Mildly spiced beef mince bobotie remains a true South African classic – and Spier Wine Farm’s version is a little less sweet than usual, omitting the dried fruit and apricot jam for a more savoury result.
Ingredients:
30ml (2 tablespoons) vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
15ml (1 tablespoon) fresh ginger, finely grated
20ml (4 teaspoons) mild curry powder
5ml (1 teaspoon) ground turmeric
5ml (1 teaspoon) ground coriander
5ml (1 teaspoon) ground cumin
1kg lean beef mince
salt and black pepper to taste
30ml lemon juice
60ml fruit chutney
30ml Worcestershire sauce
30ml tomato paste
2 slices white bread, soaked in water
125ml milk
1 egg
12 curry leaves (fresh or dried)
Method:
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions. Fry until soft and
translucent, then add the garlic and ginger and fry for another 30 seconds.
Add the curry powder, turmeric, coriander and cumin, and fry, stirring, for a minute.
Divide the beef mince into three batches and add one batch at a time, turning up the heat to high and stirring after each addition and waiting for the meat to change colour from pink to grey (do not brown) before adding more.
When all the meat has changed colour, season generously with salt and pepper, then add the lemon juice, chutney, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and soaked bread (break up the bread into chunks – it will continue to break down while cooking).
Stir well, then turn down the heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook slowly for 25 minutes, scraping the bottom often to prevent burning. In the meantime, pre-heat your oven to 180 °C.
In a medium jug, mix the milk and egg well and season with salt and pepper.
When the meat mixture is ready, transfer it to a suitable deep baking dish and smooth the top evenly. Pour over the milky egg mixture and dot all over with curry leaves.
Bake at 180 °C for 35 minutes or until golden and bubbly on top. Remove and serve hot with rice, fresh coriander, toasted coconut, chutney and tomato salsa (or your choice of sambals).
Serves 6.