Bobotie

I regularly make bobotie and thought to give this recipe a try. It was "okay", but I have to suggest a few changes: As said by someone else - you CAN brown the mince and onions in a pan !! (I usually do). Then add the seasoning + 1 pinch of ground cloves + 1 pinch of ground coriander seed. Use 2 slices of soaked bread that haven't been drained too well and mix into the mince. Then place in a baking dish. Bake at 200C for about 15min. For the topping: if using 2 eggs it gives a lighter and fluffier dish if you use about 150/200ml of milk (maybe even more if you like the creamy topping). Bake 20 min. To make it even easier: If you're frying the mince before baking - place the seasoned mince in a baking dish and pour over the topping immediately. Bake at 200C for 35-45min. untill golden brown. The topping seeps into the mince mixture giving you a deliciously moist dish. Serve with yellow rice with raisins. (Just steam your rice with some tumeric, raisins and a pinch of cinnamon). A light green salad, slices of banana and caramalised sweet potatoes make it complete.

The recipe is fine, as long as it's kept in mind that, as a trad. dish, there are hundreds of small variations. I use apricot jam instead of chutney, but a fruity, quite sweet chutney is fine. One reviewer was wrong when she said the meat and onions are always fried in a pan first. No, this should be a quick dish (once you have the ingredients) and I certainly have never fried the meat first. One person altered the recipe so much that it could not bear much resemlance to the original! I understand about the milk allergy, but why leave out the breadcrumbs? It improves the texture. Try soy milk next time, or yoghurt, if that's okay. The egg-milk-turmeric custard should be poured over the top about 20 mins. before it comes out of the oven, and is a "characteristic" of this comfort food.

Good, but for a more authentic version use minced lamb and replace the bay leaves with fragrant fresh lemon or lime leaves. Serve with basmati rice flavoured with turmeric and cinnamon, slightly sweetened and raisins or currants added.

Yummy and old South African favorite. A friend just brought us some chutney and I wanted to make something special!! This was it, very delicious just like my mother used to make it when I was a kid growing up in South Africa! Perfect meal to go with the freezing weather in Massachusetts.

I made this recipe for a Thanksgiving dinner in the States and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The recipe leaves out where the onions are meant to go but just add them to the ground beef along with everything else. Very tasty, smells great and highly recommended.

We made this recipe as part of a South African themed meal. We've never had it before, so really have no basis for comparison, but we both liked it. In fact, my husband absolutely loved it. It was slightly sweet, and the spices reminded us a little of Indian food. We will be making this one again!

It's always hard to make a recipe for something you've never eaten or even seen, since you're really not sure what you're aiming at. I never heard of Bobotie until I saw this recipe, and the mix of ingredients intrigued me so I took the plunge. It smells wonderful when baking. The first bite was a little strange, but as I continued to eat it the taste began to grow on me and I can honestly say I liked it. (My husband thought it was only okay). My only fault was with the sauce. Some have described it as "custard" but mine turned out more like scrambled eggs. If I were to make this again, I think I would add a little more chutney. If you're looking for something unusual, this is worth a try.

this was really yummy!! i made it with the south african yellow rice recipe also on this site, and it was a wonderful dinner! i don't really like meatloaf but i loved this, it has tons of flavor, and really nice taste. i only made half and it turned out great! i also forgot to add the egg to the inside of the bobotie but it held together fine, didn't miss it at all. try this you won't be dissapionted! :)

I thought this recipe was very interesting and just different enough to try. It was quick & easy to assemble. I love the end product and will most definitely make it again. I probably will double the curry powder next time, since the curry flavor is mild to me, and omit the raisins since hubby doesn't like them, tho I thought they married well with the loaf. Unless you don't like the flavor of curry powder, I would definitely recomment this recipe.

What did I do wrong? I tried the recipe to the letter and it came out heavy and dry with very little topping. More like a dry meat loaf not a light tasty dish. Not at all like the dish we had in South Africa.

I rated this 4 only because I did make a few changes. I did not use chutney or bay leaves, I used cinnamon instead of tumeric. And I fried everything first, put it in a deep dish, added the "custard" on top and baked it top was golden brown (about 35 minutes). The dish was tasty, my 11 year old really enjoyed it as did me and my husband! This is a delicious addition to my recipe box!

