Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Recipes / South African / South African Bobotie

South African Bobotie

by Jeanne Horak on May 25, 2004 5 Comments in Low-carb, Main course - meat, South African

Bobotie

Today’s question on The Amateur Gourmet (which foods did you loathe as a child but come to like later?) made me think of a South African dish that I miss now – but actively avoided as a child!

Now I was clearly an odd kid. Most kids didn’t like olives (many of replies to The Amateur Gourmet’s question bear this out!) – they are briny, contain pips ideal for choking on and are generally not child-friendly. Me on the other hand, I was BORN liking olives!! My mom was fond of telling a story about how she and my dad took me along as a 2-year old on a “cruise to nowhere” (bunch of my dad’s radiologist colleagues cruising out of Cape Town, spending 2 days at sea & cruising back). The cruise wasn’t really for kids but the crew made an effort with me and produced some kiddie meals – I can only imagine the Vienna-sausage-and-fried-egg smiley faces. But I wasn’t interested. Not a kiddie morsel passed my lips. All I ate for the entire duration of the cruise was 2 big bowls of olives. Believe it… or not!! So what did I hate then? That staple food of mothers starting their firstborns on solids – bananas. Ugh. To this day, don’t bring them near me. I spat them out when I was a baby and I’ll spit them out now (unless they are cunningly disguised as banana bread or banana muffins…!).

But I digress. When I was about 5, my mother bought me the most fabulous book – Dr Seuss’s “My Book About Me”. Every page had something for you to fill in – your name, your age, your height, a drawing of your hand, the name of your best friend (still unchanged, may I add!), your favourite animal (a frog – hey, I told you I was an odd kid!) etc., etc.. There was also a bit about: “My favourite food is _____________. And please don’t give me any ______________.” So what did the 5-year-old me love most? That bland staple of bain-marie-served mass catering: chicken a la king! Who knows how a 5-year old’s palate works… And what did I detest above all? Bobotie (say buh-boor-tea). “Say what?” I hear the non-South Africans ask. The short answer is this: a curried mince dish of Malay origin, traditionally served on yellow rice with raisins.

Allow me to elaborate. When the Dutch, led by Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company, arrived at the Cape in 1652 they found that to work the land they would need slaves, as the indigenous people were none too interested in slaving for the colonists. The first Malay (the term “Maylay” indicates Muslim belief and tradition, but not any particular place of origin) slaves arrived from Java and various Indonesian islands in 1658. These slaves exerted a surprisingly large influence on Afrikaans cuisine and language. Being slaves, the Malays often ended up in the Dutch kitchens and their influence remains apparent in dishes such as… bobotie. The origins of the name are not clear, but the curried spice, turmeric-yellow rice and the use of fruit in a meat dish are all indicative of this dish’s Malay roots. Incidentally, descendants of these slaves still live in Cape Town in the historic Bokaap (say “boor-carp”, or Malay Quarter) on the slopes of Signal Hill in Cape Town, where they originally settled. And by the way, don’t make the mistake of confusing the Cape Malay population with the Indian population of KwaZulu-Natal on the east coast – these are descendants of the indentured labour force which the British government authorised to be brought from the Indian subcontinent in about 1860 to work on the sugar cane fields. They have made their own rich contribution to the cuisine of South Africa, which will have to be the subject of another post.

And so at last we get to the recipe. There are dozens of variations – this one is was posted by Sean Borman, who obtained it from the Kaapse Tafel restaurant in Cape Town. If you are in a hurry and can’t be bothered to source all the spices, there is an easy way too – simply buy a Nice ‘n Spicy bobotie spice pack which comes complete with instructions and all the spices you need! Ideal for the lazy gourmet… and you can buy off the Net!

(Oh, and by the way, I now love bobotie – started liking it in my teens. And I have never figured out why I hated it so much when I was 5.)

BOBOTIE Serves 4 to 6 persons

Ingredients:

1kg steak mince (or lamb mince)
1 large onion
1 tablespoon oil
1 thick slice stale bread without the crust (white)
1 cup milk (more or less)
1 tablespoon apricot jam
juice of half a lemon (you can add more if you like it less sweet)
10-12 dried apricots (optional)
2 tablespoons seedless raisins
15 blanched almonds (ie. with skin removed) -optional but adds the crunch
1 teaspoon curry powder (more if you prefer it stronger but the dish is meant to have a mild curried flavour)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated ( I am happy with a little more)
3 cloves garlic salt and pepper 6 lemon leaves (or 3 bay leaves as a poor substitute) -you could grate a bit of the rind of the lemon before you squeeze it for the juice and add it to the bay leaves but add carefully so as not to allow the lemon to dominate
2 eggs
milk

Method:

1. Lightly fry chopped onion in oil till golden. Add chopped garlic. Add grated ginger. Remove from heat.

2. Soak bread in half a cup of milk. Crumble with a fork. Add to the mince. Mix well.

3. Place pot on stove. Add a little oil if the onion has absorbed it all. Put meat and all other ingredients except the rest of the milk, the lemon leaves and the eggs.

