The secret to Preparing a Tasty Bobotie |South African Cuisine

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Bobotie is a traditional South African which is prepared with beef, vegetables, and traditional spices. It is simply a meatloaf covered with milk and egg mixture. When cooked, the final dish is tasty, nutritious, and vibrant.

Bobotie goes well with curry seasoned basmati rice. One thing that makes this dish stand out is its taste, nutrients, simple cooking guide, and its easy-to-find ingredients. If you’ve ever had a taste of this amazing delicacy, you can attest to this: it’s a whopper!

But here is the best part: you don’t need to travel to South Africa to enjoy Bobotie. All you need is to follow this simple recipe, and you dig in to this savory meat layered melt in the comfort of your home.

 Let’s have a quick look at South Africa’s dining culture before we proceed:

South African Dining Culture

South African cuisine usually comprises of local foods like yams, cassavas, rice, vegetables, fruits, and bread. Women do all the cooking and food serving. Breakfasts are generally served between 6 to 9 in the morning, lunch from 12 to 2 in the afternoon, and dinner from 8 to 10 in the evening.

Traditionally, men, children, and women dine separately. Using the left hand is not allowed, not unless the meal calls for a knife and a fork. Visitors are expected to enjoy any drink or food offered to them by the host.

When serving food, guests are served first, followed by the older men, younger men, women, and children come last. Even when food is served, it is a taboo to start eating before the older men have started enjoying theirs.

Before entering the house, everyone is expected to remove their shoes. During meals, everyone is expected to observe table manners and limit their conversations. Keeping eye contact during meals is also prohibited.

[bctt tweet=”In South Africa, talking is not allowed during meals, and so is keeping eye contact”]

Some sitting positions are not allowed when eating- like sitting while your toes are pointing to food or others. After enjoying food, everyone is expected to complement the chef for a wonderful meal. Even if it was not, criticism isn’t allowed.

Now let us dive right into our recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound beef (ground)
  • 3 crushed garlic cloves
  • 1 piece ginger (zested)
  • 500ml milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 bunch parsley (finely chopped)
  • 1 zested lemon
  • 1 lemon (for juice)
  • ¼ cup of almonds (splintered)
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • 1tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp.  Garam masala
  • 1 tsp. turmeric
  • 2 slice of bread
  • 4 tbsp canola or olive oil

 Guide

  1. Preheat the oven up to 350 F
  2. As your oven preheats, sauté your beef in a skillet without oil for about 10 minutes. Stir often to avoid sticking. Put it in a large plate and set aside
  3. Sauté your onions in another frying pan for 5 mins on medium heat
  4. Add your garlic, and keep stirring for 3 mins
  5. Cut your lemon and squeeze the juice in a bowl. Add your ginger, lemon zest and other spices to the juice and mix well
  6. Add the mixture to your sautéed onions and garlic
  7. Pour your milk in a clean bowl and soak your bread slices inside
  8. Using a spoon, remove your bread and put it in the frying pan
  9. Add your meat pepper and salt. Stir thoroughly until the mixture incorporates well
  10. Add almonds and parsley. Fry for four minutes and stir again. Turn off the heat and transfer the mixture in a rectangular pan
  11. Beat your eggs and add them to the remaining milk. Stir using a spoon until the eggs thoroughly mix with the milk
  12. Pour the mixture on the meat and place it on the oven for 40 minutes
  13. Serve with basmati rice

Bobotie is indeed a true definition of African cuisine. The delicacy is an excellent family treat that promises satisfaction, and spice up the day. Why not try it out and share your experience?

If you love this Bobotie recipe, you may also want to check this out:

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