Bobotie Recipe
Bobotie Recipe – A hearty, comforting South African dish made of curried minced meat topped with milk and egg custard and baked to perfection. An easy, tasty dish with punchy yet on-point flavors that are perfect for special occasions and holidays.
Let me shout out to one of our Facebook readers for suggesting this fabulous dish the whole family will enjoy. It’s been on my list since last year’s holiday, and finally, it’s officially on the blog. Woohoo!
As cute as the name sounds, this dish here isn’t pure cutesy cute at all; it’s a big-time dish and often considered South Africa’s national dish.
This dish is jam-packed with complex flavors and textures guaranteed to excite and satisfy your palate. The savory minced meat complements the custardy milky topping well. Although not too spicy, this version has a kick. 😋
Content…What Is It? |
What Is Bobotie?
Bobotie(pronounced ba-BOOR-tea) has quite a history. The ancient Romans enjoyed a similar dish, probably the original version (yep, imagine being in those calf-high Roman sandals chowing down on this meatloaf). The meat was seasoned with pine nuts, pepper, celery seeds, and asafoetida (a strong-smelling spice with a unique flavor). Then, they topped it with an egg and milk mixture.
Today, traditional South African bobotie recipes are much simpler, with curry powder and chopped onions. And some add almonds. Traditionally, bobotie has dried fruits like raisins or sultanas and is often garnished with walnuts, chutney, and bananas.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Binder – Bread soaked in milk provides a great binder and extra moisture for a juicy meatloaf-style casserole.
- Seasonings – Saute onions and garlic in butter for the aromatics. Then, add curry powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, dried herbs, and Worcestershire sauce for classic African flavors.
- Meat – Lean ground beef is the hearty base for bobotie, but you could use ground lamb, pork, or even venison.
- Fruitiness – Apple, mango chutney, optional raisins, and lemon balance the spiciness and lighten the heaviness of the meat. Some people use apricot jam for extra flavor.
- Egg Custard Topping – Eggs, cream, and milk make a smooth and creamy custard to go on top. Season it with bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste, and you’ve got heaven in a casserole.
How to Make Bobotie
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or use a 10-inch oven-proof cast iron skillet.
- Soak Bread – In a medium bowl, mix milk with the bread to soften it. Set aside.
- Saute – Heat a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat, then add butter to melt it. When the butter melts, saute the onions and garlic for about 3 minutes, just until soft and fragrant.
- Spices – Next, stir in the spices: curry powder, turmeric, ground cumin, coriander, and dried herbs. (Photo 1)
- Cook Meat – Add ground beef and herbs, stirring constantly to break it up, cooking until the meat is no longer pink. Remove from the stove. (Photo 2)
- Add Flavor – Add the meat mixture to the bowl with the bread mixture, then stir in the chutney, grated apple, lemon juice and zest, Worcestershire, and raisins (optional). Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Photos 3-4)
- Assemble – Pour the beef mixture into the greased casserole dish or deep 10-inch cast iron pan. Press the beef mixture down with the back of a spoon so the egg mixture stays afloat, forming a nice custardy top when baked.
- Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for around 40-50 minutes.
- Topping – Mix eggs, cream, milk, and a ¼ teaspoon of turmeric while the bobotie is baking.
- Bake Topping – Take the casserole from the oven and pour the egg mixture over the beef. Arrange the bay leaves on top. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes (start checking after 15 minutes) or until the egg mixture sets.
- Serve – Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes, then serve with yellow rice and vegetables. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Press the meat mixture down firmly before baking. That way, when you add the custard topping, it will stay on top instead of soaking down into the meat.
- You can make the curry minced meat (ground beef mixture) ahead. Let it cool before transferring to an airtight container and into the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Bobotie also freezes well. You can freeze it whole or cut it into serving-size squares and freeze them individually. Wrap it up well with plastic wrap to keep it airtight (if you have a vacuum sealer, that’s even better). You’ll have a ready-made dinner ready to thaw on a moment’s notice.
With What Do You Traditionally Serve Bobotie?
Bobotie is usually enjoyed with South African yellow rice, fried bananas, chutney, and some pickles. Some also serve roasted butternut squash, toasted coconut, and peas.