4. Mix like mad to avoid lumps. Cook until soft and cooked through, to the stage when meat is getting brown and not pink.

5. Be smart and use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish about 5cm high as you will have to add on. Make sure you taste at this stage to correct seasonings. You can add more of any ingredients at this stage. Don`t taste too often as there will be little left for others!!!!

6. You will probably have some residual gravy in the pot. Reduce it by gently cooking without lid on and add to the baking dish. This makes the dish a little richer in flavour.

7. Now beat the two eggs. Add 1 cup of milk plus what is left of the milk in which the bread had been soaked. Total should not exceed one and a half cups. Mix well. Add salt and pepper.

8. Check that there is not too much water in the baking dish containing the milk. The meat should not be dry but there should not be any gravy at the bottom.

9. Pour milk and egg mixture after beating till well mixed on to the bobotie mixture. Place lemon leaves or substitute bay leaves & a little lemon rind on top.

10. Bake uncovered in moderate oven (350 – 375 F) for 30 to 40 min. Till the egg mixture has become set. Serve with a plain green salad or chopped tomato and onion, sprinkled with a little vinegar. Make sure you have some chutney near at hand. Serve piping hot with the yellow rice – see recipe below.

YELLOW RICE Serves 4 Persons

Ingredients:

2 cups rice
4 cups water
2 Tbs oil (approx)
turmeric
salt
raisins – as many or few as you like

Method:

1. Heat oil a little,  then add rice and stir till coated.  Add water & salt, raisins & turmeric (watch for colour by adding a little at a time!)

3. over pot and simmer gently for 10 minutes on low heat.

6. When most of the water is absorbed. Switch off heat & let the rice swell.

More deliciousness for you!

  • Swiss chard with chorizo and eggs: a one-pan wonderSwiss chard with chorizo and eggs: a one-pan wonder
  • Avocado & Parma ham eggs Benedict with fearless HollandaiseAvocado & Parma ham eggs Benedict with fearless Hollandaise
  • Poached eggs, spinach, Boursin & mushrooms on toastPoached eggs, spinach, Boursin & mushrooms on toast
  • Gingerbread spice persimmon cakeGingerbread spice persimmon cake

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Café Belge, West Malling
Chicken a la king – food fit for a king »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. andreea says

    March 6, 2007 at 1:03 pm

    oh i love it. have just recently tried it out but it is delicious. great to have the recipe now 🙂

    Reply
  2. Michelle says

    September 27, 2007 at 12:14 pm

    I always loved my mother’s bobotie, but haven’t had it since I left home. After 6 years I’m starting to crave it badly. Will have to make it soon. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  3. Ilse H says

    January 18, 2010 at 3:05 pm

    Hi
    I just discovered your site while looking for a koeksister recipe. I just love it! I’m also an ex-South African living in London for 9 years for exactly the same reason as you. I also find a lot of solace in cooking and writing recipes.
    My bobotie recipe is the same as yours except that I first bake mine without the egg custard first for half an hour (covered by tin foil to avoid burning). At this stage it can be frozen or chilled until the next day if needed. Then I pour over the egg and bake a further half hour.
    Like with any kind of mince, I find the longer you cook it, the more tender it is. Covering it in foil prevents drying out or burning. Plus it makes it less likely that the egg mixture will sink into the mince and disappear.
    I’m not really into blogs, but I’m definitely going to follow yours now. I’ve just come back from a holiday back home and I’m homesick like mad.
    Ilse

    Reply
  4. John says

    February 13, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    Hi Jean, I have a colleague visiting PE from Sweden and we had bobotie at the Rose Garden on Sunday. She was interested in the recipe so I forwarded her a link to your blog — maybe you’ll be instrumental in establishing bobotie as a Swedish favourite:)
    Keep well — it’s a typically really hot Febbruary here!
    J

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      February 21, 2013 at 12:43 pm

      Aaaah – thrilled to hear that you are doing a bit of marketing for me 🙂 We constantly underestimate how riveting foreigners find bobotie…

      Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Perfect broccoli and Stilton soup [keto, low carb, GF]
  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Things to do in Kitzbühel if you don't ski
My big, fat South African potato bake

Featured on

Also available on

Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need to get down to @canarywharflondon between now and Saturday 28 Jan to catch the free Winter Lights 2023 event, back for the seventh year.

