Bobotie – South African Curried Mince & Egg Bake
Bobotie is a traditional dish with dutch origns. Introduced through the Cape Malay community, this popular dish spread to other parts of Africa and now the world. It might sound a bit unusual if you aren’t familiar with dutch curries – often flavoured with curry powder and sweetened with fruit. This is in contrast with Indian curries, which are more often flavoured with whole spices and served in a sauce enriched by nuts or yogurt.
Relatively quick and easy to prepare, Bobotie can easily be scaled up to feed a large crowd. This particular recipe is quite simple and a great introduction to these flavours.
Peach chutney is a star ingredient here and can be found in the international section of major supermarkets (Coles and Woolworths) in Australia or purchased online. Choose the Peach Flavour (Perske Blatjang), Regular (Blatjang), or hot/strong (Sterk Blatjang) version depending on your preference. There is a tip for substitutions in the recipe notes below, but the tangy sweet flavour can compliment many dishes. Some suggestions to use the remainder of the bottle include:
- Glazing a baked ham
- Blending a few tbsp with a 70/30 cream cheese to mayo ratio for a tasty dip
- Use as a condiment on eggs, bbq burgers or hotdogs
- Dipping Sauce for Baked Meatballs
- Elevate your toasted cheese sandwich
- Paired with a Cheeseboard
- Basically anywhere you would use mustard, ketchup or sweet chilli sauce.
For more family dinner ideas, check out our main meals archive.
The Shopping links in this post are non-affiliate links and none of this post is sponsored. Feel free to use whatever chutney or substitution you prefer – I’m just shared the ingredients as tested.
Bobotie – South African Baked Mince & Savoury Custard
Preheat Oven to 180°C & Prep the ingredients as required (Dice Onions, Mince Garlic & Chop Almonds)
Measure out the 300g Milk in a bowl and press the slices of white bread into the milk to soak.
Preheat a large saucepan, add the olive oil and soften the diced onion. Add the beef mince and minced garlic, break apart and continue to cook until browned.
Add 3tsp of mild curry powder, salt and pepper. Stir through to combine.
In a large casserole dish, combine the cooked mince, sultanas, chopped almonds and chutney. Using clean hands, squeeze as much of the milk from the bread as you can and add the softened bread in small chunks to the mince mixture (reserving the milk in the bowl for the topping).
Using a sturdy spatula, thoroughly mix the bread into the meat mixture to bind everything together. Press the mixture down firmly into the casserole dish to create a smooth, even surface.
Break the 3 eggs into the bowl with the milk, season with salt & pepper and whisk until well combined. Pour this topping mixture over the mince base and top with the 3 bay leaves.
Place the casserole dish into the oven and turn the temperature down to 160°C. Bake for approx 45mins & Serve with fluffy Basmati Rice.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat Oven to 180°C & Prep the ingredients as required (Dice Onions, Mince Garlic & Chop Almonds)
Measure out the 300g Milk in a bowl and press the slices of white bread into the milk to soak.
Preheat a large saucepan, add the olive oil and soften the diced onion. Add the beef mince and minced garlic, break apart and continue to cook until browned.
Add 3tsp of mild curry powder, salt and pepper. Stir through to combine.
In a large casserole dish, combine the cooked mince, sultanas, chopped almonds and chutney. Using clean hands, squeeze as much of the milk from the bread as you can and add the softened bread in small chunks to the mince mixture (reserving the milk in the bowl for the topping).
Using a sturdy spatula, thoroughly mix the bread into the meat mixture to bind everything together. Press the mixture down firmly into the casserole dish to create a smooth, even surface.
Break the 3 eggs into the bowl with the milk, season with salt & pepper and whisk until well combined. Pour this topping mixture over the mince base and top with the 3 bay leaves.
Place the casserole dish into the oven and turn the temperature down to 160°C. Bake for approx 45mins & Serve with fluffy Basmati Rice.
Notes
Recipe Notes
Despite all the reasons above for keeping a bottle in the cupboard. You can make a quick emergency substitute in this recipe for 3tbsp apricot jam, 2tsp white vinegar & 1tsp chilli sauce.
You can use any type of mince really, but the extra fat in regular beef mince will make the dish a bit greasier and not hold together quite as well. This is personal preference.
Key Ingredients
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