Served with yellow rice & chutney, this curried meat and fruit dish is a real treatI love traditional South African food and cooking methods, the Afrikaans methods in particular. I hope that they do not all die out and I also hope that future generations continue to cook traditional Afrikaans/South African foods according to the old methods which have been passed down through the ages. (In this fast paced, junk food, pre-packaged microwave meal generation, I have my doubts. But I hope that I am wrong.)
South African has, in my opinion, some of the best food (and recipes) in the world. When the Dutch first settled in the country in the 1600’s, they brought their Dutch recipes and cooking techniques with them. When Malaysian slaves were brought to the Continent soon after, they introduced spices which jazzed up the traditionally quite bland Dutch and English foods, like stews. French and German settlers also had an influence on the food … and what evolved over time, and with all the different cultures and ingredients from all around the world thrown together, was the wonderful, traditional South Arican food which you still find today.
I had never eaten traditional South African food until I was at boarding school (“koshuis”) as a teenager in the then very Afrikaans town of Vryheid in Northern Natal, South Africa. Most of the food served there was traditional … Melkos (the recipe I posted for this is here), Bobotie, Pumpkin Fritters (recipe is here), Cape Brandy Pudding … to name but a few. It was completely different to the food I had grown up eating as a child in Rhodesia, this food was a lot more oily than the food my mother cooked and many of the dishes had lots of cream, salt and sugar added which I was not used to.
But it quickly grew on me, and one of my all time favourties was Bobotie (a real comfort food !), which is a curried mince dish which includes raisins and is topped with an egg custard. It sounds odd but please, don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it …. is it possible for food to evoke an emotional feeling ? If so, this is it - it warms the depth of your soul … if I had to eat this on my last day on this earth, I would die a happy woman !
There are so many variations of this recipe, this recipe is one I have come up with by combining a couple of traditional Bobotie recipes over the years. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do (and send any leftovers my way, please !)
Bobotie Recipe
2 tbsp Oil
2 Onions, sliced
1 kg Beef Mince (lamb mince can also be used)
2 tbsp Curry Powder (Mild/Medium)
1 tbsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp brown Sugar
3 tbsp Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
½ cup Raisins (seedless)
2 slices Bread
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs
6 Bay Leaves
Whole Almonds for garnishing (optional)
Fry the onions in the oil and add the beef mince. Keep breaking the mince up with a fork as you cook it, to prevent it from forming into clumps. (It should be crumbly and browned once cooked).
Add the curry powder, turmeric, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper to the mince. Cook for a few minutes and then add the raisins. Soak the bread in ½ cup of the milk and once it has absorbed all the milk, add 1 egg and beat well, then add it to the mince mixture and mix to blend.
Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish and top with the other egg, beaten in to the remaining ½ cup of milk. Stick 6 Bay leaves upright in to the dish (and some Almonds, too if you are using them) and bake at 180’C/350’F/Gas Mark 4 for 30 minutes.
Serve with yellow rice and chutney.
South African has, in my opinion, some of the best food (and recipes) in the world. When the Dutch first settled in the country in the 1600’s, they brought their Dutch recipes and cooking techniques with them. When Malaysian slaves were brought to the Continent soon after, they introduced spices which jazzed up the traditionally quite bland Dutch and English foods, like stews. French and German settlers also had an influence on the food … and what evolved over time, and with all the different cultures and ingredients from all around the world thrown together, was the wonderful, traditional South Arican food which you still find today.
I had never eaten traditional South African food until I was at boarding school (“koshuis”) as a teenager in the then very Afrikaans town of Vryheid in Northern Natal, South Africa. Most of the food served there was traditional … Melkos (the recipe I posted for this is here), Bobotie, Pumpkin Fritters (recipe is here), Cape Brandy Pudding … to name but a few. It was completely different to the food I had grown up eating as a child in Rhodesia, this food was a lot more oily than the food my mother cooked and many of the dishes had lots of cream, salt and sugar added which I was not used to.
But it quickly grew on me, and one of my all time favourties was Bobotie (a real comfort food !), which is a curried mince dish which includes raisins and is topped with an egg custard. It sounds odd but please, don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it …. is it possible for food to evoke an emotional feeling ? If so, this is it - it warms the depth of your soul … if I had to eat this on my last day on this earth, I would die a happy woman !
There are so many variations of this recipe, this recipe is one I have come up with by combining a couple of traditional Bobotie recipes over the years. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do (and send any leftovers my way, please !)
Bobotie Recipe
2 tbsp Oil
2 Onions, sliced
1 kg Beef Mince (lamb mince can also be used)
2 tbsp Curry Powder (Mild/Medium)
1 tbsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp brown Sugar
3 tbsp Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
½ cup Raisins (seedless)
2 slices Bread
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs
6 Bay Leaves
Whole Almonds for garnishing (optional)
Fry the onions in the oil and add the beef mince. Keep breaking the mince up with a fork as you cook it, to prevent it from forming into clumps. (It should be crumbly and browned once cooked).
Add the curry powder, turmeric, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper to the mince. Cook for a few minutes and then add the raisins. Soak the bread in ½ cup of the milk and once it has absorbed all the milk, add 1 egg and beat well, then add it to the mince mixture and mix to blend.
Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish and top with the other egg, beaten in to the remaining ½ cup of milk. Stick 6 Bay leaves upright in to the dish (and some Almonds, too if you are using them) and bake at 180’C/350’F/Gas Mark 4 for 30 minutes.
Serve with yellow rice and chutney.
