Bobotie

South Africa's national dish -- a Cape Malay-inspired spiced meat casserole topped with a savory egg custard that bakes to a golden set. Sweet, savory, and warmly spiced with curry, turmeric, and fruit chutney.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 lb ground beef or lamb
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1.5 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed, soaked in 0.5 cup milk
• 2 tbsp fruit chutney (Mrs. Ball's or mango chutney)
• 2 tbsp apricot jam
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup raisins
• 6 bay leaves
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup whole milk
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
2. Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for 8 minutes until browned. Drain excess fat if needed. Add curry powder, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and pepper. Stir for 2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Squeeze the excess milk from the soaked bread (reserve the milk) and crumble the bread into the meat mixture. Add chutney, apricot jam, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and raisins. Stir everything together and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Transfer the meat mixture to the greased baking dish, pressing it down evenly. Tuck the bay leaves into the top of the meat.
5. Whisk together eggs, milk (including the reserved bread-soaking milk), turmeric, and salt. Pour the custard evenly over the meat filling.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the custard is set and golden on top. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
7. Serve warm with yellow rice (turmeric rice), sambals (diced banana, coconut, and chutney), and a green salad.

Chef's note: Bobotie (pronounced "ba-BOO-tee") is South Africa's answer to shepherd's pie, with Cape Malay influences from the spice trade. Mrs. Ball's Chutney is the traditional choice but any fruit chutney works. The bread soaked in milk is the traditional binder -- do not skip it. Leftovers reheat beautifully.

Nutrition per serving