2020, the year that will always be remembered for the world-wide pandemic, was also the year my husband and I would finally visit South Africa, and some neighboring countries. This was a highly anticipated trip of ours, not only for wildlife, wine, and culture, but for me, it was so much about the food of South Africa.
Being a geeky kid, I remember reading my mother’s Time-Life series of the Foods of the World. There were 27 in total, representing various cuisines – a larger book, and a smaller, spiral-bound recipe booklet.
I loved the larger books with the photos, and in African Cooking, I oohed and aahed over crayfish curry, a “popular dish at the Cape of Good Hope.”
African Cooking encompasses the continent of countries and their varied regional cuisines. A ridiculous task, really. The book is divided into five regions, and Southern Africa is one of them.
From the book, “Fertile soil and agreeable climate give South Africa much of the best grazing and crop land south of the Sahara. The Dutch first settled the region, and its culture and cuisine still bear their imprint, but a wide variety of other ethnic strains – Europeans, Asian, and African – exist in the south side by side.”
In anticipation of our 2020 South African trip, our daughter gave me this cookbook, by Melinda Roodt, published in 2016.
It is from this cookbook that I’m making the recipe for Bobotie. Another wonderful recipe is from one of my favorite professional food bloggers, stylists, and photographers, Sam from Drizzle and Dip, who lives in Cape Town, South Africa. This is one of her Bobotie photos.
From her blog post: “The Indonesian influence on South African cookery entered the country with the Dutch colonists, some of whom came from Indonesia at the time. The Indonesian word “bobotok” from which bobotie is derived, appeared in a Dutch cookery book in the year 1609. Malayans brought their culinary traditions to the country and these formed the cornerstone of many dishes, which were perfected and adapted by each succeeding generation and can be regarded as indigenous. One of the most typical traditional dishes “Bobotie” still features prominently and preparing and serving it will allow you to taste and delight in the spice of South African life.”
This has to be the yellowest meal I’ve ever made!
Bobotie
1 thick slice white bread
8 ounces milk
1 ounce olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Robertsons Rajah Mild & Spicy Curry Powder
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 – 2 1/2 pounds beef mince
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons apricot jam
3 ounces Mrs. Balls chutney
3 extra-large eggs
3 – 4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons cake flour
2 teaspoons beef stock powder
16 ounces water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the bread in a bowl with the milk to soak.
Heat half the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic. Add the remaining olive oil, the curry powder, and 2 1/2 teaspoons of the turmeric to the onion and sauté for another 30 seconds.
Add the mince and fry over high heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring continuously, until cooked and loose in texture.
Turn down the heat and stir in the diced apple, salt, pepper, lemon juice, vinegar, jam, and chutney.
Drain the bread (keep the milk) and tear it into the mince. Mix well.
Beat 1 egg, quickly stir this into the mince mixture and remove the pan from the heat.Spoon the mince into a 8 x 12” ovenproof dish, reserving 2 tablespoons in the pan, and even out the top.
Beat the remaining eggs with the reserved milk and the remaining turmeric in a small bowl and pour over the mince in the dish.
Press the bay leaves halfway into the top and bake for 30 minutes until set.
While the bobotie is cooking, add the flour and stock powder to the reserved mince mixture in the pan. Bring to a high heat while adding the water and stir until thickened. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season to taste.
Serve the bobotie with this reduction and turmeric rice.
And then start planning when you’ll make it next, cause you will want to!