To many South Africans, bobotie is the “rainbow” nation’s popular national dish. Many other countries are unfamiliar with our Cape Malay dishes, but find them irresistible after trying them. So, let’s take a closer look at this delectable dish and how you can prepare it at home.
What is it
Traditional bobotie is a flavour-packed aromatic and savoury casserole with curried beef mince (ground beef) mixed with dried fruit, like raisins or apricots, topped with a thin layer of creamy egg custard. It is then baked until golden brown with a bit of a crisp. The dish includes crucial ingredients affecting the flavour balance between sweet and spicy, consistency and cooking techniques.
Instructions and Ingredients
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to prepare this mouth-watering simple dish from Woolworths.
Cooking time: 40 minutes | Preparation: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 170 g sultanas
- 1 cup carrot, grated
- 1 kg extra lean beef mince
- 2 cups cream
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 4 bay leaves
- 250 ml fresh milk
- 4 slices white bread
- 6 free-range eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp chutney
- 3 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tsp turmeric, ground
- 1/4 cup seedless raisins
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
Cooking instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180°.
- Fry the onion in a little oil until softened.
- Add the garlic and mince and fry until evenly cooked.
- Add the carrots, raisins, sultanas and spices and fry a little longer until the carrots have softened slightly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Soak the bread in the milk and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Lightly squeeze the bread and mash with a fork. Whisk the eggs and add to the mashed bread.
- Mix the egg mixture into the cooled mince. Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof dish and spread evenly.
- Mix the cream and eggs for the topping and pour over the mince. Top with bay leaves and bake for 30-40 minutes until firm and golden brown.
Extra Tips
- Bobotie can be baked in any oven-safe dish or cast iron skillet.
- The beef can be replaced with lamb, giving the bobotie more game flavours. For our vegetarians out there, you can easily replace the beef or lamb with lentils.
- Add fruit chutney or tomato chutney. You can even make your own Mango and Pineapple Chutney if you are up to it!
- To make the dish more fruitier, you can add raisins and dried apricots.
- Spices: Most of the spices used are what most have at home. (turmeric, bay leaves, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, mild curry powder, dried herb mix (basil & oregano)and salt & pepper)
Sides to complement the dish
Yellow rice is a crucial part of bobotie and should not be served without it! It is fragrant and infused with a variety of spices, like turmeric and cardamom complementing the bobotie perfectly.
Blatjang in Afrikaans, is absolutely divine with this dish. You can purchase it directly in the shops, (Mrs Balls Chutney is the South African favourite) or you can make your own.
This simple side salad will add a lovely fresh element to the dish.
Origin
The traditional recipes that are known today, have been slightly modified from the earliest recipe. Dating back to the 17th century, when Dutch settlers stopped in what is now called Cape Town on their return trips from Indonesia. With each trip from Indonesia, they brought back spices, recipes and cooking techniques. It is speculated that the bobotie recipe came with these settlers from Indonesia and was adapted to the specific ingredients that were available in South Africa at the time. Many South African families have their well-kept versions of the recipe, this has been passed down by all the different generations. Don’t fret, all of them are delicious!
Bobotie is a dish where two South African culinary traditions (Cape Malay and Afrikaans ‘boerekos’) have been combined. We hope that you enjoy this dish as much as many South Africans throughout the decades!
