Name: Bobotie (home recipe)
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: South Africa
Ingredients: 750g minced beef or lamb; 2 onions, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, grated; 2 tbsp mild curry powder and 1 tsp turmeric; 2 slices white bread, crusts off; 400ml full-cream milk; 75g sultanas or raisins; 2 tbsp apricot jam and 2 tbsp fruit chutney; 2 tbsp white wine vinegar; 50g flaked almonds; 3 eggs; 6 fresh bay leaves, salt and black pepper

History

Bobotie reached the Cape through the Dutch table and the kitchens of enslaved and exiled people brought from the Indonesian archipelago, Bengal and East Africa from 1658 onwards, and the Cape Malay community made it its own. The Afrikaans etymological dictionary traces the name to the Malay boemboe, meaning curry spices, and the dish resembles patinam ex lacte, layered meat under a milk topping recorded by the Roman writer Apicius. What is now standard in Cape Town is minced beef or lamb with curry powder, onion, breadcrumbs soaked in milk and raisins or sultanas, baked until the custard sets.

Common allergens: Egg, Milk, Gluten, Nuts

Make it at home

Yield Serves 6Hands-on 30 minTotal 1 hr 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

750g minced beef or lamb
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, grated
2 tbsp mild curry powder and 1 tsp turmeric
2 slices white bread, crusts off
400ml full-cream milk
75g sultanas or raisins
2 tbsp apricot jam and 2 tbsp fruit chutney
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
50g flaked almonds
3 eggs
6 fresh bay leaves, salt and black pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 180C. Soak the bread in 150ml of the milk and set aside.
Fry the onion in oil over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft, add the garlic, curry powder and turmeric and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the mince and brown it for 8 minutes, breaking up any lumps, then stir in the sultanas, jam, chutney, vinegar, 1.5 tsp salt and plenty of pepper.
Squeeze the milk out of the bread, crumble the bread into the meat and mix well. Spoon into a 25cm baking dish and level the top.
Whisk the eggs with the remaining 250ml milk and a pinch of salt, pour over the meat and push the bay leaves in upright.
Scatter the almonds over and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the custard is set and lightly browned. Rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Tip from the editors. If the custard browns before it sets, drop the oven to 160C and cover loosely with foil; a wet centre means it came out too early.

Where to eat bobotie

Bobotie in Cape Town

Karibu Restaurant ★ 3.8

$$ South AfricanV&a Waterfront

Karibu at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town plates bobotie, venison potjie and Cape bredies alongside game, steaks and seafood, every day of the week.

OrderBobotie of spiced beef mince and raisins under an egg topping, served with celebration rice

TipThe venison and game specials change with what the kitchen sources, ask before ordering.

Directions Book

Bo-Kaap Kombuis ★ 4.1

$$ South AfricanBo Kaap

Bo-Kaap Kombuis serves home-style Cape Malay bobotie and denningvleis from a house on August Street in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, with a Table Mountain view.

Why locals goIt operates out of an ordinary house on August Street rather than a Bo-Kaap storefront, so the Table Mountain view from the dining room stays a surprise until you sit down.

TipAsk for a window table before you sit; the view over the City Bowl is why regulars book ahead for weekend dinners.

Directions

The Fireman's Arms ★ 3.8

$ Cocktail BarForeshoreUntil 00:00 Tue-Sat

The Fireman's Arms is a Foreshore pub in Cape Town, opened in 1864 as the Somerset Arms, pouring 14 beers on tap with fire brigade pizzas until midnight.

TryPizzas named after the fire brigade, plus burgers and bobotie

TipArrive early for a big match, since nine HD screens and the fireplace corner fill fast; Thursday is quiz night.