Prue leith

BOBOTIE

STUFF YOU’LL NEED

(Serves 6) 2 thick slices of white bread; 150ml milk – put the bread into a small tray or shallow bowl and pour over the milk and leave to soak; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 large onions, finely chopped; Garlic cloves, crushed; 3cm (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated; 1 tbsp mild curry powder; 1 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp ground cumin; 450g lamb mince; 1 small dessert apple, grated 75g fruit chutney; 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tbsp tomato purée; A handful of sultanas; Salt and pepper to season. Heat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas mark 4.

For the custard

2 eggs; 275g Greek yoghurt; A handful of flaked almonds; 2 Kaffir lime leaves or bay leaves

GET STUCK IN

1. Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry until soft and just golden. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, coriander and cumin and cook for a further minute or so. Remove from the saucepan and empty into a large bowl. Wipe the saucepan clean and pour in the remaining oil.

2. Turn the heat up and fry the lamb mince for 5–6 minutes, until golden brown. Press the meat down with the back of a fish slice to encourage it to brown properly. When the meat is browned on all sides, add it to the spiced onions with the apple, chutney, Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée and sultanas. Add a little water if it looks too thick. Fork the wet bread into the mixture, season and gently combine. Pile the mixture into a 2-litre ovenproof dish and use the back of a wooden spoon to flatten it.

3. For the custard, mix the eggs with the yoghurt. Season with salt and pepper. Pour this over the mixture, then place the almonds and Kaffir leaves on top and bake in the preheated oven for about 40–45 minutes, until the custard has set and browned. Remove from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

■ NOTE: When we were little this was often made from leftover roast lamb. Don’t fry the meat, just chop or mince finely and mix it with the spiced onions in Step

3. In South Africa the recipe is generally topped with Kaffir lime leaves; in England they are usually bay leaves.