CBD Bobotie — SA curried mince with custard top, CBD-infused

INGREDIENTS

What you'll need

• 500 g lean lamb or beef mince
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 thumb fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp mild curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 slice white bread, soaked in 100 ml milk and squeezed
• 2 tbsp fruit chutney (Mrs Ball's or similar)
• 1 tbsp apricot jam
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 40 g sultanas
• 40 g flaked almonds
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 30 mg CBD oil (adjust for your bottle strength) — stirred into the mince mixture off-heat
• Custard top:
• 2 large eggs
• 200 ml milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 fresh bay leaves

METHOD

How to make it

1. STEP 1

   Sweat the aromatics

   Heat oil in a heavy pan. Cook onion 10 minutes until very soft. Add garlic, ginger and spices, cook 1 minute until fragrant.

2. STEP 2

   Brown the mince

   Add the mince. Break up with a fork and cook 8–10 minutes until no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.

3. STEP 3

   Build the mixture

   Stir in the soaked bread, chutney, jam, lemon juice, sultanas and half the almonds. Season. Cook 2 minutes to bring together. Remove from heat.

4. STEP 4

   Add CBD off-heat

   Wait 5 minutes for the mixture to drop below simmer temperature. Drizzle in the CBD oil and stir thoroughly so the dose is evenly distributed across the dish.

5. STEP 5

   Transfer and pre-bake

   Spoon the mince mixture into a buttered ovenproof dish, pressing flat. Sprinkle the remaining almonds. Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes.

6. STEP 6

   Add custard and finish

   Whisk eggs, milk and salt. Pour evenly over the part-baked mince. Lay the bay leaves on top. Return to the oven for 25–30 minutes until the custard is set and golden. Rest 5 minutes before serving with yellow rice and sambals.

FAQ

Common questions

The recipe says CBD goes in off-heat — but the dish bakes for 40 more minutes. Doesn't that degrade the CBD?

Once spread thinly under a custard cap at 180°C oven temperature, the mince layer itself stays around 90–100°C — well below the temperature that meaningfully degrades CBD over a 30-minute window. The early stirring step is what matters; pre-mince-cooking heat would be the destructive phase.

Can I substitute the mince?

Yes — lentils + finely chopped mushrooms work well for a vegetarian version. The CBD step is identical: stir into the cooked filling off-heat.