Pickling food of course lengthens its life span so to speak, therefore it's no wonder that pickles have been around for thousands of years.
Even though we have refrigerators and freezers today, pickling still is a great way of preserving excess fresh produce and of course adding that zing to fresh veggies and even fruit.
It is said that pickled cucumbers dates back to 2030 BC, when cucumbers were pickled in the Tigris Valley in India.
The word “pickle” comes from the Dutch pekel or northern German pókel, meaning “salt” or “brine,” two very important components in the pickling process.
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My absolute favourite pickled veg is Beetroot, and here is a spiced sweet and sour Beetroot I made a while back.
Not sure if I could call this a pickle, but here I used Brandy and a sugar syrup to preserve Apricots when they were in abundance; made a nice gift for that special friend; delicious served on vanilla Ice Cream.
However, today I will be using Sweet & Sour Hot Pickled Onions as a twist on the traditional South African dish called Bobotie, and serve it with a sweet & sour green Mango Pickle as well as a Peach Chutney.
The name of this dish, Bobotie, is said to have originated from the Malayan word boemboe which means curry spices; while others say it originated from the Indonesian dish called Bobotok; the latter however is nothing like the Bobotie first made by the Cape Malay people.
Spiced ground Lamb or Beef cooked with onion, garlic, ginger, curry spices, citrus leaves, dried fruit or chutney and almonds traditionally is used; the flavours are sealed in with a delicious baked egg custard topping.
Bobotie traditionally is served with yellow rice and sambals and is perfect for a cold winter's night.
I've incorporated halved sweetish hot pickled onions into my Bobotie and it really added an extra zing to this dish.
THE RECIPE
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1-2 Carrots, grated
- 750 gram ground Beef or Lamb
- 1 Tbsp Masala
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- Cinnamon stick
- Bay leaves
- 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
- 1 piece Ginger, grated
- Juice & rind of 1/2 Lemon
- 3 Tbsp Hot Chutney
- Fresh Citrus leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh Breadcrumbs
- Salt to taste
- Pickled Onions, halved
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 Eggs
Sautee onions & carrots in a little oil
Add ground meat and spices, stir till meat is browned.
Add remaining ingredients except pickled onions, milk & eggs and cook for about 10 min.
Spoon into ovenproof dish.
Arrange pickled onions in between meat.
Beat milk & eggs, adding salt to taste & pour over meat.
Bake for approx 30 min or till custard is set.
Serve with yellow rice, chutney or green mango pickles.
This has been my contribution for the exciting weekly @qurator foodie contest,
Qurator's: Hive Top Chef! | Pickled!
I do hope you enjoyed it, and thank you for popping into my kitchen :)
Original Content by @lizelle
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