seven products carry it. Drying takes 96 per cent of the water out and, with it, the sulfur compounds that...

    Toasty, sweet and savoury; none of raw onion's sharpness

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Garlic

    Allium sativum

    A bulb, dried and broken down to three different coarsenesses, and the single most common ingredient in this catalogue — forty-three products carry it. Granulated is coarse and blooms slowly in hot oil; minced is visible pieces that plump up in a sauce; powder disappears...

    Sweet, toasty and savoury; deeper and rounder than fresh garlic, without the raw bite

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Salt · Caffeine-free

    Sea Salt

    Sodium chloride

    Seawater, evaporated. It is in twenty-five products here, which understates it — salt is the ingredient that makes every other ingredient taste like itself. Fine sea salt dissolves on contact and is the everyday cooking salt: a teaspoon in a soup pot, half a teaspoon...

    Clean salinity with nothing else in the way

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Turmeric

    Curcuma longa

    A ginger-family rhizome, boiled, dried and ground to a powder so yellow it stains everything it touches. In sixteen products here it is doing two jobs: colour, which is most of why it is in a curry powder or a mustard, and a gently bitter,...

    Earthy, warm, gently bitter and peppery, with a musky root smell; it colours everything gold

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Mustard

    Sinapis alba, Brassica juncea

    Seed and powder, from two related plants: yellow mustard (Sinapis alba), which is mild, and brown or oriental mustard (Brassica juncea), which is hot. Dry mustard is not hot at all until it is wet — water sets off a reaction between the enzyme myrosinase...

    Sharp, nose-tingling heat once wet; before that, a dusty, faintly sweet, earthy powder

    Learn more Sold on its own

  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Chile

    Capsicum annuum

    Dried chile peppers, whole, crushed or ground — the generic heat in twenty-nine products here, from curry powders to jerk to Tex-Mex. Heat comes from capsaicin and is measured in Scoville heat units; the shop's blends name theirs where the supplier gives a figure. The...

    Heat first, then a dry, fruity red-pepper taste; the darker dried chiles run raisiny and the lighter ones bright and tannic

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  • Spice · Caffeine-free

    Bell Pepper

    Capsicum annuum

    Dried sweet pepper — the same species as every chile in this shop, sitting at zero on the Scoville scale. It is in nine products for colour and for a mild roasted sweetness that fills out a blend without adding heat, and it is the...

    Sweet, mild and vegetal-fruity, faintly roasted; no heat at all

    Learn more Sold on its own

Every ingredient in the shop →

What it goes with

Chakalaka's earthy warmth pairs best with something bold and malty. Brew our Assam strong — the tannins cut through the richness of braai meat while the malt complements the turmeric. For an evening cookout, our Rooibos is the South African tradition.

Reviews

What the time-travelers say

206 of the shop’s 213 reviews are five stars — left by people who actually bought the tea

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Great products and great service

I had a slight mix up on my order, they were quick to reply and correct my order with no issues. Amazing service and great…

I had a slight mix up on my order, they were quick to reply and correct my order with no issues. Amazing service and great products.

— Nick C. Verified

Great tea

A lovely, delicate tea. The peach is strong without being overwhelming or cloying, and the calendula is a nice addition. Very…

A lovely, delicate tea. The peach is strong without being overwhelming or cloying, and the calendula is a nice addition. Very tasty!

— Zoe R. Verified

Maple Peach

The maple peach is delicious. What a beautiful combination. I will most definitely order it again, and a higher quantity of it.

— Gerda S. Verified

Always handy

I use dillweed often. This dill is fresh and has a nice aroma. I use it in marinades, salad dressings, and on fish. Good stuff.

— Jennifer D. Verified

Great stuff

This has helped my household a lot with circulation and alertness when we had it everyday. Will be ordering again soon. Thanks

— Dave G. Verified

Love this tea. Hands down my fav rooibos. This store is our one-stop-shop for tea and spice. Great service, top notch product.…

Love this tea. Hands down my fav rooibos. This store is our one-stop-shop for tea and spice. Great service, top notch product. 10/10!!

— Erin Poeta P. Verified

Delicious

I love this black tea, it has a really nice smooth flavour and love how it’s Swiss water method decaf. Will be buying again!

— Jessica A. Verified

Great flavorful tea

Toffee Ole is one of our favorite teas to share with friends in the evening, when we want something non-caffeinated but quite…

Toffee Ole is one of our favorite teas to share with friends in the evening, when we want something non-caffeinated but quite flavorful.

— Joel R. Verified

Another full bodied ‘real tea’ . ie It is not a flavoured tea. However, we do very much enjoy the Cafe Latte tea which is a…

Another full bodied ‘real tea’ . ie It is not a flavoured tea. However, we do very much enjoy the Cafe Latte tea which is a flavoured tea!!!

— Ted H. Verified

teas

love , love, love and they shipping is very fast. the headache tea works great, the throat coat tea works great as well

— Miranda A. Verified

4 stars

It worked beautifully; perhaps if I add a little more honey, it would make it better… It is a wellness tea, after all!

— Merrilee B. Verified

Bancha with a splash of lemon

A wonderful Green Tea. Smooth in taste. Also suitable as a summer tea with a splash of lemon. A second infusion makes an…

A wonderful Green Tea. Smooth in taste. Also suitable as a summer tea with a splash of lemon. A second infusion makes an enjoyable second cup!

— Monika F. Verified

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