Traditional South African Bobotie - 1936

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