Ingredients:

• 1 Thick slice of white bread

• 2 Cups milk

• 2 Large chopped onions

• 1 Chopped green pepper

• 2 Tablespoons butter

• 2lb. Minced beef

• ½ Cup sultanas or raisins

• 2 Dessertspoons apricot jelly

• 2 Teaspoons salt

• 1 Teaspoon sugar

• ½ Teaspoon ground nutmeg

• ½ Teaspoon pepper

• 1 Cup water

• ½ Cup vinegar

• ½ Packet oxtail or any other beef soup

• 1 Tablespoon curry powder

• 2 Teaspoons turmeric

• ½ Teaspoon chili powder

• 15ml. Minced fruit (like Christmas minced meat)

•  2 Eggs

Instruction:

1. Soak the bread in the milk.

2. Fry the onion and the green pepper in the onion.

3. Add the mince, stir with a large fork and fry with the onions for a while. Add the sultanas, apricot jelly, minced fruit, salt, sugar, nutmeg, pepper and chili powder and mix.

4. Mix the water, vinegar, soup, curry powder, turmeric and add to the meat mixture.

5. Squeeze the milk from the bread (reserve the milk) Mash the bread and add it to the meat mixture.

6. Cook the meat over moderate heat for a short while, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

7. Grease a shallow 10 cup oven proof dish.

8. Spoon in the meat mixture.

9. Beat the milk and eggs together and pour over the bobotie.

10. Bake for about 45 minutes at 350oF until well browned.

This dish is traditionally served with yellow rice (rice cooked with turmeric and raisins) and vegetables. South Africans love their ”sweet“ vegetables, it is vegetables like pumpkin and sweet potatoes cooked with butter and sugar. South Africans also cook their green beans with onions and potatoes and then mash it up with butter, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. These two vegetables are a excellent accompaniment to bobotie.

Traditional spicy South African cooking is a sweetish Malay kind of curry and not as hot and spicy as Mexican or Indian cooking. When chili powder is used it is always used sparingly for only a hint of the spiciness of chili.