Almost every household has special family recipes they pass along from one generation to the next—and this tradition is true in countries all over the world.
That's why I asked associates in our regional office in South Africa to share a few of their families' favorite dishes. Here are recipes for two traditional South African meals: bobotie and melktert.
Bobotie
This meat and egg casserole is a favorite amongst South African households. The recipe is believed to have originated in the Dutch East India Company colonies—and dates as far back as the 17th century in the Cape of Good Hope. In its earliest roots, the dish was made with mutton and pork, but today’s version usually incorporates lamb or beef and curry powder for some extra “kick.” Bobotie is commonly served with sambal, a chili-based sauce.
Ingredients:
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 onions, minced
1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef
1 cup milk
½ Tbs. curry powder
1 thick slice of white bread
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly grated pepper
¾ tsp. turmeric
1 ½ Tbs. malt vinegar
½ cup raisins
2 Tbs. chutney
2 bay leaves
2 medium eggs
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a pan. Add onions and cook on medium heat until the onions are transparent.
- Add ground beef and cook until the beef is broken into small crumbs and lightly browned.
- Soak the slice of bread in half a cup of milk, squeezing out the excess liquid before mashing the softened bread with a fork. Set the leftover milk aside.
- Add the mashed bread pieces to meat mixture.
- Add curry powder, salt, pepper, turmeric, vinegar, raisins, and chutney to the meat mixture. Mix together.
- Pour the meat mixture into a greased baking dish.
- Place bay leaves on top of the mixture.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
- Beat both eggs with the remaining milk. Pour the egg mixture over the meat mixture already in the oven about 25 to 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
- Serve the dish with steamed rice, extra chutney, and sambal.
Servings: 6
Melktert
Melkert literally means “milk tart”—and it’s believed that this dessert was brought to South Africa by Dutch settlers in the mid-1600s. The creamy filling contains a mixture of flour, sugar, eggs, and milk, which is then poured into a flaky crust. Cinnamon is usually sprinkled over the pie before serving.
Ingredients:
3 Tbs. melted butter
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups milk
3 egg whites
1 tsp. cinnamon
Preparation:
- Preheat over to 375°F. Spray a nine-inch deep pie dish with cooking spray.
- Mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg yolks. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Sift in the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until thoroughly blended. Add vanilla extract and milk.
- In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric mixer. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
- Pour mixture into the pie dish.
- Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 325°F and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the center is set when you gently shake the pie.
- You can serve the pie either hot or cold.
Servings: Makes one nine-inch pie.
Enjoy these dishes—and other regional favorites—on our Highlights of South Africa vacation.