Franss Prizewinning Bobotie Recipes

BOBOTIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine the bread and milk in a small bowl, and let the bread soak for 10 minutes.
• In a heavy saucepan melt the butter and the oil; then, stir in the onions and cook slowly until they are soft and translucent.
• Add the curry, sugar, salt and pepper, and stir for about 30 seconds.
• Stir in the lamb, and saute until well browned. Add the lemon juice, bring the mixture to a boil and remove from heat.
• Drain the bread, and squeeze to dry it completely, reserving the drained milk.
• Add the bread, one of the eggs, the apple, raisins and almonds to the lamb. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are well blended. Taste for seasoning.
• Pack the mixture loosely into an ovenproof baking dish, and tuck the bay leaves underneath.
• Whisk the remaining eggs with the reserved milk until it becomes frothy. Pour this mixture evenly over the meat, and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes, until the surface has browned and is firm.
• Serve directly from the pan.

BOBOTIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Pour cold water over the bread and set aside to soak.
• Meanwhile, fry the onions in the butter, stirring regularly for 10 mins until they are soft and starting to colour. Add the garlic and beef and stir well, crushing the mince into fine grains until it changes colour. Stir in the curry paste, herbs, spices, chutney, sultanas and 2 of the bay leaves with 1 tsp salt and plenty of ground black pepper.
• Cover and simmer for 10 mins. Squeeze the water from the bread, then beat into the meat mixture until well blended. Tip into an oval ovenproof dish (23 x 33cm and about 5-6cm deep). Press the mixture down well and smooth the top. You can make this and chill 1 day ahead.
• For the topping, beat the milk and eggs with seasoning, then pour over the meat. Top with the remaining bay leaves and bake for 35-40 mins until the topping is set and starting to turn golden.

BOBOTIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place bread in a bowl and cover with milk. Let sit until ready to use, turning if necessary to make sure the entire piece of bread is soaked.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and then the onions, chilies, and ginger with a bit of salt to draw out the moisture. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add in the garlic and spices and saute for another 30 seconds to a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. (If necessary, add a bit of water to slow the cooking down.)
• Increase the heat to medium-high and push the vegetables aside a bit. Combine the different ground meats if necessary and add the ground meat and brown for 3 to 4 minutes. You can add a drizzle of canola oil if your pan is looking very dry. You want to develop color and deepen the flavor of the ground meat. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, break up the meat with the onions and spices to mix. Add the preserves, malt vinegar, and tomato and season with salt. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes for all of the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon and let cool briefly. Wring out excess milk from the bread and add to the meat mixture. Mix thoroughly, breaking up the bread, and season if necessary. Fill 4 (10-ounce) ramekins 3/4 full with meat mixture and place ramekins in a roasting pan or baking dish.
• Combine eggs, heavy cream, and pinch of salt and pour to fill ramekins to the top.
• You want to bake these in a water bath, so fill the roasting pan or baking dish with boiling water until it comes at least halfway up the sides of the ramekins (see Cook's Notes).
• Cook at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard is set. You want the custard to be supple, so don't overcook or it turns into an omelet topping. If it jiggles a bit in the center, that's fine. Just let it sit in the water bath once you've taken it out of the oven to firm up a bit.
• Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve in the ramekins topped with chopped chives.

BOBOTIE

Steps:

• Set the oven at 160°C (325°F). Butter a large casserole. Heat butter and oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until translucent. Stir in the curry powder and turmeric, and cook briefly until fragrant. Remove the pot from the heat.
• Mix in the minced meat. Mix together the crumbs, milk, lemon rind and juice, egg, salt, pepper, apricots, apple, sultanas (golden raisins) and almonds and mix in. Pile into the casserole and level the top. Roll up the leaves and bury them at regular intervals. Seal with foil and bake for 1 1/4 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F). Mix together the topping milk, eggs and salt (you may require extra topping if you've used a very large casserole), pour over and bake uncovered for a further 15 minutes until cooked and lightly browned. Serve with Yellow Rice and Blatjang .

BEST BOBOTIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions in the hot oil until soft. Break the ground beef into the skillet and cook until brown.
• Place the milk in a shallow dish. Soak the bread in the milk. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread. Set the milk aside. Add the bread to the beef mixture. Stir in the raisins, apricot jam, chutney, curry powder, salt, and black pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour.
• While the bobotie bakes, whisk together the reserved milk, egg, and a pinch of salt. Pour over top of the dish. Lay the bay leaf onto the top of the milk mixture.
• Return the bobotie to the oven until the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving.