Name: Bobotie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 3 slices white bread, crusts removed, roughly chopped; 1 cup low-fat milk; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon curry powder; 2 teaspoons turmeric; 1 teaspoon coriander; 1 teaspoon ginger; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon thyme; pinch of cayenne pepper; 2 tablespoons cooking oil (canola, lite olive oil or avocado oil); 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 4 cups); 4 garlic cloves, minced (about 4 teaspoons); 1 pound ground lamb; 1 pound ground beef; 1 large or 2 medium carrots, grated (about 1 cup); 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and grated; 1/3 cup golden raisins (optional); 3 tablespoons apricot preserves; 2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper; 5 bay leaves; 1 1/2 cups buttermilk; 3 eggs; 1/2 teaspoon salt; pinch of pepper; toasted slivered almonds

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Bobotie is one of South Africa’s most beloved dishes - a casserole with curry spiced ground lamb and beef on the bottom and rich savory buttermilk and egg custard on top. It's incredible!

Unique and exciting comfort food - South African style!

square slice of bobotie on a plate with yellow rice, salad and a blob of apricot preserves

A little history

Bobotie's origins can be traced back to the 17th century when Dutch traders brought spices and cooking techniques from Indonesia to the Cape of Good Hope.

Over time, bobotie evolved to incorporate local ingredients and flavors, becoming a distinctive part of Cape Malay cuisine. The dish's unique blend of ground meat, spices, and a creamy custard topping reflects the diverse cultural influences that have shaped South African food.

Bobotie (pronounced buh-BOO-dee) is one of the most beloved traditional dishes of South African Cuisine and many consider it to be South African's national dish.

More about this bobotie recipe

I learned about bobotie at a dinner party hosted by my sister-in-law Jen. She introduced me to Adine and Shelley, her friends from South Africa and our conversation quickly turned to food.

Ultimately, they told me about a minced meat pie with custard on top called Bobotie, "...a very popular dish that's unique to South Africa and utterly delicious." I couldn't wait to try it!

Adine gave me their favorite bobotie recipe, which I made several times and tweaked to perfection. Not to say it wasn't absolutely delicious the first time. The problem I encountered was that the custard didn't stay on top of the meat. It sank down.

After doing lots of online research, I realized I wasn't the only person having this issue. I read the reviews of the most popular online bobotie recipes, such as this one and this one, and while many of the recipes get top marks for taste, people complain that the custard doesn't stay on top of the meat, it leaks to the bottom of the pan.

It took me a few tries in the test kitchen but I came up with a no-fail solution that will give you perfect bobotie every time!

The Best Bobotie

This recipe makes it easy to cook perfect bobotie, with juicy flavorful minced meat on the bottom and a beautiful, silky custard on top.

Here's what you'll need:

All the ingredients for Bobotie set out on a marble countertop: bread, milk, eggs, beef and lamb, lemon, onions, carrots, green apple, apricot preserves, garlic, yellow raisins, jars of spices.

How to make Bobotie:

Cut the bread into small cubes and soak them in milk. While the bread is soaking, measure all of your spices out into a small bowl.

glass bowl of bread cubes soaking in milk

Small piles of ground spices in a bowl: curry powder, coriander, ginger, thyme, turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne.

Next, sauté the onions until tender and golden brown, then add the garlic and the spices and cook for 30 seconds or so. Set the onions aside to cool and make the meat mixture.

Sauteed onions and garlic in a cast iron skillet topped with ground spices.

Glass bowl with ingredients for bobotie in separated piles: ground lamb, ground beef, yellow raisins, grated apples and carrots, sauteed onions with spices, milk-soaked bread, salt, pepper, apricot preserves.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the lamb, beef, spiced onions, bread (after squeezing out the milk), shredded carrots, shredded apple, apricot preserves, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Use your hands to combine everything well. Press into a casserole dish and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the partially cooked casserole from the oven.

Meat mixture for bobotie pressed into a rectangular casserole pan.

partially cooked meat mixture for bobotie, in a casserole.

Meat naturally shrinks when it's cooked because the fat renders out. You'll notice, when you take the casserole out of the oven, that the meat has pulled away from the sides of the pan, leaving space where fat has pooled. If you were to pour the custard on at this point, it would slide down around and under the meat and mix in with the fat - not good!