I had mine with some roasted baby carrots and basmati rice. But no matter what you serve it with, the star of this meal will always be bobotie. You can even eat it on its own! It’s sooo damn good that you’ll forget the rest.
Warning: Make sure you have someone to share this bobotie dish with, or you may regret eating the whole pan yourself. Blame it on all its marvelous flavors!
More Mouthwatering South African Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in September 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Bobotie
Ingredients
Spicy Meat Filling
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter
- 2 medium onions, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon (15g) garlic, minced
- 2 slices bread
- ½ cup (118ml) milk
- 1½ tablespoons (10-11g) curry powder
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) turmeric
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) ground coriander
- 2 pounds (900g) lean ground beef
- 1½ tablespoons (2-3g) dried herbs (thyme, basil, oregano, etc.)
- 1 large apple, grated
- ⅓-½ cup (90-136g) fruit chutney
- ¼ cup (50g) raisins (optional)
- ½-1 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) Worcestershire sauce
Savory Egg Custard Topping
- 3 eggs
- 5-6 bay leaves
- ½ cup (118ml) cream
- ½ cup (118ml) milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or use a 10-inch oven-proof cast iron skillet.
- In a medium bowl, mix milk with the bread to soften it. Set aside.
- Heat a large saucepan or skillet over medium, then add butter to melt it. When the butter melts, saute the onions and garlic for about 3 minutes, just until soft and fragrant.
- Next, stir in the spices: curry powder, turmeric, ground cumin, coriander, and dried herbs.
- Add ground beef and herbs, stirring constantly to break it up, cooking until the meat is no longer pink. Remove from the stove.
- Add it to a bowl with the bread mixture, then stir in the chutney, grated apple, lemon juice and zest, Worcestershire, and raisins (if desired). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour the beef mixture into the greased baking dish or 10-inch cast iron pan. Press the beef mixture down with the back of a spoon so the egg mixture stays afloat, forming a nice custardy top when baked.
- Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for around 40-50 minutes.
- While the bobotie is baking, mix eggs, cream, milk, and a ¼ teaspoon of turmeric.
- Then, take the meat out of the oven and pour the egg mixture over the meat.
- Arrange the bay leaves on top of it. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes (start checking after 15 minutes ) or until the egg mixture sets.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes, then serve with yellow rice and vegetables.
Tips & Notes:
- Press the meat mixture down firmly before baking. That way, when you add the custard topping, it will stay on top instead of soaking down into the meat.
- You can make the curry minced meat (ground beef mixture) ahead. Let it cool before transferring to an airtight container and into the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Bobotie also freezes well. You can freeze it whole or cut it into serving-size squares and freeze them individually. Wrap it up well with plastic wrap to keep it airtight (if you have a vacuum sealer, that’s even better). You’ll have a ready-made dinner ready to thaw on a moment’s notice.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Appreciate it from the bottom of my heart! ❤️
That means so much to me—thank you from the bottom of my heart, too! ❤️ I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is the recipe tastes exactly like the Bobotie I had on safari. It is absolutely gorgeous, and I cook it A LOT, and everyone adores it (freezes perfectly too)
My first tip is you can also make it a chicken Bobotie by using (already cooked) shredded chicken instead of the beef (a friend of mine doesnt eat beef, but i was determined she needed to try Bobotie)
My second tip is instead of the egg custard, I put small dumplings on top.
Hi Sue,
I’m so glad you love the recipe and that it brings back those safari memories! Your tips for using shredded chicken and topping it with dumplings sound like brilliant variations—thanks for sharing!
South African cuisine has been a quiet favourite of mine for a long time, due to all the unique flavours and unusual touches to their foods. Anything that is slightly spicy will have my attention, and utilising fruit and whatnot within savoury recipes will peak my interest; I am in the “don’t knock it until you’ve tried it” camp, since some of the most favoured foods sound so weird at first.
For this recipe, I have made it more times than I can care to count. It has been funny that until this most recent (as of writing) attempt, I used banana in place of fruit chutney due to not having any on me. This most recent attempt, I had the fruit chutney but not the apples for grating – but there were a couple of bananas about to become decrepit.
