Vegan Lentil Bobotie
Bobotie is regarded as one of South Africa's national dishes. It is usually made with beef, lamb, or a mixture of meats. It is however possible to completely make this dish vegan-friendly to make a protein-packed plant-based version.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 10 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- To make the green lentil bobotie filling
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 heaped tablespoon mild curry powder
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 cup of green lentils (rinsed first)
- 2 heaped tablespoons of jam or chutney like Mrs Ball's Chutney
- 450 ml vegetable stock
- 450 ml water
- A good handful of raisins or a loose 1/2 cup
- 2 slices of bread pre-soaked in almond milk
- To make the vegan custard topping
- 750 ml Almond milk
- 3 tablespoons of Bird's custard powder
- 5 to 6 bay leaves for the top
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower margarine/ vegan spread to make it glisten
Instructions
- 1
1. Fry the onions, garlic and ginger in vegetable oil. Add the cinnamon stick, curry powder and ground coriander to the pan and allow to temper and become fragrant for about 30 seconds.
- 2
2. Rinse the green lentils then add then to the pan followed by the 2 heaped tablespoons of jam. Add the vegetable stock and water, bring to the boil then simmer for 40 minutes.
- 3
3. While this is simmering, soak 2 slices of bread in some almond milk. Add the soaked bread and the raisins to the bobotie once the lentils are cooked through. Work the soaked bread into the bobotie till smooth.
- 4
4. Make the custard by following the instructions on the Bird's custard pack and simmer until ready to use. Place the lentil mixture into a square or round baking dish. Top with the vegan custard.
- 5
5. Arrange 5 to 6 bay leaves on top. Melt and pour over the vegetable margerine/ vegan spread to make it glisten and bake at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
- 6
The aroma from the bay leaves will infuse into the custard and fill the room. Serve with rice.