Bobotie (pronounced ba-boor-tea)

I was lucky enough to spend some time cooking with Monica from Avalone Guesthouse this afternoon. When she mentioned she was making Bobotie for supper, I grabbed the chance to help her out seeing as I have never made one before. She was more than happy for me to assist her in the kitchen and patiently waited while I hungrily snapped away (mind the pun).

Bobotie is to South Africa (well in my opinion anyway), what mousakka is to Greece and what shepherd’s pie is to Britain. It is the national dish of South Africa and is essentially of a delicious mixture of curried meat and fruit with a creamy golden topping.

What looks like a dish that will be quite complex and tricky to make is actually very simple indeed. I know you’re probably thinking it seems more like a wintery dish and you’re probably right, but seeing as it is now winter this side of the equator, I am going to make the exception.

You will need:

1/2 kg minced beef (2 small packets should be fine)

4 slices of white or brown bread (a few days old)

Milk

2 onions, chopped

1 tbsp Apricot jam (you can also use peach or mango chutney)

Sultanas

3tbsp masala powder (we used ginger and garlic masala but any should be fine)

1tsp dried mixed herbs

2 large eggs

For the topping:

300ml milk

2 large eggs

Method:

1)Place the mince in a bowl

2)In a side dish place your bread slices

3)Cover the bread with milk

4)Leave the bread to soak the milk

1)Take your onions and roughly chop them

2)Add half of the onions to the mince

3)Add 2 generous dollops of jam or chutney to the mince 

and onions (more if you want it sweeter)

4)Add the remaining onions

9)Grab your masala powder

10)Sprinkle in the powder, covering the mince

11)Add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar and combine all the ingredients together with your hands

12)Squeeze the remaining milk out of the soaked bread

13)Crack 2 eggs into the mince mixture and combine with hands

14)Divide the mince mixture into individual oven proof 

dishes (or 1 large if you prefer)

15)For the topping, add 2 eggs to 300ml milk

26)Whisk milk and eggs until blended

1)Add the topping mixture equally amongst the dishes

2)Continue until you have used all your topping mixture

3)Pop in a preheated oven of 180C/fan 160C/gas 4

4)Cook for 45 minutes or until the topping has set and starting to turn wonderful and golden

Serve with yellow rice (white rice with 1tsp of tumeric) and a handful of sultanas or raisins) or maybe a steaming hot jacket potato with butter.

So the next time England is cold & dreary, which is inevitably going to be soon, why not warm your body with this mouth-watering South African favourite?