Bobotie is a national dish of South Africa and is pronounced ‘ba-boor-tea’. An ovenproof dish is filled with a mixture of curried meat and sultanas. Orange slices are inserted into the edge of the dish which is then covered with an egg custard mix and baked.
Ingredients
This recipe serves up to 4 people.
Filling
- 100ml cold water
- 2 slices wholemeal bread
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 x 15ml spoon vegetable oil
- 1 x 15ml spoon medium curry powder
- ½ x 5ml spoon turmeric OR garam masala
- ¼ x 5ml spoon ground allspice (optional)
- 400g lean minced beef
- 1 x 15ml spoon mango chutney
- 50g sultanas
- Ground black pepper (optional)
- 1 medium orange
- 4 bay leaves
Topping
- 2 eggs
- 150ml semi-skimmed milk
Equipment
- Weighing scales
- Measuring jug
- Large bowl x 2
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Measuring spoons
- Large frying pan with lid
- Wooden spoon
- Pan stand
- Whisk
- 1.5 litre ovenproof dish
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring jug
- Oven gloves
- Large serving spoon
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan or gas mark 4.
- Place 100ml of water in a large bowl.
- Soak both slices of bread in the water for 10 minutes, turning the slices over halfway through.
- After 10 minutes squeeze out the remaining moisture and crumble the bread into another large bowl.
- Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.
- Heat the oil in the frying pan and gently soften the onions until golden, stirring to prevent them burning.
- Add the garlic, curry powder, turmeric or garam masala and allspice (if using) and continue to fry for 1–2 minutes.
- Add the minced beef to the frying pan, stir and break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until it changes from red to brown.
- Stir in the chutney and sultanas and season with black pepper (if using).
- Mix all the ingredients together well, bring to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the bowl of soaked bread and carefully beat it together to combine.
- Cut the orange in half then into thin slices and press them around the sides of the ovenproof dish.
- Press the meat mixture into the dish, smoothing it down and arranging any leftover slices of orange and the bay leaves on top.
- Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat with a whisk, mix in the milk and pour the mixture over the meat.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 40–45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Carefully remove the dish from the oven and serve.
Top Tips
- Use good quality lean or extra lean minced beef, which will have a lower fat content than economy mince.
- Use stale bread, as it will crumble more easily when soaked in the water.
- Serve with a fresh side salad and rice.
Something to try next time
- Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the mixture instead of allspice.
- Add 1 x 15ml spoon of the homemade Let’s Get Cooking recipes for Mango Chutney or Marrow and Plum Chutney, available to download from our website.
Bobotie is best eaten straight away but can be eaten cold in slices. If you have any leftovers, cool the dish as quickly as possible, cover and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours and reheat once until piping hot.
See Also
