Bobotie

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I love taking ingredients my kids know and love and finding unexpected ways to use them that gently push the boundaries of what they like to eat. 

My kids LOVE scrambled eggs (especially with a sprinkling of Everything Bagel spice!), and we enjoy eggs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner often. Most weeks we go through about two dozen eggs (fun fact – did you know that 1 of every 6 eggs produced in the US comes from an Iowa farm?) that we use in a variety of meals. 

The newest way we love to enjoy eggs for dinner is in this South African inspired recipe called Bobotie.

Bobotie is similar to a shepherd’s pie or cottage pie, but instead of being topped with crust or mashed potatoes, this casserole type dish is topped with a rich, custardy egg layer.

What is South African Bobotie ?

Versions of this dish can be traced all the way back to the ancient Romans, who cooked a dish of layered meat, pine nuts, spices, and topped it all with a layer of eggs and milk. Fast forward a few years and in the 17th century Dutch traders that were part of the Dutch East India Company camped in what is now Cape Town on their way back and forth to Indonesia. The melting of spices, cooking techniques and local ingredients helps shape bobotie into what it is today!

There are of course as many versions of bobotie as there are grandma’s, but every version has six main components – curry, cinnamon, jam (or chutney), raisins, bread soaked in milk (or in our case breadcrumbs), and bay leaves (affiliate link). All of this might sound overwhelming, but the finished dish has mild flavors and is a perfect balance between being flavorfully spiced (but not hot), and sweet.

How to make beef bobotie

This recipe is simple to make! For the full set of directions, please scroll down to the recipe card below. This is just a general overview on how to make it to help you plan.

*RECIPE NOTE: Make sure you cook this recipe in a cast iron or enameled skillet, or something that can go from the stove top to the oven easily!

1. Saute the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink.
3. Add in the spices, jam, tomato paste, shredded carrots, raisins, breadcrumbs, and broth.
4. Press the beef mixture down with a spoon or measuring cup until it is evenly spread and will form a nice layer for the egg mixture to sit on.
5. Whisk together the eggs and milk
6. Pour the egg mixture over the ground beef mixture and arrange a few bay leaves on top decoratively (you can use between 2 and 4 in any arrangement you want!)
7. Bake until the egg layer is set and the babotie is bubbly and hot.
8. Serve with yellow rice with raisins and other toppings like cashews, apricot jam, and sliced cucumbers..

*Notes on substitutions: 

• You can serve this with either cashews or sliced almonds
• I serve this with apricot jam because it is milder for kids, but if you want a really big treat, try it with mango chutney instead! 
• You can also switch out the raisins for sultanas.
• You can change the meat from beef to pork.
• Serve this with either sliced bananas, pineapple or mango.

Prepping ahead of time

Babotie is easy to make any night of the week. But if you need it to be even quicker than it is, this recipe is simple to prepare ahead of time. Here are some ideas that you can use to prepare ahead:

• Measure all the ingredients ahead of time (especially the spices). 
• Use pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store.
• You can cook the ground beef mixture ahead of time and store it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days before completing.
• Babotie reheats well in the microwave, too!

How to serve this to your family

This meal is great to serve to family members of all ages because you can custom build each plate according to what everyone likes.

Serve this family style with additional sides like yellow rice with raisins, thinly sliced cucumbers, cashews, apricot jam (or mango chutney would be amazing, too!), and a fruit like banana slices, mango, or pineapple. 

Allow each family member to build their own plate, but suggest they pick things in a variety of colors and textures to have a truly complete meal. 

How to make this kid friendly 

Babotie is a great kid friendly meal! With pleasing flavors, fun and colorful toppings, and a great variety of textures, this is a great meal that is easy for kids to love.

If your littles need some further assistance to be open to trying new things, having them be involved in cooking the meal and in discussing it earnestly are great ways to get them curious, interested, and involved! Which means they will be more likely to try a bite, and like it!

Dinner conversations with kids

Dinner time is an excellent time to talk about food with your kids. And more than just reminding them to take another bite. Use this time to talk about the smells, tastes, and textures of the meal you are eating. Breaking it down into a scientific experiment helps take the emotion out of trying new things. Try these conversation starters: 

• Smell your meal – can you identify any smells you recognize?
• Name all the colors you see on your plate. Can you add any other colors?
• Take a bite of the bobotie by itself. What texture does it have (or can you describe what it feels like in your mouth?). Now try it with some of the different toppings. How did it change? Can you take a bite that has all the different textures in it?
• You can serve this meal with a variety of different fruits – bananas, mangos, pineapple – which fruit should we serve this with next time we make it?

Read more about how to explore the sense of taste with your kids.

Kids in the kitchen: How your kids can help you cook

Inviting kids into the kitchen with you is a great way to help teach kids important kitchen skills, but also to help them be more interested in actually taking a bite of food – and enjoying it!

This recipe is great for beginner cooks because it is so easy! It is great for learning to measure, crack eggs, whisk liquids, identify new smells and flavors, and in learning how different ingredients flavors work together.

• Kids aged 1-3 can help you measure ingredients and help set the table with the various toppings. Offer your little ones chances to smell the different spices as you add them to the pan.
• Kids aged 4-6 can do everything above plus crack the eggs, whisk the eggs and milk together, and help arrange the bay leaves .
• Kids aged 7-10+ can help you do everything above, plus help you cook the beef mixture and press it down.

*Please note that these recommendations are generalized, and to please use your personal discretion with your child’s skill level. And always, always supervise! Read more about how to have your children help you in the kitchen.