This may have been one my nieces more or less sat out, with the occasional nibble; their spice tolerance is not exactly high, and what I consider merely spiced is usually too much to them (the joys of cooking for kids). My big sister is adamantly not a banana fan in any way, and even in tasting the banana through all the spices and meat, she admitted it was not too bad. The baby nephew was chowing through it, seeming interested and wanting more each time.
My goal is to get him to try 100 different cuisines before he hits year one. He just turned one year old, and the cuisine count is 15. He tried this and a copycat version of Nando’s Portuguese Rice.
There was not a lot of left-overs from memory, and this was with serving at least eight people of varying sizes. You can bet this will be one fallback, particularly due to its filling nature, and ease of using up ingredients.
Thank you so much for your comment, Mikey. You just made my day:)
I made this last year for All nations dinner at church .they loved it and ask me to make it again
Hi Peggy,
I’m so glad the recipe was a hit and that you’ve become the go-to person for this dish. It’s a testament not just to the recipe, but to your skill and love for cooking.
Thank you for sharing this delightful experience, and I’m thrilled to know that the dish has become a beloved staple at your church events. Happy cooking and even happier sharing! ️
Do you really bake it 2 times?
It’s not technically two times. You add the custard topping partway through because it can burn before the rest is done. Hope that makes sense.
Sounds good. I am making it right now and am now wondering if you cover with foil when you bake the first 40 minutes?
It is good!:heart_eyes: If you’re worried it might dry out, you can cover it, but you don’t have to.
Memories of Sunday dinner with my South African in laws. I love Bobotie and this recipe is the closest to what I remember. Thank you8 so much for posting it.
Thank you so much for your feedback, yeah I am trying to bring the original recipes. Stay tuned for more pure recipes:)
I have never been to South Africa, so I’m not sure what this dish “should” taste like, but it was super delicious! My kids and I like to study other countries and try foods from them. When I looked up the most popular foods for South Africa, Bobotie was on many lists. I’m so glad I chose this recipe for it. It was a little time consuming to make and I was worried it would be too sweet with the chutney and apple (I left out the raisins)…but it turned out so good. Super flavorful! I’m usually not a fan of leftovers, but I ate every bite of this over the next couple of days…and I think it just got better and better! So glad we gave it a try. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so happy for you Jenny that you’ve finally tasted this fantastic South African dish. I’ll be digging any leftovers of this dish, too. 😉
WOW! This is absolutely delicious and was enjoyed by all. As recommended I served it with African yellow rice and some steamed vegetables. I will make this again for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Yayy! Wonderfull, Thank you so much for your love.
Made this last night for a small international-themed NYE dinner party — it was the hit of the party. We also made your Malva Pudding recipe and I couldn’t stop eating it. So good! We didn’t need many modifications, except I was pretty heavy handed with the orange zest in the Malva Pudding and the mango chutney and Worcestershire sauce in the Bobotie and those were all good choices 🙂
I found this in your collection of recipes for ground pork, not for ground beef. Which do you like better?
I like it with Beef. 🙂
I love this recipe and my family enjoy it
Nice! Happy to know that! 🙂
This is such an easy recipe and really tasty. I replaced the cream with milk and it also taste great!
Thank you for sharing, Eunice! 🙂
Loved this recipe and so did the family. Boisefoodiegiild
Thank you, Robin and Bob!
Lived in SA for 50yrs so loved this recipe. Think next time I’ll let the custard seep through the mince though. Thanks for a taste of my home.
I am planted based.my boyfriend is not. I am an adventurous eater and he is not. I substituted the beef for a mushroom/ walnut blend And cream/ milk with coconut cream and milk. We both LOVED it. NO LEFTOVeRS! Decadent,creamy, but with the right kick to keep us coming back For more!
Thanks for the feedback.
I liked this, having been introduced to Bobotie by my mother. But hers is more like an indian keema with egg added, and this was very light and fluffy somehow – perhaps from the defrosted frozen mince I used, or the apple, or the bread. And I was generous with a hot curry powder, but it was still mild. I used mango sauce, some fruit chutney, raisins, and a dozen quartered dried apricots. Its very nice, but I will try for hotter next time.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad hear it worked out well for you.
Wat een heerlijk recept!
Thank you!