Vegetarian Bobotie (With Lentils)

Baked dish of vegetarian lentil bobotie with two bay leaves on top and dish of chutney behind.

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Vegetarian Bobotie (With Lentils)

Flavour packed vegetarian lentil bobotie is an easy-to-make dinner that everyone will enjoy. It's made with fragrant curry spices, sweet fruit and a creamy egg custard topping. This comforting South African-inspired oven-baked dish is a something of a cross between a British cottage pie and a Greek moussaka - only spicier and fruitier.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Soaking Time2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: South African

Keyword: curry, lentils, yoghurt

Servings: people

Calories: 648kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Equipment

1 round gratin dish (20cm, 8 inch) (affiliate link) optional

Ingredients

120 g whole brown lentils dried
1 slice wholemeal bread
75 ml milk
2 tbsp sunflower oil or other neutral tasting oil
1 onion sliced
1 clove garlic grated or crushed
2 tsp madras curry powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp herbes de Provence or mixed dried herbs of choice
6 allspice berry crushed, or ½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp sea or rock salt
2 tbsp chutney mango is good or try my apple chutney
25 g sultanas 2 tbsp
1 tbsp tamari (affiliate link) or your preferred soy sauce
25 g walnuts (6-7 halves) - toasted then finely chopped
1 egg
150 g natural yoghurt
3 bay leaves
1 pinch sea or rock salt
good grinding of black pepper

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Soak the lentils in water for at least two hours or hot water for an hour. The bread also needs to soak in the milk. How long it needs will depend on the softness of the bread, but an hour or so should do it.
120 g whole brown lentils, 1 slice wholemeal bread, 75 ml milk
Drain and rinse the lentils well then drain again.
Place the lentils in a small saucepan and pour in just enough fresh water to cover them. Add one of the bay leaves and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and reduce the lentils to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until they're just about tender, but still retaining their shape.
Meanwhile, in a medium sized saucepan, fry the onion slices in the oil over a moderate heat until softened.
2 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 onion
Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
Add the garlic, salt, herbs and all of the spices and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
1 clove garlic, 2 tsp madras curry powder, 1 tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp herbes de Provence, 6 allspice berry, ½ tsp sea or rock salt
The lentils should have soaked up all of the water, but if not, drain off any excess. Remove the bay leaf, then add the lentils to the pan of onions along with the sultanas, chutney and tamari. Give a good stir.
2 tbsp chutney, 25 g sultanas, 1 tbsp tamari (affiliate link)
Break up the soaked bread with your hands and add that to the pan. Retain any leftover milk. Give another good stir and let the mix cook through for a minute or two.
Add the walnuts, stir then transfer the lentils to a small to medium sized shallow baking dish - a gratin dish is ideal.
25 g walnuts
Beat any leftover milk from the bread with the eggs and yoghurt. Add the salt and pepper and beat again. Pour this over the top of the lentils. Place the remaining two bay leaves on top of the custard.
1 egg, 150 g natural yoghurt, 3 bay leaves, 1 pinch sea or rock salt, good grinding of black pepper
Bake on the middle shelf of your oven for 25 minutes.
Serve straight away with yellow rice and chutney for a traditional South African meal. Alternatively, serve with plain brown rice and some sort of greens.

Notes

Double, triple or quadruple the quantities, depending on how many people you have to feed. Just use a larger appropriate sized dish.

You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.

Nutrition