South African meat pie, more popularly known as bobotie.- Contributed

Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

Popular foods in modern South Africa are chicken, limes, garlic, ginger, chili, tomatoes, onions and many spices. South Africa was settled from the 17th Century onwards by colonists from The Netherlands, Germany and France, and later by arrivals from the British Isles.

These colonists brought European cookery styles with them. Bobotie, a dish of Malay descent, is like meat loaf with raisins and with baked egg on top, and is often served with yellow rice, sambals, coconut, banana slices, and chutney.

Bangladesh

The cuisine of Bangladesh has considerable regional variations. A staple across the country however is rice and dhal (sometimes written as dal). Dhal is a preparation of pulses which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split, as well as a thick, spicy stew prepared therefrom, a mainstay of Indian and Pakistani cuisine.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org

BOBOTIE

INGREDIENTS

2 tbs. vegetable oil

2 onions, peeled and sliced

2 1/4 pounds good quality lean ground beef

1 thick slice of white bread

1 cup milk

1 tbs. medium curry powder (or hot for the hale and brave)

1 1/2 tbs. sugar

2 tsp. salt

freshly grated pepper (about a half teaspoon)

3/4 tsp. turmeric

1 1/2 tsp malt vinegar

1/2 seedless raisins

2 tablespoons strong chutney

2 bay leaves (or fresh lemon leaves if available)

2 medium eggs

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Heat oil in medium saut pan. Stir in onions.

3. Cook over medium heat until transparent.

4. Add ground beef. Cook until lightly browned and crumbly.

5. Soak bread in half the milk, squeeze out excess milk and mash with a fork - Don't toss squeezed out milk! Pour it straight back into remaining milk and set milk aside.

6. Add curry, sugar, salt, pepper, turmeric, vinegar, raisins and chutney to the beef mixture.

7. Spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish, and place bay leaves on top.

8. Bake for 50-60 minutes in preheated 350F oven.

9. Beat egg with remaining milk and pour over mixture approximately 25-30 minutes before end of baking time.

Serve with steamed rice (traditionally yellow!) and extra chutney.

DHAL

INGREDIENTS

2 cups masoor dhal

1 1/2 tsp. garam masala

1 1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup oil

1 1/2 onions, chopped

1 head garlic, separated, chopped

1 (1-inch piece) ginger root, chopped

2 jalapeno chiles, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch coriander, chopped

Water

Preparation

1. Rinse masoor dhal thoroughly, until water is clear. In pot bring 1 quart water to boil. Add masoor dhal.

2. Cook half-way, about 10 to 15 minutes, add half teaspoon garam masala, half teaspoon turmeric and salt. As masoor dhal cooks, uncovered, water will evaporate and mixture will thicken.

3. Add more water to keep dhal loose, like texture of thick cream. When dhal is soft, turn off heat. Heat oil in wok. When oil is very hot, add onions and cook until tender and translucent but not browned.

4. Add garlic, ginger and chilis. Continue to fry until onions are deep-yellow. Add remaining one teaspoon each garam masala and turmeric.

5. Do not allow spices to burn. Keep stirring until mixture starts to stick. Add tomatoes and cilantro. Cook until tomato softens.

6. Pour in pot of masoor dhal and simmer to blend flavours. Taste and add more salt if needed.

www.inmamaskitchen.com and www.indianfoodforever.com