Bobotie from South Africa

By far, our favorite dish in South Africa was bobotie. I equated it to a shepherd’s pie with an eggy topping instead of mashed potatoes. For the holidays, we decided to make bobotie for our families. My sister-in-law is vegetarian so a traditional bobotie recipe wouldn’t work for her. My husband found the recipe below for a vegetarian version of this dish and it is delicious! Thank you to the original poster of this recipe here.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) butter

• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) medium curry powder

• 1 tsp (5 ml) chili paste

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) grated ginger

• 1 small butternut, peeled and coarsely grated

• 2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

• 4 courgettes (baby marrows), washed really well and coarsely grated

• 2 ripe tomatoes, skins and seeds removed and finely chopped

• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) chutney of your choice

• 2 tsp (10 ml) sugar

• ½ C (125 ml) chopped fresh coriander

• 2 x 410 g cans lentils, rinsed and drained

• salt and pepper to taste

Egg Custard Topping

• 2 C (500 ml) buttermilk

• 4 large eggs

• ¼ tsp (1.25 ml) turmeric

• salt and pepper to taste

• bay leaves, for garnishing

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat the butter and oil and fry the onion, curry powder, chili paste, garlic, and ginger until soft and fragrant. Add the butternut, carrots, and courgettes and sauté for 10–15 minutes until the vegetables are soft and all the liquid has evaporated.

Add the tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture is dried out (it must not be runny at all) and the flavors have developed. Season to taste.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease 1 large or 2 medium baking dishes.

Place the lentil mixture into the prepared baking dish(es) and flatten with the back of a spoon. Beat all the egg topping ingredients together and pour over the mixture. Squish in a few bay leaves and bake for about 45 minutes.

Serve with wild rice, tomato and onion raïta, and chutney. YUM!

Tip: Use a food processor to grate all the vegetables … it just makes life easier!