Video: How to make bobotie

Mandy Hedderwick from South Africa shows how to make bobotie.

Mandy Hedderwick was born and raised in South Africa, but came to New Zealand with her three small children on holiday in 2004 while her husband was working on a contract here.

Although she didn't want to leave Cape Town, she loved New Zealand and hasn't left since.

Since then, her mother and other members of her family have also come to New Zealand.

Bobotie, a spicy but not hot mince dish with an egg and milk topping, is a traditional South African dish that dates back to the early days of Dutch settlement.

In those days Cape Town was a staging post on the long sea route from the Netherlands to the Spice Islands so it's not surprising to find it's influenced by Indonesian spices.

These days it's such a favourite everyday dish that you can smell it cooking as you walk round parts of Cape Town, she said.

Bobotie

2 thick slices of white bread, crusts removed
250ml full cream milk
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
5 tsp mild and spicy curry powder
1 Tbsp smooth apricot jam
1 kg minced mutton or other meat
salt and pepper to taste
Half tsp turmeric
1 egg (size 7), beaten
50g (half cup) chopped or flaked almonds
grated zest and juice of a medium-sized lemon
50g sultanas or raisins

custard:
3 eggs (size 7)
milk, enough to make 375ml (one and a half cups) with the reserved soaking milk
salt and pepper to taste
a good pinch of nutmeg

topping:
6 fresh orange or lemon leaves (bay leaves will do - fresh is best, dry is fine)
50g whole almonds, bruised.

Heat oven to 160degC.

Put the bread to soak in the milk.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt butter and add oil.

Add the chopped onions and cook until soft but not browned.

Stir in the curry powder and cook for a couple of minutes.

Stir in the jam until well-mixed.

Add the mince and mix well.

Remove from heat.

Remove the bread from the milk and squeeze to get as much milk out as possible, but reserve the milk for the custard.

Break the bread into small pieces and spread over the meat.

Add the turmeric, salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest, the lightly beaten egg, sultanas or raisins, and the flaked or chopped almonds.

Mix well.