Recipe – Bobotie

Looking for something else to do with beef mince other than bolognaise and rissoles, we asked Pip Collard to source some good bobotie recipes from her South African family. Bobotie is a popular baked mince dish from South Africa. Many of the recipes say to add apricot jam, but we opted for dried apricots instead.

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients

• 30g butter
• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 1 apple, diced
• 1kg beef mince
•  2 eggs
• 2 slices of bread, soaked in milk
• 2 tablespoons mild curry powder
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 6 dried apricots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 cup milk
• 6 bay leaves or lemon leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Heat the butter in a frypan over medium heat. Add the onions and fry until transparent. Add the apple and cook for a couple of minutes and then add the mince and stir until browned.
3. Stir in 1 egg, the soaked bread, curry powder, raisins, apricots, slivered almonds and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a casserole dish. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven. Beat 1 egg, milk and turmeric together and pour over the top of the mince mixture. Lay the bay leaves over the top. If you’re using lemon leaves, roll them and poke them into the mince mixture. Return to the oven without the lid and bake for a further 15 minutes or until golden. Serve with rice and chutney.