Interestingly, my mother’s old recipe book from the 60’s
had a recipe that matched a recipe I collected a couple of years ago – Bobotie
or Robotie. I made the meat mixture the night before, but my sauce seemed to
seep in all the same; however I think my container was larger. Nevertheless, I
liked it, so we will be having it again. I also had a milk dessert receipt, so
beloved by the Queen mother on her visits to South Africa from the 1960 yet I
did not get the chance to make it. We did have lots of meat, which from my
trips to Africa, is something I know they are rather partial to. A braai (BBQ)
was not going to happen, although ironically it was late spring time in South
Africa, despite it being late autumn for us in England.
I meant to get some Biltong, but as I don't like it myself I didn't want to have to eat it if the others didn't like it and my south African friends live too far away to post it too!
Cooked with score (out of 100):
Bobotie……………………………………………………………74
Bobotie
Ingredients1 pound ground beef or ground lamb (or may use half and half)
1 cup onions, thinly sliced
1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (my mums recipe didn’t have an apple in it)
2 slices of white bread soaked in milk
2 Tablespoons curry powder (I used my own blend of splices)
½ cup raisins
2 Tablespoons slivered almonds (I omitted these)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 egg
Turmeric, dash
2 bay leaves
Ingredients for topping
1 egg
½ cup milk
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Brown ground meat in a large skillet. Drain off fat. Add the chopped onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until onions are softened. Add the chopped apple.
- Squeeze out excess milk from bread slices and add them to skillet, tearing the softened bread apart to blend it with the meat mixture.
- Add curry powder, raisins, almonds, lemon juice, 1 egg, and turmeric. Stir well to combine.
- Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Pour mixture into the dish and lay bay leaves on top. Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Mix egg and milk together for topping, and pour over meat mixture.
- Return dish to oven and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove bay leaves before serving.
South Africa leads the world in the diamond market, it
has a huge wealth of minerals and is the world’s largest gold producer; all of
which has helped to make it the wealthiest country in Africa. There are more
people in southern Africa than northern Africa, with hundreds of tribes
speaking many languages. The country has 11 official languages, including
English, Afrikaans and Zulu.
CUISINE
Early South
Africans were mostly hunter-gatherers. They depended on foods such as
tortoises, crayfish, coconuts, and squash to survive. Biltong , meat
that is dried, salted, and spiced (similar to jerky), and beskuits (dried
sweetened biscuits, like zwiebeck or rusks) were popular food among the
original pioneers and are both still enjoyed by twenty-first century South
Africans. Dried fruits, eaten whole or ground into a paste, are also popular
treats. The practice of modern agriculture was introduced by the Bantu, natives
of northern Africa. They taught inhabitants to grow vegetables such as corn
("mealies"), squash, and sweet potatoes. Modern Zulu people, most of
whom live in northeastern South Africa, enjoy a soft porridge made from
mealie-meal (cornmeal), and dishes combining meat and vegetables such as dried
corn and yams.
Nearly 200
years after the Portuguese first arrived in South Africa, Dutch settlers, known
as Boers, built the first European settlement at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.
The Dutch planted gardens with pumpkins, watermelons, cucumbers, pineapples,
and potatoes. Meanwhile, the Dutch East India Company increased trade between
South Africa, Europe, and India, bringing new and unfamiliar people and
cuisines to South Africa's culture. Slaves from the east, mostly from Malaysia,
helped work as farmers or fishermen. They brought with them various spices that
added flavor to commonly bland Dutch and English stews and dishes.
Other
countries also brought diversity to South African cuisine. The French, known
for making wines, began establishing vineyards. The Germans introduced baked
goods and pastries and the British brought meat pies. Foods from India, China,
and Indonesia also influenced the South African diet.
Early settlers
simmered potjiekos (stew) for hours in a three-legged iron pot over a
very small open fire. Ingredients would be added to the pot of potjiekos as
they became available, such as animals caught by hunters or trappers and
vegetables or wild plants harvested from the open fields.
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