Image reproduced courtesy of Simon & Schuster.
Dale Gray's bobotie
Bobotie, an egg custard–topped spiced casserole, is one of the finest examples of Cape Malay cookery in South Africa, a true representation of the melting pot of cultures that inspired our cuisine. Though the transition seems to be mostly undocumented, the original can be traced back to the Javanese dish bobotok, which first made its way to Cape Town as far back as the seventeenth century when my ancestors were brought to South Africa as slaves. Cape Malay cooks gradually adapted the bobotok by adding fruit and vinegar to tame the heat for a more fragrant, mildly spiced version—making bobotie what it is today, a richly comforting dish that’s savory, sweet, and spicy all at once. I like to make mine for guests who are curious enough to try something different and want to know more about the traditional foods I grew up eating."
—Dale Gray
(Serves 6)
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, for greasing
1 1/4 cups whole milk or coconut milk
2 slices white bread, roughly torn
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup golden raisins or grated fresh apple
1/4 cup Mrs. H.S. Ball’s Peach Chutney (available online), District Six Apricot Chutney, or any fruit chutney
1 1/2 tablespoons mild curry powder (see note)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
6 fresh lemon leaves or bay leaves
2 large eggs
Toasted slivered almonds, for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position. Grease a 9-inch round, or 21/2-quart, baking dish with the butter.
In a shallow bowl, pour the milk over the bread. Set aside and allow the milk to soak in.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour off the excess fat.
Meanwhile, squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add it to the skillet; reserve the milk. Add the raisins, chutney, curry powder, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, turmeric, salt, pepper, and cloves, and cook, stirring occasionally, and breaking up any lumps of beef or bread, until the flavors have melded and the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, then gently smooth the surface and arrange the lemon leaves in a pattern on top.
Beat the eggs into the reserved milk with a fork. Pour over the cooked beef, then bake until the custard is set and the edges of the bobotie just start to turn a light golden brown, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds, if desired. Your house should now be filled with the aroma that drifted through the narrow streets of my neighborhood every time someone decided to make this meal.
Note: Not all curry powders are created equal. Once you find a blend that you like, stash it in the freezer to keep it fresher for longer. I squirrel pounds of the good stuff away after trips to Cape Town, purchased from Atlas Trading in District Six, an established Cape Malay community on the slopes of Table Mountain. The bags keep for a year in my freezer, but I ran out during the pandemic when travel wasn’t an option. In my search for something equivalent from a US purveyor, I found the Vadouvan curry powder from The Spice House to be the closest to the fruity, mild blends used in South Africa. Alternatively, check Amazon or the international aisle of bigger grocery stores for Rajah curry and pick up the yellow box.
Excerpted from South of Somewhere: Recipes and Stories from My Life in South Africa, South Korea & the American South. Copyright © 2023, Dale Gray. Photography Copyright © 2023 by Bella Karragiannidis. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
