

Babotie is a surprisingly and elegant casserole that is so diffused in South Africa that it has become the country’s national dish. Traditionally, it would take 1 to 1 1/2 hours to prepare by baking in the oven. But you can have this dish ready in 30 minutes – including the grill finish.When writing a recipe that’s new to me too, like this South African dish, I read and research hundreds of recipes. Everyone seems to have their own, personalized version. So, to come up with my own I look for the common thread in all of the recipes to determine the base, and then garnish with a selection of ingredients that seem to go well together but would not be out of place in this region. Reading so many recipes, also helps me come up with suggested ingredient substitutions. Then, even if a pressure cooker version exists, I translate it to the pressure cooker myself from the original or base recipe to make sure that it’s as close to the original as possible (but faster). In the case of the South African Babotie, no pressure cooker version exists so I proudly present you another “first”!

Serve with “Yellow Rice” which is a fluffy (white rice spiced with turmeric, sugar, cinnamon and raisins); and fresh slices of tropical fruit (mango, papaya, etc.), a refreshing salad or a good helping of Chutney.

I strongly encourage my South African readers to comment to share their Babotie version!

Use any heat proof round casserole that will fit in your pressure cooker. In my case, I used a Pyrex Souffle’ dish – after careful measuring and several trips to the store I was confident enough that it would fit in my pressure cooker to buy it. I suggest you do the same when adding to your pressure cooker accessory menagerie (but don’t overlook your own kitchen cupboards since you may have the perfect ceramic dish hiding in plain sight!)

Pressure Cooker Accessories Pr. Cook Time Pr. Level Open 5L or larger steamer basket, heat-proof bowl 15 and 3 min. High (2) Normal