Bobotie with geelrys

 

It was film night again, at Kitchenfairies HQ.  Mandela - Long Walk to Freedom. So, I thought I would make the South African national dish - Bobotie.  I had never made it before, and have an aversion to "pudding with me dinner" ie. sweet in savoury, so I toned down the fruitiness - but kept some.  I was also a bit wary of savoury custard over the spiced mince, but it works well.  The traditional accompanying geelrys also usually has dried fruit in it - that would have taken me over the edge - so perhaps this was really more of a pilau.  It was delish all the same.

Bobotie

Onion

Garlic

Olive oil

Butternut squash

Minced beef

Curry powder

Grated apple

Mango chutney

Stock

Worcestershire sauce

Frozen peas

Soya milk (or dairy milk, if you're not lactose intolerant)

Bay leaves

4 eggs

Geelry

Onion

Olive oil

Cinnamon

Turmeric

Basmati rice

Stock

1.  Soften chopped onion and garlic in olive oil.

2.  Peel butternut squash and cut into small dice, add to the onion.

3.  Add minced meat to the vegetables and brown.

4.  Add curry powder to taste (I used mild caribbean, with a little black pepper) and keep cooking.  Add stock and simmer for a few minutes.

5.  Heat soya milk with a few bay leaves.

6.  Add grated apple and a couple of big spoons full of mango chutney to the meet.  Simmer again.  When the mince is just about done add a handful of frozen peas and a good splash of worcestershire sauce, stir in.

7.  Transfer to and oven dish and bake at 180 for about 20 minutes.

8.  Start the geelrys by frying finely chopped onion in olive oil.  Add cinnamon and turmeric, then add basmati rice and turn in the spice mixture until every grain is coated.  Add stock to 1 inch about the surface of the and bring to the boil.  Ass soon as it hits the boil, slam on the lid and turn it down as far as it will go.

7.  As soon as the milk hits the boil turn it off, remove the bay leaves, and let it cool a little.  Whip together the eggs.

8.  Pour the milk onto the eggs and whip together quickly (if the milk is too hot it'll just be scrambled eggs, so do let it cool a bit).  Return to the saucepan and keep whisking as it thickens a bit.

9.  Pour the custard over the meat mixture, and bake for a further 20 minutes.

10.  Serve, scoff, with a bit of salad ... have seconds ... no really - it was fab!  Quite astonishing for something which was pudding with yer dinner.