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South African Dinner

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Our friend just moved out of my condo into his own apartment and I want to celebrate his move by making him a special dinner. He is from South Africa and hasn't had traditional SA food for a long time. His mother makes certain things, but bc they had a maid, she doesn't execute meals very well. So I need some help coming up with a traditional, but possible menu and recipes for this occasion. I live on the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border and can get some special spices, but not many, so if there is a substitute for ingredients, please let me know. Also , because I am a product of the United States school system, the metric system was always threatened, but never enforced, so if possible, please limit the grams and milliliters...LOL! But if you must, I'll just look at a conversion table online. Thank you for your help!!!!

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  1. A colleague who is from So Africa gave me this recipe and it was delicious.

    2 thick slices brown bread
    18 oz milk
    2 large onions- diced
    1 tablespoon apricot jam
    1 teaspoon ground ginger
    2 eggs
    2.2 lbs. ground sirloin
    1 tablespoon curry powder
    3 + ounces raisins
    1 packet oxtail soup powder
    1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
    1 teaspoon Aromat (salty kind of spice)

    Soak bread in 1/2 of the milk
    Saute onions in small amount of oil until soft and brown
    Add curry, ginger, apricot jam, and raisins and stir.
    Add meat and cook.
    Add soup powder and bread and remove from heat..
    Whisk eggs and remaining milk with mustard and salt
    Add 1/2 egg mixture to meat and put in casserole dish
    Pour reaining egg mixture over meat and bake at 350 F for 40 min.
    Sprinkle with paprika.

    Yellow Rice

    2 cups water
    1 cup rice
    1 tsp turmeric
    1 stick cinnamon
    1/2 cup raisins

    Heat water for 6 minutes in microwave on high
    Add rice, turmeric, cinnamon stick and salt
    Cover and microwave 10-12 minutes on high
    Let stand 5 minutes and drain
    Remove cinnamon and stir in raisins
    Reheat at 80% power

    1. A couple who are friends of mine spend a lot of time in Botswana and recently gave their joint 40th birthday party with an African theme. They served ostrich steaks for the main course which was a real hit with all the 120 people there except my wife, so I ate hers! I'd never had it before, but it was really beautiful, with a texture like fillet steak and a flavour not unlike good quality lamb. It's rather expensive here in the UK though.

      1. If you can get ahold of the Moosewood international cookbook (I'm blanking on the actual title-- but you'll know it-- it has sections on cuisines from around the world) it has a pretty substantial list of SA recipes (all vegetarian though). I also have a recipe in a book called Cooking Under Wraps for Bobotie, an SA meat pie. Might be a good one available online.

        1. Bobotie has a long history in South African cuisine and is one of the national dishes. It is known in the area of South Africa since the 17th century and most likely has its roots in Indonesia and comes from the word Bobotok. Other sources place the origin in Malaysia. But it seems to be clear that Dutch settlers/companies brought this dish to the Cape of Good Hope.
          In old times the meat was often a mixture of mutton and pork, but today lamb or beef is mainly used. The dish is characterized by its balance of savory and sweet flavors which comes from dried fruits such as raisins or apricots. The addition of curry and chili powder, lime juice and almonds give this seemingly simple dish a surprising complexity. The dish is normally served with saffron rice and a fruity chutney. We served it also with some green beans and a nice cold beer.

          Recipe adapted from “Afrikanische Kueche” by Honos Verlag

          2 onions, finely diced
          3 garlic cloves, minced
          20 g (1 tbsp) butter
          2 tbsp Canola oil
          1 tbsp curry powder
          ¼ tsp turmeric
          ½ tsp chili powder
          1 kg (2.25 lb ground lamb)
          finely grated zest and juice of one lime
          100 g (4 oz) dried apricots, finely diced

          Preheat oven to 160 C/320 F.

          Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for 6-7 minutes until translucent. Add curry powder, turmeric, chili powder and salt. Remove from heat and let it cool for a few minutes.

          Mix ground lamb, cooled onion mixture, lime zest and juice, apricots, apple, Panko crumbs, milk, egg and almonds. Spoon mixture to a greased casserole and level the top. Cover casserole with aluminum foil and bake for one hour.

          Remove from oven and preheat oven to 210C/410F. Beat eggs with remaining milk and pour over lamb mixture and bake uncovered until cooked and browned for 20-25 minutes.

          Pictures of the final dish and different steps: http://twofoodiesonejourney.blogspot....