BOBOTIE

Serves 6-8

A lovely blend of flavours accounts for the popularity of this well-known Cape Malay dish.

2 thick slices of stale white bread

250-300ml water

15ml (1tbsp) vegetable oil

50ml (4tbsp) butter

2 large onions, chopped

800g (13/4 lb) beef mince

3 cloves garlic, crushed

15ml (1 tbsp) Masala

5ml (1tsp) turmeric

10ml (2 tsp) ground cumin

10ml (2 tsp) ground coriander

3 cloves

2ml (1/2tsp) peppercorns

5 allspice

125ml (1/2 cup) sultanas

60ml (1/4 cup) flaked almonds

5ml (1tsp) dried mixed herbs

25ml (2tbsp) chutney

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

6-8 lemon leaves

250ml (1 cup) milk

2 eggs, beaten

Soak bread in water. Fry onions in oil and butter until just transparent. Place all other ingredients except bread, lemon leaves, milk and egg in a large bowl and mix. Add fried onions in oil to mixture. Squeeze water from bread, add bread to meat and mix well. Spread in a greased ovenproof dish. Roll lemon leaves into spikes and insert into the mixture. Bake at 1800C/3500F for 30 minutes. Lightly beat eggs and milk together and pour over meat. Bake until egg mixture has set. Serve with yellow rice ant blatjang.

Recipe: Cass Abrahams Cooks Cape Malay: Food from Africa

Food styling: Pete Goffe-Wood, PGW Eat