They say the fastest way to a person’s heart is through their stomach – and that’s definitely true in the case of this delicious bobotie recipe! Check out the full recipe below and cook up the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner date to delight and surprise that special someone in your life.

You’ll need:

• 3 slices of bread
• 5 cups milk
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions (diced)
• 4 tsp curry powder (or bobotie mix from your nearest spice store)
• 1 tsp dried herbs (to taste)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 700g ground beef
• ½ cup fruit chutney
• 1 tbsp apricot jam
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tsp tomato paste
• 2 large eggs
• 4 bay leaves

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 180°C and soak the bread in 1 cup of milk. Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium, then add the onions and cook until soft. Add the curry powder, herbs, cumin, turmeric and garlic, stirring constantly until garlic is soft. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up any big chunks while stirring.

Once the beef is browned, remove from heat and stir in the chutney, apricot jam, lemon zest, half the lemon juice, and tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper before mixing well. Squeeze the milk from the bread and tear it into small pieces, then mix into the beef mixture. Spread the beef mixture evenly into an oven-proof dish.

Finally, add the remaining milk and the milk you squeezed from the bread together in a bowl. Beat in the eggs and season with a little salt and pepper, to taste. Pour this mixture over the meat and scatter the bay leaves on top. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.