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Bobotie

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Bobotie

This was declared the national dish of South Africa by the United Nations Women’s Organisation in 1954. It has a varied heritage: the Dutch brought ground meat to the local cuisine, the spices were introduced by the slaves from Indonesia and the presentation is reminiscent of English shepherd’s pie. Bobotie used to be made with leftovers from the Sunday roast

Preparation time:
30 minutes
Cooking time:
20 minutes to 25 minutes
Total time:
50 minutes to 55 minutes 55 minutes
Serves:
 4

Ingredients

  • 25g Butter
  • 1 Large onion, chopped
  • 500g Minced beef
  • 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2cm Fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 tsp Garam masala
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp Ground cumin
  • 1 tsp Ground coriander
  • 2 Cloves
  • 3 Allspice berries
  • 1 tsp Dried mixed herbs
  • 50g Dried apricots, chopped
  • 25g Flaked almonds
  • 3 tbsp Chutney
  • 4 tbsp Chopped parsley
  • 4 Bay leaves, plus extra to garnish
  • 250ml Whole milk
  • 3 Large eggs
  • 50g Sultanas

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Heat the butter in a saucepan and cook the onions until soft. Set aside.
  2. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and fry the beef, without oil, until golden brown. Remove from the heat and add the onions together with all the other ingredients except the milk and eggs. Mix well and put into 4 x 300ml ovenproof bowls or a large ovenproof dish. Press the mixture down with the back of a spoon.
  3. Beat the milk and eggs together lightly and pour over the mince mixture. Bake for 20–25 minutes for small boboties (and 30–40 minutes for a large one) or until the topping has set and is golden brown.

Comments and images

Average user rating 4 stars out of 5

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IndigoJoker

IndigoJoker 08 April 2010 19:17

I would recommend using a tablespoon of Apricot Jam instead of the dried apricots and the addition of handful of blanched almonds to give a nice crunch and some sultanas for extra sweetness. Leckker!

Ocin

Ocin 31 January 2009 13:10

Definately have this with yellow rice (with raisins) and Ms Balls chutney (available from Waitrose).

A4angel4

A4angel4 10 December 2008 18:15

I find that the only way to get the Egg & Milk to stay ontop is to heat the custard slowly in a pan (Constantly stir!) until it begins to thicken. Then whisk like mad to get it smooth. You can now pour it over the cool mince without it sinking. Gas 5 for 20 mins will see it cooked to perfection. My Mum always made this dish, She said that course mince can not be packed down enough to avoid sinking the custard.

Tim Hooke

Tim Hooke 29 October 2008 09:56

If you use yoghurt (living in the Middle East I actually use laban) instead of milk in the topping it will not sink in. If you prefer it even firmer, add some cornflour.

mmadipela

mmadipela 27 September 2008 18:57

The trick to get the egg to stay on top of the mixture of mince, is to let the mince cool first.

Peers

Peers 29 May 2008 11:15

We loved the flavour of this dish from the subtle blend of herbs and spices but I used a large dish to serve two. Even though I pressed the meat down, all of the egg mixture went into the meat without leaving any on top. With this in mind I think an individual size would be better to achieve the egg topping as shown in the picture.

Zeenit

Zeenit 22 August 2007 16:41

As a true Cape Malay living in London. I have been taught from a young age never to use dried fruits in my food. You can use the same recipe without apricots and it will be fine. Its normally served with mash potatoe.

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4 stars out of 5

Average user rating Based on 167 ratings

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Nutritional Info

Typical values per serving:
Energy 521kcal
Sugars 22.7g
Fat 28.7g
Saturated Fat 12.4g
Salt 1.1g

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This recipe was first published on Waitrose.com in July 2007