Bobotie a’ la Crystal

Bobotie and sambals
Bobotie is South Africa’s national dish and I never tire of it. I have put some of my own little twists to it, but the basic recipe is the traditional one. We had the deevine Rob and another new friend Guel for dinner a couple of days (make that months!) ago and they were a little worried about what to expect, but enjoyed it so much they have asked for the recipe. Thank you for the complement! So here it is!

First some notes:
Curry powder: I used a very mild, but flavourful curry powder as not everybody wants to lose their sense of taste after just one bite (me excluded!), but it’s entirely up to you how much and how hot your curry powder is. You can mix your own or use a store bought mix. In South Africa, one tends to buy a mix from your local Indian or Malay stall at the market, but store bought curry powders are equally popular and not to be scoffed at.

Turmeric: I like to add this as it gives the dish an even deeper colour and turns the plates a nice yellow! It doesn’t have a lot of flavour, but I think it enhances the flavour and it’s healthy too. Most curry powders have turmeric in with the other spices, so add or leave out extra turmeric depending on whether you have some to hand or not.

Minced meat: For my American friends, this is not fruit mince, but ground beef. In SA we use minced lamb or beef, but you don’t find a lot of minced lamb about. I used a mix of minced beef and pork and really liked it. Try not use a very fatty minced meat, unless of course you like it fatty.

Apricot jam: Throughout the last 40 years I have always religiously used apricot jam and ONLY apricot jam. But 2 days ago I didn’t have any, so rather than go into a complete panic and hop on my bike and try to find a shop open while my meat was burning, I used a different jam, gulp. And miraculously, there was no difference! It’s the sweet and sour effect you’re looking for rather than an apricot taste. I used a mild flavoured quince jam, but if you have apricot jam, use it.

Rice: In SA, the rice is always served separately, but I have taken to putting it in the bottom of my baking dish and putting the mince on top of it. I find this makes for an attractive dish and any juices from the meat can soak into the rice. But you are welcome to serve the rice separately if you prefer.

Sambals: These are sides that you serve with the Bobotie. Traditionally, this would be sliced banana sprinkled with a bit of lemon juice to stop it browning and then sprinkled with coconut. Also, extra chutney. See the end of the recipe for another one.
Bobotie unbaked with the custard on top
Bobotie baked
Serves 4 easily
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp curry powder (see notes)
1 tsp turmeric, optional (see notes)
500g minced meat (see notes)
Handful of raisins, just covered with hot water
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp apricot jam (see notes)
2 tbsp chutney, plus more to serve
1 thick slice of bread or a bread roll, soaked in a cup (250ml) of milk
2 eggs
250ml milk
1 cup of rice cooked in 2 cups of water (see notes)

METHOD:
1. Saute the onions in the oil till softened. Add the curry powder and turmeric, if using, and saute for a minute or two.
2. Add the minced meat and brown, stirring to break up any lumps. Season with salt and pepper, then add the raisins with their liquid, the apricot jam and chutney.
3. Add the bread with the milk and simmer gently till the meat is cooked. You want it fairly dry, so if it’s too wet, turn up the heat a little and cook off the liquid. (I like some juice so that it can seep into the rice!)
4. Beat the eggs and milk together.
5. Put the cooked rice in the bottom of the baking dish, spread the mince on top and press it down a bit. You will be pouring the mixed egg and milk on top and you don’t want it disappearing down into the meat.
6. Pour the egg and milk on top of the mince and bake at 180C for 15-45 minutes (depending on your oven) until the egg mixture has set.
7. You’re now ready to eat! Serve with sambals and extra chutney.

Sambals:

Banana and coconut
2 bananas
Lemon juice
2 tbsp dessicated coconut

1. Slice the bananas and sprinkle with lemon juice to stop them browning.
2. Toss in coconut and serve.

Cucumber sambal
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced in 1cm slices
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar (or other mild vinegar)

1. Mix all and serve! This is my cheats version, but if you don’t have sweet chilli sauce, you could use vinegar and sugar and some freshly chopped chillies.

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Wir lieben Euch!


Danke für Euer Kommentar - wir vermissen Euch und freuen uns EUch bald wieder zu Knutschen!!

Dies sieht nur nur Lecker aus


Dies sieht nur nur Lecker aus dies schmeckt auch Lecker denn wir saßen schon öfters bei Crystal und Jörk am Küchentisch.

liebe Grüße von Lena und Dieter

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