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: spier.co.za/shop/products/spier-signature-chenin-blanc-2017
