Bobotie

Bobotie

This wonderful dish with sweet-savory mince, nestled under a savory egg custard,is a South African dish-and I am told it has it’s origins in Indonesia.I first had it many years ago while on a visit,and only recently after watching it on a cooking show, my memory was refreshed.
It is usually made with beef ,lamb or pork mince, but I’ve used mutton mince…It’s served with a cinnamon-raisin laced yellow rice and Blatjang- a chutney made with apricots, raisins, sugar, vinegar, onions ,garlic…
Most recipes of Bobotie call for the use of curry powder-an ingredient which is missing from my kitchen.Nevertheless, I made made some fresh ground curry powder.
Perfect winter night meal!

Recipe courtesy:Epicurious.com

Minced lamb or beef, or a mixture of the two-I used mutton keema
Butter, vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon curry powder*
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 slices bread, crumbled
1/4 cup milk
Finely grated rind and juice of 1/2 small lemon
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt and milled black pepper
100 g dried apricots, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
50 g slivered almonds, roasted in a dry frying pan
6 bay leaves (I used 1)

Topping

1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt

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, 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 .

*Curry Powder-Food.com

8 tablespoons coriander seeds
6 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seed
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons peppercorns
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole cloves
2 tablespoons ground cardamom
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon cayenne (or less if less heat is desired)

In a dry skillet over very low heat, place the coriander, cumin, mustard and fennel seeds. Roast the seeds gently, shaking the pan occasionally, until they begin to pop. When about half the seeds have popped, add the cinnamon, peppercorns, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, ginger and cayenne.
Continue to heat and stir gently until the mixture is quite hot but not burnt. Pour into a dry blender or food processor, or use a mortar and pestle. Grind into a fine powder. Pour into a clean, dry jar, seal, and let it cool before using.
I reduced the amounts of cinnamon and peppercorns to half the quantity.