Name: Kapana
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Namibia, Southern Africa
Ingredients: 800 g beef sirloin or rump, cut into thick strips; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp salt; 3 whole tomatoes, finely diced; 1 whole onion, finely diced; 2 whole green chillies, finely chopped; 1 tbsp vinegar

Kapana

Namibia's iconic street food â€” beef strips grilled over open coals and tossed with a fresh chilli-tomato salsa, sold at bustling open-air markets.

Country

Namibia

Region

Southern Africa

Time

30 min

Serves

Level

easy

Visible recipe content ships in HTML from the first paint

Kapana is the heartbeat of Namibian street food culture, most famously found at the Kapana market in Windhoek's Katutura township. Vendors grill strips of fresh beef on open-air drum grills, and customers choose their toppings from an array of fresh chilli salsas. It brings communities together daily around the smoke and sizzle of the grill.

What the dish tastes like

Namibia's iconic street food â€” beef strips grilled over open coals and tossed with a fresh chilli-tomato salsa, sold at bustling open-air markets.

When to cook it

Best for Street food or casual lunch, with a easy cooking level and about 30 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Fresh bread rolls and chilli salsa

Follow the collection route

Kapana belongs to 2 AfroKitchen collections. Quick & Easy is the strongest cluster route to start from. Quick & Easy

Make the salsa

Combine the diced tomatoes, onion, green chillies, and vinegar in a bowl. Season with salt and mix well. Set aside to let the flavors meld.

Make the salsa first so it has time to develop flavor while you grill the meat.

Prepare the beef

Rub the beef strips with oil and season generously with salt. Let them come to room temperature for 10 minutes.

Temper meat 10:00

Grill the meat

Place the beef strips on a very hot grill or cast-iron pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side for medium, getting a good char on the outside while keeping the inside juicy.

The grill or pan must be smoking hot for the best charred crust.

Grill 06:00

Slice and toss

Transfer the grilled beef to a cutting board. Slice into bite-sized pieces and toss with a generous spoonful of the fresh chilli salsa.

Serve

Pile the kapana onto plates or into bread rolls. Serve immediately with extra salsa on the side.

At the market, kapana is served on newspaper or brown paper â€” keep it casual.

Kapana

Visible recipe content ships in HTML from the first paint

Step-by-step instructions

More AfroKitchen dishes from the same food atlas

Potjiekos

Oshifima

Seswaa

Sishwala with Emasi