Malay Bobotie is a spicy baked mince dish made with Lamb , Beef or Pork mince, it is thought to have been influenced by the Javanese dish Bobotok from Indonesia. The Malay communities in South Africa found themselves without access to their favorite ingredients such as , coconut milk, a staple of Malay cooking, and tamarind, a popular flavor from south India. So they adapted their recipes and used blended spices available at the time. In 1954 this popular dish was declared the national dish of South Africa by the united nations women’s organisation.

• 800 grams lamb , beef or pork mince – my favorite is Lamb
• 2  large onions , diced
• 5 cloves garlic , crushed
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon  masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 allspice berries
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tsp  fresh ginger peeled and grated or 1 teaspoon ginger
• 2 slices stale  bread
• 1½ cup milk
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup raisins

Preheat oven to 180 degrees , a moderate heat oven

In a hot frying pan , sauté the minced meat without oil for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Put in a plate and set aside.

In the same frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onions for 8-10 minutes.

Combine the lemon juice with the spices and ginger to make a paste.

Pour the milk into a separate bowl and soak the two slices of bread.

Add the garlic to the onions and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the spice mixture and stir.

Drain the bread and add to the onion and garlic mixture. Set the milk aside as it will be used later.

Add the meat and stir. Add salt and pepper.

Add raisins and sauté for 5 minutes and turn off the heat.

In a rectangular oven safe dish , pour the meat mixture. Firmly pack the meat using the back of a spoon.

Beat 4 eggs in the remaining milk. Cover the meatloaf with the eggs and milk mixture.

Place in the oven for 45 minutes.

Serve hot with yellow basmati rice ( cooked with a 1 teaspoon of tumeric per cup rice ) , chutney and sliced banana.