If it contains curried beef, can we still call it pudding?
When I was growing up, my mother had two styles of meatloaf in her repertoire: the standard American type topped with ketchup, and a South African curried version called Babotie.
“Not the babotie!” My brother would yell whenever he saw it on the table. He refused to touch anything with curry on principle.
I was more willing to try something new, and I discovered that I loved the moist spiced beef with its blanket of creamy egg custard. Even now, when a giant block of baked meat casserole no longer appeals, I still love the taste of that South African curry: warm with spice without being spicy, just on the edge of sweet.
This South African Babotie Bread Pudding celebrates all those delicious flavors in a new way. It contains all the typical ingredients of the original dish—ground beef, onions, curry, raisins, lemon juice—but combines them differently to create a fresh take on the old classic. And with delicious results!
Rich cups of custardy challah, crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, dotted with pockets of chewy golden raisins and crunchy toasty almonds. Laced with warming curried spice and bursting with beef and onions, this bread pudding will soon become a new fall favorite. It’s perfect for a light lunch, savory brunch, holiday buffet table or, if you’re anything like me, a late-night snack!
Whether you usually stick to traditional flavors, or always look for something new, I hope you’ll try this bread pudding. Maybe it means taking a risk by playing with flavors outside your typical repertoire—when was the last time you cooked anything from South Africa?—but maybe that’s a good thing! It’s good to stretch ourselves, right? And anyway, with the promise of such a luscious, savory bread pudding as an incentive in this case, you really can’t lose.
Enjoy!
South African Babotie Bread Pudding
(Makes 12)
¼ cup slivered or chopped almonds
1 ½ tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1 ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
1 clove garlic, diced
2 tsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ pound ground beef
½ tsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
4 eggs, beaten to blend
2 cups milk (2 % or whole)
6 cups cubed white bread (brioche or challah is best), left out to stale overnight
¼ cup golden raisins
Special equipment: baking sheet, muffin tin, muffin liners.
Method
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spread almonds out on a large baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly brown and smelling toasty. Watch closely—they will burn easier since they are already chopped!
Heat a metal pan on the stove over medium heat. Melt the butter, add onion and ½ tsp kosher salt, and cook until onions are softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, curry powder, and turmeric, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef, stirring to break up, and cook until brown. Reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated, but don’t dry it out! Turn off the heat and stir in sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Let cool slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together beaten eggs, milk, and remaining salt. Fold in ground beef mixture, cubed bread, raisins, and almonds and toss lightly to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so the bread can absorb some of the soaking liquid.
Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
Gently toss bread mixture again to make sure there are no dry spots, then spoon into prepared muffin tin. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until the tops are crispy and the middles of the cups are set.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the tins. Serve warm.
Originally posted October 24, 2020.
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