Here's the secret to a beautiful custard layer for bobotie:

Remove the bobotie from the oven after 25 minutes, about a third of the way through the cooking process. This is the perfect amount of time to render the fat but leave the meat soft enough to reshape.

Pour off the fat and press down on the meat with the back of a spatula, forcing it to expand until it meets the sides of the casserole pan, making a sturdy leak-proof platform for the custard.

Insert the bay leaves, whisk up the eggs and buttermilk, pour the custard mixture over the meat and return the casserole to the oven to bake for another 50 minutes or so, until the custard has set.

partially cooked casserole with 5 bay leaves inserted down the middle.

custard mixture being poured from a glass mixing bowl onto meat in a casserole.

Voila!

Rectangular casserole filled with custard topped Bobotie, bowls on the side of yellow rice, toasted slivered almonds, apricot preserves and sliced bananas.

What to serve with Bobotie

Cut Bobotie into squares and serve it while it's still warm from the oven. Traditional accompaniments are yellow rice, toasted slivered almonds, sliced bananas and apricot preserves or fruit chutney. A simple green salad with bright citrusy dressing goes beautifully with this rich hearty dish.

Plate topped with a slice of bobotie, meat casserole with custard on top, yellow rice and salad.

Next time you're craving meatloaf, you might want to try bobotie instead. It's that same kind of irresistible comfort food but with lots of added excitement.

Here's the Bobotie Recipe. If you make this I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think.

Recipe

Bobotie

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

Author: Lisa
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 8-10 Servings 1x

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Description

South Africa's amazing meatloaf, deliciously spiced, with savory custard topping.

Adapted from a recipe in the cookbook Cook With Ina Paarman

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Meat:

3 slices white bread, crusts removed, roughly chopped
1 cup low-fat milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon thyme
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons cooking oil (canola, lite olive oil or avocado oil)
2 onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
4 garlic cloves, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground beef
1 large or 2 medium carrots, grated (about 1 cup)
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and grated
⅓ cup golden raisins (optional)
3 tablespoons apricot preserves
2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
5 bay leaves

For The Custard:

1 ½ cups buttermilk
3 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper

optional topping:

toasted slivered almonds

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC
You'll need a 9" X 13" baking dish

The Meat:

Put chopped bread into a small bowl and pour milk on top. Press bread into milk and set aside.
Measure out the dried ground spices and add them to a small bowl: curry, turmeric, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, thyme and cayenne.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Sauté onions on medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ground spices and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove skillet from heat. Add a tablespoon or two of water if the spices are sticking to the bottom of the pan. Scrape onion mixture into a large bowl and and let it cool for a few minutes.
Gently squeeze most of the milk from the bread and add bread to the bowl with the onions. (leftover milk won't be used for this recipe) Add the lamb, beef, carrots, apple, raisins (optional), apricot preserves, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix, using your hands, until just combined. Press the mixture evenly into the casserole and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes.
Remove the casserole from the oven, leaving the oven on. Carefully pour off the fat that has rendered. The meat will have shrunken and pulled away from the sides of the pan. Using the back of a spatula, press the meat down so it expands to touch the sides of the casserole. (this will prevent the custard from leaking). Insert the bay leaves evenly across surface (slit meat with a knife if necessary), tucking them halfway in so they flavor the meat but are still visible for easy removal before serving.

The Custard:

Put the buttermilk, eggs, salt and pepper into a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture evenly over the meat.
Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until the custard is set and starting to brown.
Slice and serve hot with assorted toppings and side dishes (see notes for suggestions)

Notes

Curry Powder comes in many varieties. My favorite is Madras.
Traditional Accompaniments for Bobotie include yellow rice, sliced bananas, toasted slivered almonds and fruit chutney or preserves. A simple green salad with bright citrusy dressing goes beautifully alongside this rich hearty dish.
Nutrition Information: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for the advice of a professional nutritionist.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
Category: Casserole, Dinner
Method: Bake
Cuisine: South African

This recipe post was first published on February 28, 2013. It has been updated with new photos, helpful details add to the written post to give you an overview of the ingredients needed and the cooking steps required to prepare and serve this dish. The recipe instructions have been edited for improved clarity. We haven't touched the recipe because, by all accounts, it's great just the way it is!