South African Bobotie Vetkoek
A traditional South African fried dough that's filled with another South African favourite, Bobotie, which is a deliciously curried mince.
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Servings: 8 vetkoeke
Ingredients
Vetkoek
- 500 g all-purpose flour extra for dusting
- ½ teaspoon dry instant yeast
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 375 ml water lukewarm
- Vegetable oil for frying
Bobotie
- 2 slices white bread
- 120 ml milk lukewarm
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large white onions
- 1 tsp fresh ginger finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely diced
- 1 kg beef mince
- 2 medium dried bay leaves
- 2 tbsp mild curry powder
- ¼ tsp ground all spice
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 3 tbsp seedless raisins
- ½ cup apricot chutney
- Juice form 1/2 a lemon
- Salt to taste
Egg Topping
- 2 large eggs
- 300 ml milk
- 6 dried bay leaves
Instructions
Spiced Mince Filling
- Preheat the oven to 180℃/160℃ fan/gas 4/355℉. Pour 120ml milk over the bread and mix until well combined. Set aside to soak.
- Meanwhile, fry the onions in the oil until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, 2 bay leaves and beef mince and stir well, crushing the mince into fine grains until it changes colour.
- Add in the mild curry powder, all-spice, cloves, white pepper, dried mixed herbs, raisins, apricot chutney, turmeric and 2 of the bay leaves. Mix until well combined. Add 1/2 cup water and juice from half a lemon (This is optional and depends on if you'd like to add a touch of acidity to the dish). Cook for around 5mins. I added about 1/2 tsp of salt when grinding the all-spice and cloves but you are able to salt to taste in the next step.
- Remove the mince mixture from the heat as well as the bay leaves. Add in the soaked bread and stir until well combined and season generously but according to your preference.
- Spread the mixture evenly into your ovenproof dish, ensuring it's firmly pressed down and even on top.
Egg Topping
- In a small bowl whisk together 2 large whole eggs and 300ml whole milk. Pour the mixture over the mince. Garnish with about 6 bay leaves, depending on the size dish you're using and bake for 50 minutes to an 1 hour or until the top is golden brown in colour.
- The bobotie can be served immediately. Serve with turmeric rice, simple a tomato-onion salsa/salad and another dollop of the chutney - enjoy tastebuds!
Vetkoek
- Add the flour, salt, sugar and yeast to a large mixing bowl and mix.
- Once mixed, add the lukewarm water and mix until just combined. Tip onto a clean working surface and knead for about 10mins. Use additional flour to bring the wet dough together - I used about 1/4 of additional flour but this might not be the case for you. Just be mindful of the fact that you don't want the dough to be dry so don't add too much flour.
- Place the kneaded dough in an oiled bowl and cover with clingwrap. Place in a warm area for about an hour or until it has doubled in sized. This would be the perfect time to make the curried mince if you are making one.
- Section the risen dough into 8 equal sections. Shape into balls and set aside on an oiled baking tray and cover with a clean cloth.
- Add enough oil to a large saucepan for a shallow fry. Bring the oil to a medium heat. When the oil has reached 200 degrees celsius you're good to go. Note: You can fry the balls as is or you can create a folded fried dough, depends on your preference.
- Folded style, coat a ball of dough in oil and place on a clean working surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1-2cm thickness. Oil half of the dough and fold close. Gently drop the dough in the hot oil and using a steel drain utensil to press the dough down while it fries as you don't want it to puff up too much. Fry for 3 minutes per side, continuing to apply some pressure to the dough. Notes: fry about 1-2 at a time.Traditional balls, slightly flatten the dough and gently drop in the hot oil. Fry on one side or until golden brown, flip and continue frying, about 3 minutes per side. Note: Fry about 2-4 at a time.
- Place the cooked vetkoek on a tray lined with kitchen towels. Stuff with the bobotie filling and serve immediately.