Bobotie - otherwise know as a spicy, mouth-wateringly delicious casserole made with ground beef and spices, topped with an egg custard. It is one of my absolute favourite South African culinary delights, and it will definitely be going to the UK with me. (And no, it does not contain crocodile or Mopani worms, considered delicacies by some South Africans)
An ancient recipe, Bobotie reached the southern shores of Africa during the Sixteen-somethings. Since then, it has become a mainstay in our Rainbow Nation culture. And whom do we have to thank? Malaysian slaves sold to the colonists at the Cape of Good Hope (not much hope for those poor people). Anyway, if I want to earn Brownie points with my kids, I dish up this for dins.
Bobotie
So how
do you make this exotic dish?
1. Grab
yourself some ground beef or lamb.
2. Chop
up an onion. Sauté in butter with a couple of cloves of garlic, some fresh
ginger, a teaspoon each of coriander and cumin, and half a teaspoon of turmeric.
3. Chuck
in the meat. Salt to taste.
4. Add
a handful each of apricots/raisins, and almonds.
5. Now
it gets weird . . . Mush in two slices of white bread soaked in two tablespoons
of milk and vinegar. I know, I know, it sounds gross. Don’t be fooled, it’s
fantastic.
6. Cook
through and then pop into an ovenproof dish.
7. Make
custard topping by beating three eggs and a cup of milk together. Pour over
meat. Decorate topping with a few bay leaves and bake at 180C until the custard
has set.
Serve
with yellow rice, chutney and sambals. (chopped bananas, chopped cucumber,
chopped peppers, etc.) To make yellow rice: add a teaspoon of turmeric to your cooking
water. Rice will come out the colour of saffron. If you like sweet things, add
a handful of raisins)
I hope
you enjoy it as much as we do.
Cheers
Gwynn
PS.
Elisa almost got run over this week. Check out her FF to find out more.
