Chef Laurens Bobotie

November 2018

Bobotie is a tradtional South African dish, it first appeared in a dutch cookbook in 1609. It is thought that this spicy flavourful mince dish may have originated from Indonesia. It is also one of those dishes that reflects the history of South Africa that melt together to create what we now know as South African cuisine

The origins of the name are not clear, although ‘bobotok’ was an Indonesian dish consisting of meat with a custard topping that was cooked in a pan of water until the egg mixture set.

Bobotie is a Cape-Malay creation, spiced it up  with cumin, coriander and cloves, which was influenced from the Dutch who brought ground meat to the local cuisine in 1652.

The spices were introduced by the slaves from Indonesia during the 17th century and the presentation is reminiscent of English shepherd’s pie as we know it today.

So this is Amakhosi take on our traditional Bobotie!  Enjoy

 Ingredients

• 2 chopped onions
• 2 Tbls garlic crushed
• 4 Tbls vegetable oil , plus extra for frying
• 2 Tbls grated ginger
• 2 Tbls brown sugar
• 1 Tbls curry powder
• 1 Tbls turmeric
• 1 Tbls garam Masala
• 1 Tbls ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped chili
• 1 kg beef mince or Venison (your choice)
• 4 Tbls chutney
• 2 Tbls apricot jam
• 2 Tbls tomato paste
• 2 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 bunch chopped coriander (cilantro) chopped
• 1 eggs
• 1 Tblsp water
• 1 Packet Spring roll wrappers

Instructions

1. Chop onions and crush garlic and cook in the oil until soft.
2. Add ginger, brown sugar, curry powder, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, and chili.
3. Cook for a few minutes
4. Stir in the mince and cook for 10 – 15 minutes.
5. Add chutney, apricot jam, tomato paste, salt and Worcestershire sauce.
6. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes on low heat.
7. Add pepper and coriander , then take off the heat.
8. This mixture must be chilled in the fridge before putting into the spring rolls or they will be soggy.
9. Mix the egg and water in a bowl for the egg wash.
10. Place a heaped tablespoon of mixture on the spring roll about 2cm from the edge. Follow the picture directions for folding the spring rolls.
11. At this stage the spring rolls can be frozen, if you want to keep some for later.
12. Freeze blind (one layer on a baking sheet) and once frozen they can be transferred to an airtight container or Ziploc bag.
13. If cooking immediately, fry in hot oil until golden and crispy.
14. Delicious, served with sweet chilli sauce, Chutney, salsa or Tomato Chutney.

Let us know how you enjoyed this dish

Hope to see you soon at the lodge

Chef Lauren