Bobotie

Oops!  I've been meaning to post this for ages!! I made this a couple of months ago, but only remembered it the other day.  Didn't take any pics after i'd served it, or while I was preparing, and only got a phone shot of it coming out of the oven!  I'm sorry!  I'll do better next time I promise!  And there will be plenty of food to come!

I have never tasted the proper, South African dish by this name, but this is a version of it that i made by looking at various recipes on the net.  A friend of mine was talking about it at work, about how this was her favourite food when she went to visit South Africa.  It sounded so good that i HAD to make it!  It reminds me of a  Shepherd's pie in a way, and Shepherd's pie is one of my favourite dishes and this seems like a lower carb version! Ideal!!  Plus it's spicier!  What more could I ask for?

One of the main differences to the recipes I'd seen is that rather than adding a bit of cornflour at the end, all the traditional recipes ask you to soak 2 slices of bread, and then to squeeze liquid out and add them to the mix at the end.  I figure i'll use less carbs with just a tablespoon of cornflour to thicken the mix a bit :)

soft custardy egg layer on top, spicy savoury sweet beef underneath - perfect for a cold night! :D

Bobotie!





800 grams minced lean beef

1 large onion, chopped 

1 large carrot, diced

1/2 to 1 cup frozen peas

4-6 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons mild curry

Chilli flakes to taste (I used about 2 teaspoons, i like it spicy!)

1 teaspoon mixed herbs

3 cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger

2 tablespoons mango chutney

10 dried apricots, chopped (or 3 tablespoons sultanas)

6 bayleaves

Olive oil, salt, pepper.

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 cup milk

3 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 200C

Fry onion and carrots in some olive oil in a large deep frypan on a medium heat (I used a wok) until onions are golden (around 5-10 minutes)

Add beef and garlic, stir-frying until beef is browned and separated into grains.  

Reduce heat to low and add curry, chilli, herbs, spices, chutney and apricots, and 2 of the bayleaves, a good sprinkle of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper and frozen peas, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Mix the cornflour with a small amount of water to make a smooth paste, and add to the meat mixture, mixing until combined.  Check/adjust seasoning, then pour mix into a buttered baking dish and smooth it over.  If using 2 slices of white bread instead, just soak these while you're cooking the meat mixture, and then squeeze out the liquid and beat the bread well into the meat mix)

Whisk eggs and milk together and carefully pour over the meat mixture.  Add 4 bayleaves on top and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Bake until top is set and starting to brown, around 35 minutes.  I actually took it out when the middle was set but still quite wobbly.  By the time i served it it had set a little more :) 

Leave to stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

You can serve it with yellow rice and some sambal , or just as is when you're feeling a little lazy and want to eat dinner from a bowl, wrapped in a blanket, on the couch :) 

Enjoy!!! :)