Name: Bobotie (South African Beef Casserole)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: African
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 tablespoon butter; 1 large onion, diced; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste; 5 teaspoons curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 2 pounds ground beef; 4 bay laurel leaves, divided; 1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 1 tablespoon wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, or to taste; 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1/3 cup Indian-style fruit chutney, or to taste; 3 slices white bread, crust removed; 1 1/2 cups milk, divided; 2 large eggs; pinch cayenne

Bobotie (South African Beef Casserole)

Bobotie, a South African curry beef casserole made of an aromatic meat filling with a bay leaf-infused thin custard on top, is an easy, gorgeous, and extremely delicious one-pan meal.

1 hr 30 min total 20 min prep 1 hr cook 8 441 cal

Instructions

Tap a step to mark it done

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 Heat olive oil and butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add onions and salt, and cook until just beginning to soften and turn translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
3 Stir in curry powder, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and oregano, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
4 Add ground beef, and cook, stirring, while breaking the meat up into small crumbles. Add 1 bay leaf, tomato paste, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.
5 Stir in lemon juice and zest, vinegar, Worcestershire, and chutney. Smooth the top, and simmer mixture gently for 5 minutes.
6 Meanwhile, add bread to a bowl and cover with 1/2 cup of milk, toss, and let stand for 5 minutes. Squeeze excess milk back into the bowl and add soaked bread to meat. Mash, smash and stir mixture until bread is thoroughly blended in.
7 Add remaining 1 cup milk to the bowl; add eggs, cayenne, and pinch of salt, and whisk thoroughly. Pour gently over meat, and top with 3 or more bay leaves.
8 Bake in the preheated oven until custard on top is set and lightly golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.