Bobotie (Lekkerbek)

Preparation time: 20 mins Cooking time: 1 hour, 10 mins Easy - for beginners Serves: 8

Description

Bobotie is a traditional South African Dish. It's origin is unknown, although we know that the word originates from the Indonesian word bobotok of which a recipe appears in a 1609 Dutch recipe book. Initially the Cape Malay introduced it in South Africa.

Ingredients

30 milliliters Oil
3 Onion chopped
2 Garlic crushed
15 milliliters Curry powder
5 milliliters Tumeric
5 milliliters Coriander fine
2 milliliters Cumin fine
5 milliliters Ginger fine
5 milliliters Cinnamon fine
1 kilogram Ground Beef
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
30 milliliters Lemon Juice
30 milliliters Apricot jam
60 milliliters Chutney
30 milliliters Brown sugar (soft)
30 milliliters Worcestershire sauce
30 milliliters Tomato paste
2 slices White bread soaked in water, pressed fine
250 milliliters Raisins pit-less
250 milliliters Green appel grated
6 Lemon/bay-leaves
500 milliliters Milk
4 Eggs beaten
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a big ovenproof dish (± 23 x 33cm and about 5-6cm deep). Heat the oil in a pot and fry onions over medium heat until soft and starting to colour. Add spices (Curry powder, Tumeric, Coriander, Cumin, Ginger, Cinnamon) and cook for another minute. Add the garlic and beef and stir well, crushing the mince into fine grains until it changes colour. Flavour with salt and peper and add rest of the seasonings(Lemon Juice, Apricot jam, Chutney, Brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Tomato paste) as well as the bread, raisins and appel. Let everything come to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Tip into the ovenproof dish and press the lemon/bay leaves into the mixture.

TOPPING For the topping, beat the milk and eggs with seasoning, then pour over the meat. Bake for 35-40 mins until the topping is set and starting to turn golden. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with yellow rice, chutney and sambals like chopped tomato & onions or banana slices and fine coconut.