South African Bobotie with yellow rice and salsa

You’ll need

• For the Bobotie
• 800g Minced beef
• 1 large white onion, diced
• ¾ cup white wine vinegar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 5 Tbsp mild curry powder or to your taste
• 3 bay leaves + 4 or 6 extra for decorating
• 1 cup beef stock
• ½ cup fruit chutney (I use Mrs Balls from South Africa, but any fruit chutney will work)
• 1 cup white breadcrumbs (I have used Panko crumbs in the past and it works fine)
• ¼ cup raisins or sultanas
• 1 large carrot grated
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• 3 large eggs
• 1¼ cup full cream milk
• Vegetable oil for frying (About 1/4 cup)
• ---
• For the yellow rice
• 2½ cups basmati rice
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• ½ cup raisins or sultanas
• ½ cup slivered almonds (optional)
• 3 Tbsp butter
• ---
• For the salsa
• 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
• ½ red onion or 1 small red onion, finely diced
• Handful of chopped fresh coriander
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Method

1. For the Bobotie
2. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
3. Prepare a large ovenproof dish by spreading a little butter all over the bottom and sides.
4. Heat your oil and add 3 bay leaves and the diced onion. Fry until translucent and add your minced beef and cook until the mince has browned.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the salt, vinegar, sugar, water, turmeric and curry powder. Whisk well together and add to the mince.
6. Add the beef stock and bring the mix to a boil.
7. Add the fruit chutney, breadcrumbs and raisins/sultanas.
8. Add the almonds and grated carrot.
9. At this stage I remove the 3 original bay leaves from the mixture.
10. Pour into your prepared ovenproof dish and level out with the back of a spoon.
11. Now take your decorative bay leaves and slightly push them into the mince mixture.
12. Beat together the milk and eggs and pour over the mince mix.
13. Bake for 30 minutes or until the custard has set.
14. Remove from the oven and let it stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
15. For the yellow rice
16. In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the almonds.
17. Bring to a boil uncovered.
18. When it comes to a boil, add the almonds and mix.
19. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
20. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.
21. Keep warm until serving time
22. For the salsa
23. Simply add all the ingredients together and mix.
24. Keep refrigerated until serving time.