Bobotie – hearty and comforting South African dish made primarily of curried minced meat topped with milk and egg mixture and baked to perfection. Easy, tasty dish with punchy yet on point flavors!

Let me make a shout out to one of our Facebook readers for suggesting this fabulous dish that the whole family will enjoy. It’s been on my list since last year’s holiday and finally it’s officially on the blog now. Wohoo!

What is a bobotie?

As cute as the name sounds, this dish here isn’t pure cutesy cute at all; it’s a big time dish and is often considered to be South Africa’s national dish.

Bobotie, pronounced as BA-BOOR-TEA, appears to be a dish accounted way back to ancient Roman times (yep, imagine those thigh-high Roman sandals). It was basically layers of cooked meat with pine nuts seasoned with pepper, celery seeds and asafoetida (a herb similar to that of leeks), then added with a top layer of egg and milk mixture.

Today, Bobotie recipes have been simplified by using curry powder and usually calls for chopped onions and almonds. Traditionally, bobotie is added with dried fruits like raisins or sultanas and often garnished with walnuts, chutney and bananas. 

This dish is jam packed with complex flavors and textures that’s guaranteed to excite and satisfy your palate. Yellow rice is often quite the perfect company for this baked dish.

Bobotie is somehow associated with Meatloaf due to it’s similar cooking method. It starts off by sauteing the minced meat along with the spices and veggies, then finishes off in the oven.

The sauteed savory minced meat complements the custardy milky toppings well. Although not too spicy, this version of bobotie here has some kick to it. Instead of adding dried fruits, I use my mango chutney to add a hint of sweetness and kick into it.

What is bobotie traditionally served with?

Bobotie is traditionally served with yellow rice, some would add slices of banana on the side, chutney or some pickle. Some also serve roasted butternut squash, toasted coconut and peas.

I had mine with some slices of carrots on the side and yellow 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.

Make sure you have someone with you when eating this bobotie dish. Or you’ll regret eating the whole pan. Blame it on all it’s marvelous flavours! You can also serve this, too, on special occasions and holidays.

Enjoy!

Tips and Notes

1. You can make the minced curry ahead of time. Let it cool down first before transferring to an airtight container and into the fridge.
2. Aside from yellow rice, you can serve this bobotie with crusty bread or chapatis.

5 from 2 votes

Print

Bobotie

Bobotie – hearty and comforting South African dish made primarily of curried minced meat topped with milk and egg mixture and baked to perfection. Easy, tasty dish with punchy yet on point flavors!

Course: Main

Cuisine: African

Servings: 4 - 5 people

Calories: 622 kcal

Author: Immaculate Bites

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium onions , finely diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic , minced
• 2 bread slices
• ½ cup milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 tablespoon dried herbs (thyme, basil, oregano, )
• 1 large apple , grated
• ⅓ -½ cup fruit chutney
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
• ½ -1 lemon juice and zest
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Savory egg Custard topping

• 3 eggs
• 5-6 bay leaves
• ½ cup cream
• ½ cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven at 350 deg F/180 deg Celsius.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together milk and bread to soften it. Set aside. 
   

3. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish, or a cast iron.
   

4. Heat up a large saucepan or large skillet over medium heat,then add butter until melted, followed by onions and garlic. Saute for about 3 minutes just until soft and fragrant.
   

5. Next stir in the spices: curry powder, turmeric, ground cumin, coriander and dried herbs.
   

6. Add ground beef and herbs stirring constantly to break it up, cook until beef is no longer pink or slightly brown. Remove from the stove.
   

7. Add to a bowl, followed by bread mixture, chutney, grated apple, lemon juice and zest, and Worcestershire – add raisins here, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   

8. Add beef mixture into greased casserole dish or cast iron pan. I used a 10 inch pan. Using a spoon press the beef mixture down. This helps keep the eggs mixture afloat and forms a nice custardy top when baked,
   

9. Bake in the oven for around 40-50 minutes.
   

10. While bobotie is baking, mix together eggs, cream , milk and a ¼ teaspoon of turmeric .
    

11. Take the meat out of the oven, pour the eggs mixture over the beef. Arrange the bay leaves on top of it .
    

12. Bake for another 20 minutes (start checking after 15 minutes ) or until the eggs mixture has set.
    

13. Remove and let it rest for a few minutes then serve with yellow rice and vegetables.
    

How to Make a Bobotie

Pre-heat oven at 350 deg F/180 deg Celsius. In a medium bowl, mix together milk and bread to soften it. Set aside. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish, or a cast iron.

Heat up a large saucepan or large skillet over medium heat,then add butter until melted, followed by onions and garlic. Saute 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, cook until beef is no longer pink or slightly brown. Remove from the stove.

Add to a bowl, followed by bread mixture ,chutney, grated apple, lemon juice and zest, and Worcestershire – add raisins here, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add beef mixture into greased casserole dish or cast iron pan. I used a 10 inch pan. Using a spoon, press the beef mixture down. This helps keep the eggs mixture afloat and forms a nice custardy top when baked. Bake in the oven for around 40-50 minutes.

While bobotie is baking, mix together eggs, cream , milk and a ¼ teaspoon of turmeric. Take the meat out of the oven, pour the eggs mixture over the beef. 

Arrange the bay leaves on top of it. Bake for another 20 minutes (start checking after 15 minutes ) or until the eggs mixture has set. Remove and let it rest for a few minutes then serve with yellow rice and vegetables.