Easy to make, smells and tastes delicious! Friends and family can't resist when I make it!

Very tasty! I used a lot of the suggestions other reviewers made, such as doubling the curry powder and eggs for the custard top. I left out the salt and sugar and used multigrain bread to make it slightly healthier, and used lamb for a more traditional foundation. I served it with the recommended yellow rice (turmeric, cinnamon and raisins,) which was also very good. It wasn't very filling (I had two slices and 1/4 cup of rice,) so it definitely needs side dishes to round out the meal.

Glad to see you enjoying our traditional South African dish. Just want to mention that the meat is actually fried in a pan along with the onions until a little brown before mixing with the rest of the ingredients. We usually serve it with yellow rice and raisans. Enjoy!

I made it with lamb and it was excellent. The kids were a bit unsure of it because it is quite different to the meatloaf they are used it but the adults loved it. I cooked it in a large baking dish and the pan juices (nicely caramelised) were really good. Next time I'll use them to make a sauce.

I have made this several times, with some changes. I did not use milk, as mother-in-law is allergic, nor did I use bread. Added the turmeric, and used cider vinegar. I did not bake it, but made it in a frying pan on the stovetop. Still, its one of my family's favorites. Served it with rice and an Asian style coleslaw.

I recently attended a dinner party at a colleague's house. He is from South Africa and made this dish and was excellent. This seemed very close to his version, although I did somewhat combine this recipe with the "Best Bobotie" from this site (used two slices of bread, sauted the onions, with the meat, and mixed all ingredients in the skillet, did not add vinegar)

Understandably bobtie is one of those ethnic dishes that is subject to almost infinite possible variations and still be called bobotie. Varied to suit ones taste, leaving out ingredients of concern for food allergies, and modifiable with ingredients that one has on hand. I didn't have chutney so I replaced it with finely chopped granny smith apple and dried apricot. Toasted slivered almonds which I added on top of the mix. I didn't have 2 lbs of ground been - used on lb beef and one lamb ( I would try a ground chicken/beef mix). For me Lamb begs for garlic and lemon - 3 cloves of garlic pasted and mixed with onion during frying - juice and zest of one lemon added to raw meat mix. A good recipe is a journey not a destination.

Some slight changes but this was fantastic. I browned the beef in a skillet. I also topped it with jalapeño peppers and sharp cheddar cheese. Cooking time of 45 minutes. Instead of rice, I served it with hot corn muffins. Forget the egg on top.

I've never had Bobotie before, so I have zero idea if this is "right" or "authentic". What it was, was pretty darned good. I definitely liked this more than a regular meatloaf. The only change I made was to give the almonds a quick buzz in a mini food processor, since leaving them whole seemed weird.

My family loved it, We didn't have chutney in the house so I substituted apricot jam and didn't add quite as much salt.

Low-carb: Substitute 1/4 cup oats for the white bread. Crumb the oats into oat flour in a food processor, and soak in milk as directions suggest. As a low-carb version of the traditional side dish, you can make "yellow rice" cauliflower. Break up cauliflower into rice-sized pieces in a food processor. Find a yellow rice recipe you like, and use the spices suggested (usually you add things like raisins and cinnamon). After spicing, cook the cauliflower in a little bit of oil in a frying pan for about five minutes.

I wish I could capture the smell this filled my home with! I was pretty unsure of this, since I couldn't imagine what it would be like with the chutney, but it was wonderful! Will definitely make again. I made half the recipe and used a loaf pan (not sure where I'd even find a 7 x 11 pan). The recipe doesn't say the almonds should be chopped but I assumed they should be, so I did. It also doesn't say to add the onions to the mixture, but I did that too. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly.

We have South African friends who introduced us to this dish. We are a family of 7 and we all love it! Mummy loves the budget! ;-) With the yellow rice (also on this site, from Deoni) and some green beans or some salad, YUM, YUM, YUM! Sometimes we are in the mood for extra flavour, so I add a sprinkle of ground chilli and extra chutney, but it always goes down well as it is.