My favourites include @lukejerramartist ‘s Floating Earth; Tom Lambert’s Out of the Dark; Fluorescent Firs; Toroid by This is Loop; and the surreal and mesmerising Anima by MEATS - a tunnel filled with hundreds of thin optical fibre lights that change colour and move in the breeze 😍 

Have you been to Winter Lights? What was your favourite?
“When we look down at the Earth from space, we s “When we look down at the Earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” - International Space Station astronaut Ron Garamond

To experience the “overview effect” (a phenomenon experienced by astronauts viewing the earth from space), head down to Canary Wharf in the London docklands this week where you can see @lukejerramartist ‘s beautiful Floating Earth installation as part of the Winter Lights event. 

This giant 10m diameter installation is created using high resolution NASA images to create a floating scale model of the Earth, lit from within so that it glows from its current home on the Middle Dock, surrounded by the headquarters of international banking and finance corporations.

The artist hopes that viewed in this context, the installation will make visitors and the bankers working in surrounding buildings question how their money in savings and pensions is invested, and whether investments can be greener.

Aside from being a thought provoking piece, it is also mesmerising and surreally beautiful, so make sure you visit the free Winter Lights event before ends on Saturday 28 Jan.
Happy lunar new year! [Invited] To celebrate the Happy lunar new year! 

[Invited] To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, why not head over to @mamachensdumplings currently doing a residence at the @thegantrylondon in #stratford where you can feast on prawn & chive dumplings; pork, Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushroom dumplings; pork & prawn wontons with Mama Chen’s chilli oil; vegetable dumplings; smacked cucumber salad; and spicy noodles coated in garlic and Szechuan pepper oil.

And afterwards, make sure you head up to the @unionsocialoc bar for a cocktail - I loved the Moreish Fashion with bourbon, PX sherry, chestnuts and mandarin orange bitters!
Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Chr Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Christmas? Turn it into this super simple and super indulgent broccoli and Stilton soup! So easy to make and soooo delicious to eat - and it is low carb and GF. What more could you want?! Click the link in my bio for the full recipe. What’s your favourite soup?
CELEBRATE. So the fireworks are over, the champag CELEBRATE.

So the fireworks are over, the champagne is finished and the leftovers are all eaten. We are one week into 2023 and I have had some time to think about what my intent is for the year. 

In 2022 my brother had a life saving kidney transplant. Since the operation, he has had a Peanuts cartoon as his WhatsApp profile pic, where Charlie Brown and Snoopy are sitting on a pier talking. Charlie says “Some day, we all die Snoopy.” And Snoopy replies: “Yes - but every other day, we will live.”

Waking up in the morning is a gift, every day, and it is so easy to forget this. The last few years have been difficult for so many people and the coming year promises its own challenges. But every day that we don’t die is a day to live, to celebrate life in some small way.

So my intention in 2023 is to celebrate. Celebrate our achievements however small. Celebrate our friends and family. Celebrate small things. Celebrate life.

Did you make any resolutions or goals for 2023? I would love to hear them in the comments! Wishing you all the very best for 2023 🥂
Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes fro Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes from last night with friends in Deptford. My deconstructed avocado ritz; @twinkleparkstephen ‘s bobitie; Giles’ Ottolenghi tomato salad; and Jean’s clementine trifle - and the London night sky ablaze with fireworks!  How did you spend your evening? 🥂🎇🎆
Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope your day was merry and bright, filled with family, friends and love 🎄🥂. Mine was spent alone at home - my choice and the result of a combination of Covid (not mine!) and rail strikes 🤦‍♀️ but very relaxing and indulgent!
Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter y Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter you can make ahead? Look no further than my individual smoked salmon terrine! Hot smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives wrapped in cold smoked salmon in a ramekin. Still one of the most popular Christmas recipes in my blog, it looks cheffy but is soooo simple to make - and will save you time and effort on the day! Get the recipe by clicking on the link in my bio.

How is your Christmas meal prep going? Are you entertaining at home or going to friends or family? 🎄🥂🎄🥂🎄
Looking for a brilliant biryani near Marble Arch? Looking for a brilliant biryani near Marble Arch? I recently enjoyed a feast at Biryani Kebab Chai @bkc.restaurant on Edgeware Road, including wonderful sweet, spicy and crunchy papri chaat; smoky burrah lamb kebab; galouti lamb patties; juicy chaap chicken thigh kebab; spicy chapli chicken patties; and the surprising vegetarian dahi ke patties made of yoghurt! We also tried the chicken and soya biryanis, both with incredibly fluffy and delicately spiced rice. You can get their biryanis as a 1kg takeaway, served in a beautiful branded clay pot that serves 3-4 people, for about £30. Bargain! We also took home a sample of their desserts, including a fragrant and delicious kheer rice pudding. If you are in the Marble Arch area, get yourself to BKC!  #invited #bkcrestaurants
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Bowls of broccoli and Stilton soup
Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2023 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2023 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT