South African National Dish: Bobotie

The spice trade once again plays its part in our recipe selection this week by virtue of the P1010021Dutch East India Company being responsible for the majority of spice transportation around the globe in the late 17th Century, bringing goods and slaves from the East Indies (modern day Indonesia) to a colony on the Cape in South Africa and elsewhere.

In 1995 “to celebrate its rich cultural heritage and diversity, Heritage Day was created as the national holiday which “encourages South Africans to come together.” Former South African President Nelson Mandela concisely explained it when he said the following in a Heritage Day speech: “When our first democratically-elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation.””

– Cape Town Magazine.

Some 200 years earlier “in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Although the franchise was limited at the time, you could say that he was the first democratically elected president of the United States.”

– History.com

Bobotie is as much a national dish to South Africa as the Thanksgiving turkey feast is to us here in the United States. Derived from a traditional spiced, ground meat recipe topped with a baked egg mixture, Bobotie came to South African by way of Indonesia centuries ago on those aforementioned spice trade routes. Texturally it reminds me of Greek Moussaka and is well flavored with sweet and savory. It tastes deliciously like comfort food to me. Bobotie has a shorter cook time than other slow cooker recipes and is a great dish to put on before a long morning walk ready in time for lunch.

We are always grateful for our old-time followers and newcomers to the blog and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Jane and Meg

Prep Time: 15 minutesPrint Recipe

Cooking Time:  2 hours on HIGH or 4 hours on LOW

Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp light olive oil
  • 1lb ground beef
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups / 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp apricot jam or chutney
  • 2 tbsp Madras curry powder (or regular curry powder)
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

for the topping

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup toasted almonds

Bobotie

Heat the oil on a high heat in a skillet and add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown for 2 minutes and transfer to the slow cooker.

Bobotie

Add the onion to the skillet and soften over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and transfer to the slow cooker.

Add the breadcrumbs, milk, jam, curry powder, raisins and lemon juice. Stir to combine, cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours.

Whisk the milk and eggs together in a small bowl. After 1 hour 40 minutes (if cooking on HIGH) or 3 hours 20 minutes (if cooking on LOW) pour the egg mixture over the meat mixture in the slow cooker and replace the lid for the remainder of the cooking time.

Serve and sprinkle the toasted almonds over the Bobotie.

Zen Moment

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Nelson Mandela