Bobotie is not a very spicy dish, but spices such as turmeric, gara masala, cloves and cinnamon make the flavor really intense and complex. Dried fruit such as raisins and dried apricots are used so this dish has a sweet tendency, so if you are not one of the people who like the sweetness of the fruit, you can omit it.
Even the texture of Bobotie is complex, because you have the coarse ground beef and the silkiness of the egg custard, which makes the Bobotie delicious and moist.
I have done a bit of research and it seems that the South Africans did not invent this recipes( Bobotie is derived from the Indonesian word Bobotok), but it has been served here in the Cape Colony Since the 17th century and that is why we gladly call it our own.The Bobotie recipe was transported by South African settlers to colonies all over Africa and today versions of this recipe can be found as far as Kenya, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
This is my tried and tested recipe, but it is slightly on the sweet side, so be warned beforehand....
Bobotie Recipe
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions - chopped
1 kg ground beef
2 slices of white bread
1 cup milk
1 tbsp curry powder - more if you need more heat
1-2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp gara masala
1/2 tsp cloves
1-2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup seedless raisins
2 tbsp fruity chutney
2 bay leaves
2 eggs
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat oil in a pan. Stir in onions and all the dry spices and cook until transparent. Add the beef and cook until lightly browned and crumbly.
Soak the bread in half the milk, squeeze out excess milk and mash with a fork. Keep the milk! Pour it straight back into remaining milk and set aside. Add the mashed up bread to the meat mixture. Now add the sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, raisins and chutney to the beef mixture. Spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish, and place bay leaves on top.
Bake for about 40-50 minutes in preheated oven.
Beat egg with all the remaining milk and pour over mixture approximately 25 - 30 minutes before end of baking time.
Serve with yellow rice and sambals .
Serves: 6
To ring the changes, I made individual portions in rotis. Simply fold the roti in quarters and open like a cone in a large muffin pan. Spoon the minced beef into the roti cones and bake for a slightly shorter period of time. Be warned, the egg custard runs out at the bottom or spill over the top, so place the muffin pan in another baking tray!
Other true South African Recipes
13 comments:
It looks and sounds fabulous Nina. I love all the flavors used.
Thanks for sharing a piece of South Africa with us today Nina.
I first had this dish last year. Jeannes husband made it for us while in Chicago. She even gave us the spices for it. Its delish. Love the new look here!
The dish looks beautiful and sounds very tasty. Your photos are gorgeous as well!!
This is so unusual but delicious looking. Love when you share SA foods.
I grew up with this dish, it was always a family favourite. Keith doesn't eat it, so you can imagine I don't get to enjoy it much anymore. full marks on the presentation - great idea.
This is one of the first dishes I make for people here in London who want to try South African fod and it always goes down a storm! I grew up loathing it, but sometime in my teen years te love-hate relationship turned to love - funny world, isn't it!
Wow this sounds so unique! Sort of like a meatloaf but with totally interesting flavours?
Bookmarked!
Interesting dish Nina...sounds and looks delicious :-)
This looks amazing! So flavorful.
I love the new site design, by the way.
I have never seen that recipe. I'm sure my family would enjoy.
A very healthy beef healthy!
Great dish for family on the go! So simple yet nutritiuos. Great for home-cooking too.
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