Monday, June 04, 2012

My first attempt at making bobotie


My wife has a cookbook compiled by her large, Midwestern, Dutch-American extended family.  Between reliable American fare like pot roasts and casseroles, there are more exotic recipes for dishes from South Africa (Dutch Boers) and Indonesia (Dutch East Indies).  Bobotie is a fusion of different colonial influences.  (Perhaps our South African and Indonesian readers can fill us in on this dish).

The main ingredients are ground lamb, onions, tomato, and garlic.  It also has bananas, an apple, and dried apricots.  Seasonings include curry powder, salt, and pepper.

The dish turned out kind of bland.  I expected it to be more spicy since it supposedly has an Indonesian/Malay influence.  Perhaps the spiciness index was dialed back for Midwestern taste buds.

If I had to do it again, I would try cubed lamb or fresh ground lamb instead of pre-packaged ground lamb.  And instead of just "curry powder" out of a bottle, I would make and use my own blend.  

6 comments:

  1. AlanJune 4, 2012 at 5:38 PM

    That sounds like it could be delicious.

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  2. AnonymousJune 5, 2012 at 2:34 AM

    Uhm, as an ex-South African, that does not "look" correct in texture or colour. It is supposed to have a distinct flavour, not too spicey though, but most certainly not bland.

    Try again, or ask for help! ;-)

    Etienne

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  3. MaxichampJune 5, 2012 at 6:47 AM

    @Etienne: Yeah, I looked at recipes online and I see that it's usually baked and has eggs.

    Back to the cutting board for me.

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  4. midelectricJune 5, 2012 at 8:23 AM

    I find curry powder flavor can range from bland to sublime, generally depending on where it was purchased. Try your local Patel Bros.?

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  5. OzmacJune 5, 2012 at 12:55 PM

    For its bobotie, my South African cookbook adds 1 tablespoon of 'curry powder' to 1kg (about 2 pounds) of minced lamb, plus a teaspoon of ground turmeric powder. The intro to the recipe adds that the locals spice it up with more ground cumin and coriander as well (it'd be safe to add 2 teaspoons of each).
    It also has 6 bay leaves, plus 2 chopped onions, 1 crushed clove of garlic, the rind and juice of half a lemon (not to forget the dried apricots, chopped apple, sultanas and almonds).
    Sounds pretty tasty to me. I've never cooked it, but my South African friends have cooked it for me a few times, and it's a great dish. Keep adding spice!

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  6. MaxichampJune 5, 2012 at 5:36 PM

    @Alan, Etienne, midelectric, Ozmac: Thanks for the encouragement. I'll try it again, as soon as my wife forgets this experience.

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