I am blessed to have many friends, old and new. And, that’s one of the reasons I started the “Teach Me to Cook” series – to encourage my friends to share their favorite recipes with me, and the world! Old World Bobotie is a dish shared by a new friend, Becky.
I met Becky about a year ago through a mutual friend. We hit it off immediately and when I asked her to “Teach Me to Cook”, she was all in!
Readers first met Becky when she made Watermelon Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream for my mother’s and aunt’s birthday party (they’re twins). You can see a photo of Becky and, of course, get the recipe by clicking on the link. And, if you want to see (and read) more about that special birthday celebration, you can check out my post, A Peacock Tale: Decorating the Table for a Birthday Celebration.
Old World Bobotie is a treasured classic South Africa dish credited to Dutch colonists. A type of minced meat recipe topped with an egg custard, Becky makes her’s with ground beef. I’ve never tasted anything quite like it, so it’s hard for me to describe. But, the dish I think of the most when tasting Bobotie is a ramped-up, sweeter version of Greek Moussaka minus eggplant, tomatoes and wine.
A hardy dish, this sweet and savory recipe starts on the stovetop and is finished in the oven. Traditionally served over rice, serve Old World Bobotie with bananas, coconut, chutney and almonds on the side as garnish.
Here’s the recipe:
Old World South African Bobotie
Sweet and savory, this hardy casserole is a national treasure in South Africa.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Casserole
- Cuisine: African
Ingredients
- Non-stick cooking spray or a bit of canola oil
- 1 thick slice of crustless bread (brown or white), torn into pieces
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup chutney, divided
- 1/2 tablespoon apricot jam
- 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 1 egg
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 banana, sliced on the diagonal, for garnish
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, for garnish
- 1/2 sliced almonds, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 7″ x 11″ baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or a bit of canola oil.
- Soak bread in milk.
- Heat oil and butter in large skillet, add onions and garlic and saute a few minutes until onions are soft.
- Add curry powder, salt, chutney, jam, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and mix well.
- Drain and mash the bread, reserving the milk.
- Add bread to skillet with ground beef and raisins.
- Cook over low heat stirring until meat is no longer pink.
- Spoon mixture into prepared baking pan and level top.
- Beat eggs with reserved milk and pinch of salt and turmeric.
- Pour egg mixture over meat mixture.
- Put bay leaves on top.
- Place baking dish in a larger 9″ x 13″ baking pan filled with water.
- Bake uncovered for one hour until set.
- Remove from oven and cut into 6 servings.
- Serve over rice and garnish with bananas, coconut, chutney and almonds.
Tootles,
Related Posts:
(other recipes in the Teach Me to Cook series)
- Avocado Nut Sandwich
- Barefoot with Friends and Vanessa’s Pavlova
- Charlie’s Layered Mexican Casserole
- Classic Egg Salad
- Crazy Chocolate Cake
- Creamed Potatoes with Ham
- Doctored Hamburgers
- Dorothy’s Stuffed Mushrooms
- Easy Homemade Salsa
- Ensalada de Nopales
- Gail’s Potato Chip Cookies
- Goldenrod Eggs
- Kathy’s 16-Layer Lasagna
- Lady Dip
- Linda’s Cheese Ball
- Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing
- Mom’s Old Fashioned Banana Nut Bread
- Mom’s Old Fashioned Coffee Cake
- Passion Fruit Punch
- Patti’s Button Cupcakes
- Rosa’s Caramel Flan
- Rosa’s Pork Posole
- Sita’s Calypso Rice
- Sita’s Curry Chicken
- Spinach Casserole
- Watermelon Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream
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