South Africa | Meats | Beef

Bobotie Recipe

Bobotie

(South African curried meat casserole)

Yield: 6-8 servings


INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT
Oil 2-3 Tbsp
Onions sliced thinly 2 each
Beef ground 2 lbs
 
White bread crusts removed, cut into cubes 2-3 slices
Milk 1 cup
 
Vinegar or lemon juice 1/4 cup
Sugar 2 Tbsp
Curry powder 1-2 Tbsp
Turmeric 1 tsp
Raisins 1/2 cup
Salt & pepper to season
Bay leaves 5 each
 
Eggs beaten 2 each

METHOD

Basic Steps:  Sauté → Soak → Mix → Bake → Top with custard → Finish baking
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium flame. Sauté onions until translucent and just starting to brown. Add beef and break up while sautéing till cooked through and crumbly. Remove from heat and drain excess fat.
  2. Put the bread and milk in a bowl and soak the bread for 5-10 minutes. Remove the bread and squeeze dry, adding the milk squeezed out back to the bowl.
  3. Preheat oven to 325°. Add soaked bread, vinegar or lemon juice, sugar, curry powder, turmeric, raisins, salt and pepper to the cooked meat and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings. The meat should have a pleasantly sweet-sour flavor.
  4. Pour the meat mixture into a greased casserole dish and smooth out the top. Lay the bay leaves over the meat in a decorative pattern and press down lightly to make them stick. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
  5. Mix the eggs with the remaining milk. After the meat has baked for 30 minutes, pour the egg-milk mixture over the top of the meat and bake another 15-20 minutes, or until the custard is set and lightly browned. Remove and serve hot with geelrys.

VARIATIONS

  • Add a couple tablespoons of mango chutney or apricot preserves to the meat if you like. A grated apple is also sometimes added. Stir in a handful of toasted, slivered almonds. One or two beaten eggs can also be stirred into the meat mixture if you like.
  • Substitute lemon leaves for the bay leaves if you can find them.
  • Use ground lamb in place of the beef.

NOTES

  • Bobotie is a very old South African dish that probably originated in Indonesia or Malaysia. The name derives from the Indonesian "bobotok", and the dish was probably adapted by Dutch traders and brought to the area around Cape Town. Every South African cook has his or her own favorite version of this dish, some very simple, others quite elaborate. Bobotie is typically served with geelrys (yellow rice) and a side of chutney.