Dinner

Bobotie

2 hrs Serves 6

A recipe from Estelle Human. Bobotie is one of those dishes that tastes like Sunday lunch at Ouma's — warmly spiced, a little sweet, and finished with a soft golden custard on top. Serve it with rice and plenty of chutney.

Ingredients

2 onions
Butter or cooking oil, for frying
1 kg minced meat
1 slice bread
250 ml milk (divided — for soaking the bread and for the topping)
2 eggs
15 ml medium curry powder
22.5 ml sugar
10 ml salt
2.5 ml pepper
7.5 ml turmeric
30 ml vinegar
6 almonds, quartered
125 ml seedless raisins
4 lemon or bay leaves
45 ml chutney

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease an oven dish.
2
Peel and slice the onions thinly. Fry lightly in hot cooking oil — if uncooked meat is used, fry it with the onions until slightly cooked and crumbly.
3
Soak the bread in milk, then squeeze out the milk and mash the bread.
4
Mix all the ingredients together except 125 ml (½ cup) milk, 1 egg, and the lemon leaves.
5
Spoon the mixture into the greased oven dish. Roll up the leaves and insert them upright into the meat mixture.
6
Bake for 1 hour if uncooked meat is used, or 45 minutes if cooked meat is used.
7
Beat the remaining egg with 125 ml (½ cup) milk and pour over the meat 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
8
Serve with rice and chutney.

Notes

The lemon or bay leaves tucked upright into the mince perfume the whole dish as it bakes — pull them out before serving. Leftovers are excellent the next day.