Bobotie
A famed and controversial dish amongst many South Africans. Love it or hate it there’s no denying that this recipe is both easy and delicious to make.
Bobotie Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6
1 piece of white bread
250 ml milk
2 tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tbsp garlic & ginger paste
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp medium strength curry powder
1 tbsp garam masala
500 g mince
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp apricot chutney
1 tbsp white vinegar
60 ml raisins (optional)
2 eggs
3 bay leaves
Rice and chutney to serve
Method for Easy Bobotie
1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Soak the bread in the milk.
3. Fry the onions in a little bit of oil until translucent
4. Add the carrots, green pepper, garlic and ginger, salt, sugar and all of the spices and fry for a minute or two.
5. Add the mince and fry until browned. Take another sip of The Beautiful Lady.
6. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread (keep the left-over milk aside for later).
7. Break the bread apart and add to the mince along with the tomato paste, chutney, vinegar and raisins.
8. Simmer for 15 minutes.
9. Remove from the stove and transfer to a small oven-proof dish.
10. Stir together the remaining milk and eggs and pour over the mince. Empty your glass and pour another one.
11. Top with bay leaves and bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes, until the topping is set and just browned.
12. Serve with rice and Mrs Balls chutney of course.
Suggested Wine Pairing for Bobotie?
Nederburg’s The Beautiful Lady (Gewürztraminer)
Taking its name from a description of Ilse Graue, the wife of Johann Graue, a German immigrant who bought Nederburg in 1937 and was known for his innovative approach to wine-growing and winemaking.
She brought a gracious sense of hospitality to Nederburg. A doting mother to the Graue’s only child, Arnold, she was also a very loyal wife, who helped Johann label his wines in the early years.
She would go with him to try to sell the then-unknown brand to hotels in Cape Town.
With the tragic death of their son Arnold in 1953, the legendary Günter Brözel came to Nederburg, also from Germany, to replace him as a winemaker.
It was he who described Ilse as “a great and beautiful lady”.
This elegant Gewürztraminer, with its subtle sweetness, is great to enjoy as an aperitif and is the ideal accompaniment to aromatic and spicy dishes such as fruity curries and fragrant Thai and Indian dishes made with butter or coconut milk, Cantonese and Schezhuan seafood and poultry dishes.
Or, as suggested by Zinaschke, enjoy it with a South African favourite such as bobotie!
