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Swazi Babotie

Swazi Babotie is a traditional eSwatini (Swaziland) recipe for a classic South African inspired spiced goat meat meatloaf that's finished by baking with a topping of spiced custard. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic eSwatini version of: Swazi Babotie.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

60 minutes

Total Time:

80 minutes

Serves:

6–8

Rating:

Tags : Spice RecipesHerb RecipesGame RecipesBread RecipesVegetable RecipesMilk RecipesBaking RecipesEswatini Recipes

Babotie is the classic South African curried custard-based meatloaf, essentially minced and spiced meat cooked in a savoury custard that has been known in Southern Africa since the seventeenth century. Boer settlers carried the dish all over southern Africa and it became a part of the cuisine as far north as Kenya.

This particular version, made with goat meat or mutton comes from Swaziland.

Ingredients:

1kg minced goat meat or mutton
1 thick slice of bread, crusts removed
200ml goat milk
2 eggs
100g margarine
20ml lemon juice
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp blanched peanuts, finely chopped
6 fresh orange leaves (or bayleaves)

Method:

Place the bread in a dish, pour over the milk and set aside to soak.

Melt the margarine in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for about 2 minutes or until the onion has just softened. Scatter over the curry powder and the remaining spices (except the cumin seeds).

Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more then drain the milk from the bread (reserve the milk) and crumble the soaked bread into a bowl. Stir in the mince then add the spiced onion mix and stir to combine.

Now mix in the lemon juice, salt and peanuts. Grease a baking dish very well and scatter the cumin seeds into the base. Turn the meat mixture into this and pack down well. Level the surface then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170°C and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top of the meatloaf begins to colour.

Remove from the oven then beat together the reserved milk and eggs to form a custard. Pour this over the meat. Roll the orange leaves into cylinders and insert these into the meat so that only the tops of the leaves poke up above the custard.

Return to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes more, or until the custard is just set.

Serve warm