Slow Cooker South African Bobotie
Whenever we have a potluck in church this is what I often bring as it’s so delicious and everyone loves it! Perfectly seasoned and bursting with flavors from curry powder and other spices, this Slow Cooker Bobotie will indeed become a household favorite.
In 2007, we had the privilege of living in South Africa for a few months. We were previously in this beautiful country way back in 2004 for our honeymoon in Cape Town. We absolutely loved our time there.
How can we ever forget this country? It had so much to offer…..majestic sceneries like Table Mountain, the Twelve Apostles, Drakensberg, countless nature reserves and so much more. It was absolutely beautiful!
We totally enjoyed its fabulous cuisine which was nothing short of glorious! I have, to this day, continued to cook some of the dishes I’ve learned to make there.
One of our favorite South African dishes that has become a staple in our household and I’ve made numerous times is Bobotie! Incidentally, it is South Africa’s national dish!
It is essentially a dish of curried ground or minced meat (usually beef) baked with a rich savory custard on top! As the photos show, you can see how delicious and appetizing it looks!
Because I often bring this to our church potluck, I have often made this in the slow cooker so it’s easier to travel with and reheat. What I’ve done is simply convert my original tried and tested bobotie version to a crockpot one.
Let me tell you, it’s always well-loved as I always come home empty-handed. It has a deliciously complex flavor brought from the curry powder and other spices plus hints of sweetness from the carrots and chutney.
Granting that I cooked this bobotie with some tomatoes and added some nuts (so slightly diverting from the traditional recipe), I can assure you that these minor changes truly resulted in a very lekker (Afrikaans for delicious!) bobotie.
Hope you make it soon and enjoy with loads of rice!
FOR FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS and to PRINT, SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW.
NOTES on INGREDIENTS for Slow Cooker South African Bobotie
- Olive Oil or oil of choice
- Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Onions, chopped
- Ground Ginger
- Curry powder – choose the spice level that’s to your liking
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Cumin
- Ground/minced Beef
- Carrot, grated
- Tomato Puree – use freshly made instead of canned as it tastes better and fresher
- Fruit chutney or apricot jam/preserve – I use mango chutney but use Mrs. Balls chutney from South Africa (available in some specialty grocery stores with international offerings) if you can find it.
- Salt
- Ground Pepper or to taste
- Egg, lightly beaten
- Raisins (or sultanas)
For the Topping
- Eggs
- Milk
- Salt
- Ground Turmeric
- Bay leaves – use either dried or fresh
- Flaked Almonds – optional but highly recommended
*I use medium spicy curry. But don’t worry even if you use the hot one – it still would not be overly spicy as there are other flavors in this dish that tone it down or complement it.
*If using the Apricot jam, you may need to add an extra 2-3 tablespoons (or adjust to taste) because it’s not as intensely sweet or flavorful as the chutney. If you can find Mrs. Ball’s Chutney – even better. It is a South African brand that makes this Bobotie truly yummy. But if not, don’t fret, all the spices and flavorings work together to make this so tasty so even if you cannot find the exact ingredient, it will still taste good.
*For the tomato puree, I use fresh Roma or plum tomatoes that I puree in a food processor or blender. This adds freshness and sweetness so I suggest using fresh tomatoes rather than canned ones unless it’s more convenient.
How do you make Slow Cooker South African Bobotie?
Prepare all the ingredients before cooking and make sure that all the spices are at hand. This will make it easier to cook the Bobotie.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Fry the garlic and onions for about 2 minutes or until the onions are slightly tender. Adjust the heat to low and then add the ginger and other spices (cinnamon, curry powder, and cumin). Cook briefly just until fragrant. This is very quick.
Crumble the ground beef into the onion mix and coat with the spices. Cook just until the beef has browned. Add the rest of the ingredients – grated carrot, pureed tomatoes, salt, chutney, beaten egg, and raisins. Stir to mix everything evenly. Transfer everything to the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Prepare the topping.
For the topping
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with milk, salt, and turmeric.
Pour the egg mixture over the ground beef. Slip in the bay leaves and then scatter the flaked almonds all over. Continue to cook for another 1-2 hours or until the custard is fully set.
Serve immediately with rice on the side.
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Slow Cooker South African Bobotie
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 6 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Onions, chopped
- 1 tsp ground Ginger
- 1 tbsp Curry powder, use mild or spicy depending on what heat level you prefer
- 2 tsp ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground Cumin
- 2 lbs (1 kilo) ground/minced Beef
- 1 large carrot grated
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 5 tbsp (up to 6 tbsp) fruit chutney or apricot jam/preserve, adjust to taste
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp ground Pepper, or to taste
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ¾ cup raisins or sultanas
For the Topping
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 6 bay leaves
- ½ cup flaked almonds, optional but highly recommended
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients before cooking and make sure that all the spices are at hand. This will make it easier to cook the Bobotie.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet. Fry the garlic and onions for about 2 minutes or until the onions are slightly tender. Adjust the heat to low and then add the ginger and other spices (cinnamon, curry powder, and cumin). Cook briefly just until fragrant. This is very quick.
- Crumble the ground beef into the onion mix and coat with the spices. Cook just until the beef has browned. Add the rest of the ingredients – grated carrot, pureed tomatoes, salt, chutney, beaten egg, and raisins. Stir to mix everything evenly. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Prepare the topping.
For the topping
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs with milk, salt, and turmeric.
- Pour the egg mixture over the ground beef. Slip in the bay leaves and then scatter the flaked almonds all over. Continue to cook for another 1-2 hours or until the custard is fully set.
- Serve immediately with rice on the side.
Tried this for the first time and it tastes just like home. One key ingredient that makes it extra South African is adding crust less bread soaked in a little milk to the beef mixture 🙂
Well done and thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ve made this for guests up in Alaska and they love it!
Great idea with the bread! Since hubby is on a gluten-free diet, we don’t include that. Glad you enjoyed this and thanks for stopping by.