It is not
often that one comes across a tome of home assistance in the form of the South
African edition of ‘Cookery Illustrated and Household Management’.
Published
in 1936, this manual of the domestic arts was ably edited by the well-known
cook, Elizabeth Craig. For distribution in the local market, Craig added
traditional South African dishes.
One such
traditional South African dish is Bobotie, a well loved favourite:
"Bobotie
2 lb. mutton
or beef (cooked or fresh) [450g]
2 onions
2
tablespoons butter or dripping
1 slick
white bread
1 cupful
milk
2
tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon
sugar
2
tablespoons lemon juice
2 eggs
Seasoning
Chopping
almonds
A few lemon
or bay leaves
Utensils –
Mincer, 3 basins, saucepan, knife, spoon, egg-beater, fork, pie-dish. Enough
for 6 persons.
Mince the
meat. Soak the bread in half of the milk and mash it finely with a fork. Fry
the chopped onions in the butter.
Add to these the bread, curry powder, sugar,
seasoning, lemon juice (or vinegar) and the minced meat. Mix well together with
1 well-beaten egg. Pour the mixture into a buttered pie-dish and bake in a
moderate oven.
After about half an hour, beat up the other egg with a pinch of
salt and add to the rest of the milk. Pour this over the mince. Place a few
lemon or bay leaves on the top and sprinkle over some chopped almonds. Return
to the oven and bake for another ½ hour during which the custard will set.
Bobotie is generally served with rice."
Notes: I
added dried coriander to the custard mix, and threw in some country mix
vegetables for extra colour and flavour. Baked 180 °C for +/- 45 mins to 1 hour
depending on type of oven.
Enjoy!
The Vintage Kitchen
