South African Minced Beef Casserole (Bobotie)

Ingredients

• 2 large onions (finely diced)
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• oil (for frying; alternatively, use butter)
• toast bread (remove the crusts; then soak in milk)
• milk (for soaking the toast bread; reserve the remaining milk)
• 4 tsp curry powder (The spoken recipe initially mentions 2 tsp; later, the author uses 4 tsp. Use less if using hot curry powder.)
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 0.5 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 kg ground beef
• 1 bay leaf
• dried oregano (The author initially mentions fresh oregano and then corrects this to dried oregano; thyme can be used as an alternative.)
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• 2 tbsp mango chutney (Alternatively, use apricot jam.)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (scant measure; alternatively, use lemon juice or another vinegar)

Steps

1. 1

   Finely dice the two large onions. Mince three garlic cloves and set them aside for now.

2. 2

   Heat a little oil in a pan; alternatively, use butter. Add the onions and slowly caramelize them over moderately low heat.

3. 3

   While the onions are cooking, remove the crusts from the toast bread and soak the bread in some milk. Reserve the remaining milk afterward.

4. 4

   Add the minced garlic to the slowly caramelizing onions and cook briefly.

5. 5

   Add the curry powder, turmeric, ground coriander, and ground cumin. Mix well and briefly toast until the spices are fragrant.

6. 6

   Add the ground beef to the pan. Add the bay leaf and some dried oregano; thyme can be used as an alternative. Combine the beef with the onions and spices in the pan and cook through.

7. 7

   Squeeze the soaked toast bread thoroughly. Set the reserved milk aside. Add the squeezed bread to the beef and stir it in evenly so it provides binding and moisture later.

8. 8

   Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the mango chutney and apple cider vinegar. If desired, replace the chutney with apricot jam and the vinegar with lemon juice or another vinegar.

9. 9

   Smooth the beef mixture and place it in the oven.

Notes

The available transcript does not include the oven temperature, baking time, or the subsequent steps after placing the dish in the oven. The reserved milk is mentioned, but its later use is not described in the available excerpt.

Nutrition per serving

• main course
• casserole
• South African
• Bobotie
• minced meat
• beef
• oven-baked dish
• spicy