If meatballs, gravy, and rice (just get a rice cooker!) feel like too much of a hassle, then might we suggest the South African style savory mince on toast, with some shredded cheese on top for good measure. Let’s dig in with our recipe, perfect for the amateur home cook. The whole process should take about 30 to 40 minutes for a home cook.
Savory Mince Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for our savory mince can be bought in any store. The exceptions might be the Bisto gravy powder and Sambal Olek.
If these aren’t available, any meat-based gravy will do just fine, and anything you like to add some spice up the mix, such as a tiny bit of cayenne powder.
- One big carrot (finely chopped)
- A few cloves of garlic. (Use our guide to prepare fresh garlic at home.)
- One onion (finely chopped)
- 1kg (or a bit more) of Minced meat (75/25 vat ratio recommended)
- Salt and ground black pepper.
- Bisto gravy powder (4tbsp)
- Sambal Olek chilli (1 tsp)
Instructions For South African Savory Mince
We’ve made the process as easy as possible for any home cook.
There are no chef-like moves required, no fancy tricks—just simple cooking.
- Heat up a pan (medium/high)
- Drop in some oil (vegetable or peanut oil. Can also do olive oil if you really want).
- Stir for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add some salt and pepper while you are stirring.
- Add in your minced meat.
- As the mince cooks, break it up with your spatula until no big clumps are left. Salt again at this point (2 to 3 tsp)
- While the meat cooks, add 4 tbsp Bisto gravy powder to cold water (350ml) and stir until dissolved.
- Add Bisto gravy mixture.
- Stir thoroughly for five minutes.
- Add Sambal Olek chilli (1 tsp) – If you don’t have this, any tiny bit of spice such as a chilli powder of flakes will do just fine.
- Stir well for another five minutes.
- Let it simmer for another five minutes until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and add any salt or black pepper if needed.
Your last two steps are as simple as they come. Just toast some bread slices in your toaster, add your savory mince on top of the toast, and some grated cheese. We prefer a sharp cheddar, but any cheese will do the trick.
Serving Suggestion: If you want to be fancy about it, you can also head up a pan, drop in some salted baking butter, and toast your bread slices that way. You can go a step further and even use sourdough bread if you want to dine like a king.
We know that not everyone loves reading through a bunch of content. That’s why we also have a visual guide to share, in the form of an in-depth video, showcasing all the steps and instructions to make the South African savory mince recipe. Check it out below.
We hope you enjoyed this no-nonsense recipe and guide; you’ll definitely love consuming this one!
If you’ve followed this recipe, we’d like to hear your thoughts. Send me an email directly via wessel@eatsandsleeps.com and share your experience, excitement, criticism, some photos, or anything in between.
