The recipes in Volume 7 of JAN the Journal have been inspired by each of the JAN destinations. With each course, you will find a classic recipe and its innovated version, meaning you can choose what you want to make – and how far you want to go – in creating your experience, whether it’s a light lunch or a ten-course meal.
LAMB BOBOTIE WITH YELLOW RICE
TIME: 4 hours | SERVES: 6
Although the presentation might not put you in mind of a traditional dish, this bobotie is made the old-fashioned way. It used to be that whenever you had leg of lamb for your Sunday lunch – a regular feature around South African tables in the past – the leftovers would find their way into your bobotie the next night. Over the decades, though, bobotie became a cultural institution, no longer content with being considered Monday night’s leftover food.
for the bobotie
olive oil
1 x 2,3 kg leg of lamb (on the bone)
juice of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 slices seed loaf
250 ml milk
20 ml canola oil
2 onions, halved and sliced
50 ml smooth apricot jam
25 ml mild curry powder
15 ml ground turmeric
20 ml ground coriander
20 ml ground cumin
2 ml ground ginger
5 ml ground cinnamon
bay leaves
3 eggs
300 ml milk
for the yellow rice
375 ml Spekko Saman White
Long Grain Rice
1 litre water
5 ml salt
10 ml turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
125 ml raisins
15 ml butter
for the bobotie
Heat the oven to 180 °C. Drizzle some olive oil in an oven dish . Place the leg of lamb in the dish and drizzle some more olive oil over the me at. Pour the lemon juice over and season with salt and pepper.
Cover with foil and place in the oven for at least 2 – 3 hours. The meat must fall off the bone. Place the bread in a bowl and pour over the milk. Let it soak until soft then mash the bread into the milk with a fork. Heat the canola oil over a low heat in a frying pan. Add the onions and fry until soft and golden brown. Add the apricot jam and stir until jam has melted, then keep to one side until cooled.
Once the lamb has cooled a little, remove the meat from the bon e. Cut or pull the meat into small pieces and place it in a large mixing bowl. Add the curry powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Add the soaked bread and fried onions. Mix well and spoon the mixture into a large oven dish. Arrange the bay leaves on top. Whisk the eggs and milk together and pour over the meat. Place in the oven and bake for 45 – 50 minutes.
for the yellow rice
Place the rice, water, salt, turmeric and cinnamon in a large pot. Bring to the boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the raisins and butter and let it rest off the heat for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.
Serve the bobotie with the yellow rice, sambal and poppadum.
BOBOTIE WITH RICE CRISPS AND SULTANA PURÉE
TIME: 4 – 5 hours | SERVES: 6 – 8
To elevate the traditional bobotie, every element has been given its own moment to shine. The striped omelette hides the meaty filling for a welcome surprise, while the rice crisps on top replace the traditional poppadum for crunch.
for the bobotie
1 x 2 kg leg of lamb (on the bone)
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
5 ml cumin seeds
5 ml ground coriander
2,5 ml turmeric
10 ml curry powder
125 ml chutney
50 ml olive oil
6 eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the sultana purée
100 g sultanas
50 ml white wine vinegar
500 ml chicken stock
for the deep-fried vermicelli rice noodles
750 ml vegetable oil, for deep frying
50 g vermicelli rice noodles
salt
for the deep-fried curry leaves
10 g curry leaves
for the bobotie
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Place the leg of lamb in a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and cover with foil . Place in the oven for 2 – 3 hours, until the meat is super soft and falling off t he bone. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove the lamb from the roasting tray and keep the tray with the meat juices to one side. Remove meat from the bone and shred the meat. Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan and add the onions.
Sauté until soft and translucent. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, turmeric, curry powder and tomato paste. Mix well and let it cook over low heat for 2 minutes, keep stirring as you do not want the spices to burn. Add the meat juices that you kept to one side and reduce the mixture by half. Add the chutney and the shredded lamb. Season with salt and pepper. Press the meat into a tall ring mould. Separate the eggs and lightly beat the egg yolks. Lightly beat the egg whites. Heat a medium-sized non-stick pan over a low heat. Pour half of the beaten egg yolks into the pan and cook until set. Remove and repeat with the remaining egg yolks. Cut the egg yolk omelettes into 5 mm strips. Pour half of the egg whites in the pan and cook over a low heat. Place the e gg yolk strips on top of the raw egg whites, 5 mm apart. This will form the stripes. Leave to cook over a low heat, and once it is cooked, gently remove it from the pan and repeat the process with the remaining egg yolk strips and egg whites.
for the sultana purée
Place the sultanas and white wine vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat and allow the vinegar to cook out. Add the chicken stock and cook for 20 minutes until the sultanas are plump. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth.
for the deep-fried vermicelli rice noodles
Pour the oil into a heavy-based saucepan and place over a medium heat. Heat the oil to 200 °C. Carefully drop the vermicelli rice noodles into the hot oil and deep-fry for 30 seconds until the noodles are white and puffed up. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen towel. Season with salt.
for the dee-fried curry leaves
Use the same oil you used to fry the noodles and heat the oil to 180 °C. Carefully place the leaves into the hot oil and fry for 30 – 45 seconds. Drain on kitchen towel.
to assemble
Remove the ring mould from the lamb and trim the striped omelette to be the same height as the lamb. Spread the purée onto the omelettes. Wrap the lamb in the omelette. Place the deep-fried vermicelli noodles on top of the lamb and garnish with the deep-fried curry leaves.
