How to Make South African Bobotie

Serve the bobotie with yellow rice and chutney on the side.

Just like South Africa itself, South African cuisine has a unique blend of cultural influences. Traditional cooking in South Africa is often referred to as being "Cape Dutch" style, drawing from the culinary influences of countries like Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Holland and France. One of the most popular local dishes is bobotie, a sweet and slightly spicy casserole made with ground meat, chutney and creamy egg custard.

Things You'll Need

• 2 tbsp. cooking oil
• 2 onions, peeled and diced
• 2 lbs. ground beef, lamb or pork
• 1 slice white bread
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp. curry powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 tsp. turmeric
• 1 1/2 tbsp. malt vinegar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 tbsp. strong chutney
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 large eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan. Add diced onions and cook over medium heat until soft.

3. Add the ground meat and cook until lightly browned. Remove from heat.

4. Soak the slice of bread in 1/2 cup of milk for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the excess milk and mash the softened bread with a fork. Do not discard the milk; set it aside.

5. Add the softened bread to the ground meat mixture.

6. Add curry powder, sugar, salt, pepper, turmeric, malt vinegar, raisins and chutney to the ground meat mixture. Stir to combine.

7. Transfer the ground meat mixture into a greased casserole or baking dish. Press the meat mixture down into the dish and lay the bay leaves on top.

8. Bake for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

9. Beat the eggs with the remaining milk from the bread soaking and an additional 1/2 cup of milk for at least 30 seconds. Pour this mixture on top of the ground meat.

10. Return to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the egg topping is set.

Tips & Warnings

• If desired, add an additional thin layer of chutney in between the ground meat and egg custard layers.

• To increase the spiciness, opt for hotter curry powder and select a spicy chutney.

• To increase the creaminess of the egg custard, use heavy cream in place of milk.

• Pork produces a moister dish and was traditionally used in combination with lamb for this dish. Modern versions are typically made with beef.

References

• RainbowNation.com: South African Main Dishes: Bobotie