Bobotie

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Tear the bread into small pieces, put it in a bowl, pour over the milk and leave it to soak for 10 min, until completely soft. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and crush the garlic.

   Add in this stepWhite bread (day-old slices) 1Milk 150 ml

   oven

2. Heat the oil in a 24 cm frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring now and then, for 6 min, until soft, translucent and just turning golden at the edges.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbspOnion, finely chopped 1Garlic cloves, crushed 1

   medium heat

3. Turn down to medium-low heat, sprinkle in the curry powder and turmeric and stir for 1 min, until the spices smell fragrant. Keep stirring so they do not scorch and turn bitter.

   Add in this stepMild curry powder 2 tspGround turmeric ½ tsp

   medium-low heat

4. Turn up to medium-high heat, add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon into small crumbs. Cook for 6 min, until no pink remains and most of the liquid has evaporated.

   Add in this stepMinced beef 250 g

   medium-high heat

5. Squeeze the soaked bread firmly over the bowl, keeping the milk for the custard, and crumble the bread into the pan. Add the chutney, raisins, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper, turn down to low heat and cook for 3 min, stirring, until thick and moist but not watery. Taste: it should be gently sweet, sour and mildly spicy all at once.

   Add in this stepFruit chutney (apricot or mango) 2 tbspRaisins or sultanas 20 gLemon juice 2 tspBrown sugar 1 tspSalt ¾ tspBlack pepper 1 pinch

   low heat

6. Spread the mince in a 20×15 cm ovenproof dish and press it flat with the back of a spoon. Whisk the eggs into the reserved milk and pour it over slowly so it sits on top as a layer. Push the bay leaves upright into the custard and bake in the oven for 30 min, until the custard is set, golden in patches and no longer wobbles in the middle.

   Add in this stepEggs 1Bay leaves 2

   oven

7. Let it stand for 5 min so the custard firms up and cuts cleanly. Serve with yellow rice or plain rice and extra chutney, and if you like, sliced banana and desiccated coconut. Remove the bay leaves before eating.