South African · Cape Malay · main

Bobotie with Yellow Rice

Name: Bobotie with Yellow Rice
Prep time: 1 h 34 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Cuisine: South African · Cape Malay
Ingredients: ground beef — 1000 g; bread — 80 g; regular milk — 250 g; sunflower oil — 41 g; onions — 220 g; garlic — 12 g; curry powder — 20 g; turmeric — 10 g; apricot preserves — 30 g; wine vinegar — 30 g; seedless raisin — 75 g; salt — 10 g; fresh lemon leaves — 3 g; eggs — 300 g; long-grain white rice — 400 g; cinnamon — 2 g

Bobotie with Yellow Rice reads umami 5.4, sweetness 5.1 and richness 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a South African · Cape Malay main, about 1 hr 35 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.0 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 6.4 / 10
Sour & Bright — 4.0 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.9 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.3 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 5.4 · Sweetness 5.1 · Richness 4.9 · Fruity 4.3 · Sourness 4.0 · Allium 3.9 · Salinity 3.6 · Warm Spice 2.3 · Funk & Ferment 1.8 · Earthy 1.7 · Nutty 1.6 · Bitterness 1.2 · Floral 1.1 · Herbaceous 0.8 · Heat 0.7

What's in it (16)

ground beef — 1000 g
bread — 80 g
regular milk — 250 g
sunflower oil — 41 g
onions — 220 g
garlic — 12 g
curry powder — 20 g
turmeric — 10 g
apricot preserves — 30 g
wine vinegar — 30 g
seedless raisin — 75 g
salt — 10 g
fresh lemon leaves — 3 g
eggs — 300 g
long-grain white rice — 400 g
cinnamon — 2 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 35 min (1 hr 34 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 238.9 kcal, 14 g protein, 9.5 g fat, 24.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

Tear the bread into a shallow bowl and pour over 125 ml (1/2 cup) of the milk. Leave to soak 10 minutes, then squeeze the bread out and reserve both the bread and the milk.
Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and cook the onions 8 minutes, until soft and just golden at the edges.
Add the garlic, curry powder and 5 ml (1 tsp) of the turmeric and stir 1 minute over medium heat, until the spices smell toasted rather than raw.
Raise the heat to medium-high, add the mince and cook 8 minutes, breaking up the lumps, until no pink remains.
Lower the heat and stir in the apricot jam, vinegar, raisins, salt and the squeezed bread. Simmer 5 minutes, then taste: the mixture should be sweet, sour and salty all at once.
Pack the mixture into a buttered 25 cm ovenproof dish and press it level. Tuck the lemon leaves upright into the surface.
Whisk the eggs with the reserved soaking milk and the remaining 125 ml (1/2 cup) milk, then pour it evenly over the meat.
Bake 45 minutes at 180 C / 350 F, until the custard is set and lightly freckled brown. Rest 10 minutes before cutting.
For the yellow rice, bring 1 litre of salted water to the boil with the remaining 5 ml (1 tsp) turmeric and the cinnamon stick, add the rice and boil 18 minutes until tender. Drain and fluff.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Paksiw Na Pata (Braised Pork Hocks) — Filipino
Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Onions — American
Asado Negro — Venezuelan
Kofta-Spiced Beef and Rice Stuffed Zucchini — Middle Eastern
Pašticada (Marinated Beef Braised in Prošek and Figs) — Croatian

Keep reading: what umami, sweetness, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.