Mildly spiced beef mince bobotie is a true South African classic. Spier Wine Farm shared their version with us.
A little less sweet than usual – they leave out the dried fruit and apricot jam – this is a gorgeous savoury dish with a deliciously nutty, complex flavour. Serve it this weekend, with crisp white wine … we suggest the Spier Signature Chenin Blanc.
No-raisin beef bobotie with curry leaves
Serves 6
Ingredients:
30 ml (2 tablespoons) vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
15 ml (1 tablespoon) fresh ginger, finely grated
20 ml (4 teaspoons) mild curry powder
5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground turmeric
5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground coriander
5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground cumin
1 kg lean beef mince
salt & black pepper to taste
30 ml lemon juice
60 ml fruit chutney
30 ml Worcestershire sauce
30 ml tomato paste
2 slices white bread, soaked in water
125 ml milk
1 x egg
12 curry leaves (fresh or dried)
Method:
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions. Fry until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and ginger and fry for another 30 seconds.
Add the curry powder, turmeric, coriander and cumin, and fry, stirring, for a minute.
Divide the beef mince into 3 batches and add 1 batch at a time, turning up the heat to high and stirring after each addition and waiting for the meat to change colour from pink to grey (do not brown) before adding more.
When all the meat has changed colour, season generously with salt & pepper, then add the lemon juice, chutney, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and soaked bread (break up the bread into chunks – it will continue to break down while cooking).
Stir well, then turn down the heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook slowly for 25 minutes, scraping the bottom often to prevent burning. In the meantime, pre-heat your oven to 180 °C.
In a medium jug, mix the milk and egg well and season with salt & pepper.
When the meat mixture is ready, transfer it to a suitable deep baking dish and smooth the top evenly. Pour over the milky egg mixture and dot all over with curry leaves.
Bake at 180 °C for 35 minutes or until golden and bubbly on top.
Remove and serve hot with rice, fresh coriander, toasted coconut, chutney and tomato salsa (or your choice of sambals).
About the wine
Spier Signature Chenin Blanc is crisp and fruity Chenin Blanc, and is perfect with this mildly spiced bobotie. You’ll find it for around R65 a bottle. Bonus … by choosing Spier, you are supporting Spier’s Growing for Good learning initiatives that empower communities to create positive social and environmental change. Good stuff! Details: https://www.spier.co.za/shop/products/spier-signature-chenin-blanc-2017
