South African `Bobotie' (Recipe)

(Reprinted from Epicurious.com `Around the World in 80 Dishes’ )

In this episode of Around the World in 80 Dishes we take you to South Africa, for a demonstration by Chef Hubert Martini of the custard-topped meat casserole called bobotie. Considered by many South Africans to be their national dish, bobotie is a delicious example of the country's unique culinary heritage. It's somewhat akin to English shepherd's pie, but with an important difference: the curry powder, turmeric, lemon, dried fruit, apples, and almonds that transform the meat filling from bland to bursting with flavor. The spices are the contribution of South Africa's Cape Malay population, descendants of Indonesian slaves brought to the country by Dutch traders in the 17th century. As cooks for their Dutch masters, the Malays melded European and Asian cooking techniques, helping to create South Africa's culinary melting pot.

In addition to the aromatic flavorings, the filling also contains milk, eggs, and bread crumbs, which help it melt during long, slow baking into a tender, moist mixture. Adding even more moisture are the milk and eggs that are poured on during the last 15 minutes of baking and that set into a delicate custard topping.

In South Africa, bobotie is typically served with turmeric-scented rice and a sweet-and-sour fruit chutney called blatjang. If you don't want to make your own chutney, you can buy a bottled version—Mrs. Ball's is the most popular South African brand.

Text by Sarah Kagan, illustrations by Matthew Brennan, photo by CIA/Keith Ferris

INGREDIENTS:

minced lamb or beef, or a mixture of the two

butter, vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

2 ml (1/2 teaspoon) crushed garlic

15 ml (1 tablespoon) curry powder

5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground turmeric

2 slices bread, crumbled

60 ml (1/4 cup) milk

finely grated rind and juice of 1/2 small lemon

1 egg

5 ml (1 teaspoon) salt, milled black pepper

100 g (3 ounces) dried apricots, chopped

1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored and chopped

60 ml (1/4 cup) sultanas (golden raisins)

50 g (1 1/2 ounces) slivered almonds, roasted in a dry frying pan

6 lemon, orange, or bay leaves

TOPPING

250 ml (1 cup) milk

2 eggs

2 ml (1/2 teaspoon) salt

PREPARATION

Set the oven at 160°C (325°F). Butter a large casserole. Heat butter and oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until translucent. Stir in the curry powder and turmeric, and cook briefly until fragrant. Remove the pot from the heat.  Mix in the minced meat. Mix together the crumbs, milk, lemon rind and juice, egg, salt, pepper, apricots, apple, sultanas (golden raisins) and almonds and mix in. Pile into the casserole and level the top. Roll up the leaves and bury them at regular intervals. Seal with foil and bake for 1 1/4 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F). Mix together the topping milk, eggs and salt (you may require extra topping if you've used a very large casserole), pour over and bake uncovered for a further 15 minutes until cooked and lightly browned. Serve with Yellow Rice and Blatjang.

(Reprinted permission from Rainbow Cuisine: A Culinary Journey Through South Africa by Lannice Snyman ©1998 S&S Publishers)