Bobotie
Gewürztraminer loves spicy food from sushi to coconut Thai curries.Coenraad Stassen, winemaker at Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery on Old Mission peninsula likes to pair it with the cuisine of his home. "Since I’m from South Africa I love curry, not a Thai curry that’s thin and hot, but more of a sweet, darker curry in the Cape Malaysian style. A signature dish is bobotie—ground beef with onions and curry that you bake in the oven with bay leaves until it gets a nice crust. This is my favorite version—I made it for our Chistmas party last year, and everyone loved it."
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 onions, peeled and sliced
- 2 1/4 pounds good quality lean ground beef
- 1 thickish slice of white bread
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon medium curry powder (or hot for the hale and brave)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- freshly grated pepper (about a half teaspoon)
- 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 1/2 tablespoons malt vinegar
- 1/2 cup seedless raisins
- 2 tablespoons strong chutney
- 2 bay leaves (or fresh lemon leaves if available)
- 2 medium eggs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in medium sauté pan. Stir in onions. Cook over medium heat until transparent. Add ground beef. Cook until lightly browned and crumbly. Soak bread in half the milk, squeeze out excess milk and mash with a fork—DON'T TOSS SQUEEZED OUT MILK! Pour it straight back into remaining milk. Set milk aside, and ad pulled-apart bread to the meat mixture.
Add curry, sugar, salt, pepper, turmeric, vinegar, raisins, chutney to the beef mixture. Spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish, and place bay leaves on top.
Bake for 50-60 minutes in preheated 350°F oven.
Beat egg with remaining milk and pour over mixture approximately 25 - 30 minutes before end of baking time.
Serve with steamed rice (traditionally yellow!) and extra chutney.
Serves 6
