A true Vegan~ Bobotie

Story of a true Vegan~

When you hear about a meat rich dish but the flavors sound really appealing to you and the techniques seem like a must try at least once kinda of deal...you start researching... you research high and low to find the right substitutes and combinations that will work for your new vegan dish.
One such experiment lead me to making a purely vegan version of the South African national dish called Bobotie.

The authentic Bobotie is made with curried lamb or chicken mince and topped with an egg custard and then baked for a few minutes. The flavor components and spice ingredients were so tempting, I had to give this a vegan twist!
So here's my original recipe as a vegan treat for Bobotie!

For the filling~
1 cup sprouted moong or 1 cup soaked soya granules (drained)
1 red onion finely chopped
1 cup tomato puree
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 bay leaf
4-5 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
Handful of sultanas or raisins
1/2 tsp finely chopped ginger
2-3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Water as required

For the custard
1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
3/4 cup almond milk or soy milk
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tap chilli powder
Salt to taste

For garnish
Almond cream or vegan cream
Few bay leaves
Skinned almonds
Cilantro and Parsley

Heat a pan, add oil, add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, onion and sauté until translucent. Add dry powders except salt and mix well. Add tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes with a little water. Add raisins and sprouts. Cook until sprouts are tender but not fully cooked. Add salt to taste. The filling should not be too dry as it needs to go into the oven for a few minutes.

To make the custard, mix all the ingredients and keep aside.

Heat oven at 180c. In a bakeware layer the filling to the bottom of the pan. Pour custard on top of filling. Garnish with bay leaf, almonds and vegan cream. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the custard is thick and forms a cake like covering over the filling.

Let it rest, cut into wedges and serve with yellow rice. I served it with white bread and it equally tasted good.

Hope you try this recipe. Do leave your comments and feedback if you would like to see more such altered vegan recipes!