Beef Pastry Unbaked

DinnerMates’ cocktail bobotie pies are based on the Cape Town specialty and one of South Africa’s best-known dishes, consisting of pure, premium beef, mixed with chutney and tamarind paste. The dish’s origins go back to the mid-17th century, when the first Malay slaves were brought to the Cape of Good Hope, and with them, their cooking. At the same time Dutch colonizers brought a taste for sweet things—hence the golden raisins mixed in with the meat; Indian immigrants, who began arriving in the late 19th century, contributed warming curry spices, giving rise to the classically Cape Malay balancing act between sour, spicy, sweet, and savory flavors that makes bobotie so satisfying.

This traditional South African meal of mini vetkoek and curried mince makes a great alternative to the normal finger offering. Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, vetkoek are delicious when served filled with a spicy ground beef curry.