South African Recipes

BOBOTIE

Italy has Lasagne and Greece has Moussaka, and South Africa has Bobotie. This is a truly delicious spicy, fruity baked ground meat dish that has it's origins in Indonesia. It was introduced to the Cape by the colonists of the Dutch East India Company and later on by the enslaved people of South East Asia whose descendants make up the Cape Malay people of South Africa. It is topped with a custard of milk and egg and baked in the oven. In South Africa it is traditionally served with yellow rice with raisins.

When I make this dish I normally add my own blend of spices but most people just use curry powder and extra turmeric.

Here is how I make this quintessential South African dish.

INGREDIENTS for 4 people

500 g ground lamb or beef.
1 slice of white bread, crusts removed.
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 handful of raisins
1 Tablespoon chutney
1 Tablespoon apricot jam
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 eggs ( one for the meat mixture and one for the custard)
2 bayleaves

METHOD

Soak the bread in the milk.
In a pot, fry the onions gently until transparent and then add the spices and garlic.
Add the meat and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the lemon juice & zest, raisins, chutney, apricot jam and  Worcestershire Sauce.
Squeeze the milk out of the softened bread and crumble it into the pot.
Add one of the eggs and mix everything well.
Pack everything into a dish and bake for 30mins in the oven at 180° C.

While it's baking for the first 30 minutes, mix the left over milk together with the other egg to make a light custard. Add a pinch of salt and turmeric.

After 30 minutes, take the dish out of the oven and pour the milk/egg mixture over the meat. Place 2 bayleaves on top and bake for a further 30 minutes.

SOUTH AFRICAN PICKLED FISH

This is one of our specialties. In Cape Town it is especially popular around Easter time. You can use any fish as long as it's a white fish. Fish such as Tuna and Swordfish don't really work so well for this dish.

INGREDIENTS

1 kg filleted fish. I generally use hake. Cut into smallish portions.
oil for frying
flour for coating fish
3 large onions- sliced.
6 cloves of garlic - crushed.
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger.
1 red chilli - chopped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
5 cloves
10 peppercorns
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon masala powder
110 ml sugar
1 cup white grape vinegar
½ cup water
1 teaspoon cornflour

METHOD

• season fish and coat in flour. Fry in oil until cooked through. Place to one side on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
• slice the onions and fry for about 3 mins. 
• add the garlic, ginger, chillies and mustard seeds and saute for a minute or 2.
• add the spices and combine with the onions. Now add the sugar, water and vinegar and bring to the boil. 
• simmer for about 5 minutes. Onions should still be a little crunchy.
• mix the cornflour with a little cold water and add, just to thicken slightly.
• layer the fish in a glass or ceramic dish. I normally use a corning-ware dish. Don't use a plastic dish as the spices will discolor it.
• cover each layer of fish with some sauce and then pour the rest of the sauce over the top.
• once cool, refridgerate. Allow to sit in the fridge for about 24 hours before eating to allow the flavours to meld. 
• should keep quite long in the fridge. About a week. Not that it would last that long in my house.