Bobotie (South African Curry)

Well, as it's another cold, grey day, I fancied something that would remind me a bit of sunshine, so I have decided to cook a Bobotie for my meal tonight. As this dish is South African in origin, I thought this would fit the bill nicely.
I had this for the first time only recently. Our local branch of the W.I. put on a charity lunch in the Village Hall once a year. This is one of the dishes we put on. This year we supported "Help For Heroes" and raised over £1,000 from just 60 people.
This recipe is not one of mine, it comes courtesy of my friend Alexis.


BOBOTIE
(South African Curry)

2 lbs raw beef mince, or Quorn mince
2 medium sized onions
3 tablespoons ground almonds or 8 whole almonds finely chopped
1 thick slice of brown or wholemeal bread
½ pint whole milk
Sunflower oil
2 tablespoons medium or madras curry powder (according to taste)
½ teaspoon salt
1 dessertspoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs


Chop the onions and gently fry in the oil until soft, add the curry powder, salt, the sugar, the almonds, lemon juice, and continue to cook gently through for another 5-10 min keeping the ingredients well mixed and moist, and then remove the mix to a separate bowl. Add a little more oil to the pan, turn up the heat and brown the mince and cook through, adding a little water to keep it moist.
Meanwhile soak the bread in the milk, drain away (and keep) the unabsorbed milk and then beat the lumps out of the bread with a fork. Add the cooked mince to the onion mix and thoroughly combine with the soaked bread and add a beaten egg to bind the whole together and pour into a well buttered pie-dish or shallow casserole dish.
Beat the remaining egg and the left over milk (at least a ¼ pint) add a little salt and pepper and pour over the top of the meat mixture. Bake at gas mark 4 (med oven) until the egg custard has set (30mins average)


To Serve:
This dish is accompanied by cooked rice, and all, or a selection of, the following:
finely chopped tomatoes, chopped sweet peppers, chopped cucumber (plain and/ or with yoghurt and chopped mint), small chunks of sweet oranges, sliced bananas, desiccated unsweetened c
coconut, sultanas, and assorted chutneys. A leaf salad may also be served.

(C) Alexis Swain 2008


P.S. If you are want to know more about the "Help for Heroes" charity, here is the link:
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/