Beginner Guide to South African Custard

There is a special comfort in a properly made custard, forming the golden heart of some of South Africa’s most cherished traditional dishes. Whether you are baking a fragrant, cinnamon-dusted melktert for Sunday tea or pouring a savoury egg custard over a gently spiced bobotie, the technique remains wonderfully simple once you know the basics. The secret lies in gentle heat, patience, and understanding how eggs and milk transform into a velvety texture. This guide will show you how to master the stovetop custard base and the oven-baked topping, ensuring your traditional meals turn out perfectly set every single time without curdling or splitting.

What you need

• Fresh full-cream milk (500 millilitres)
• Large eggs (3 or 4, at room temperature)
• White sugar (50 grams for sweet, or a pinch for savoury)
• Maizena or cake flour (30 grams for thickening)
• Butter (15 grams for richness in sweet custards)
• A pinch of salt and ground cinnamon or bay leaves for infusion
• A sturdy heavy-bottomed saucepan
• A balloon whisk and a wooden spoon

Step by step

1. Measure your ingredients carefully and ensure your eggs are at room temperature so they incorporate smoothly into the warm mixture without shocking.
2. In a clean bowl, whisk together your eggs, sugar, and Maizena or flour until the mixture is pale, smooth, and completely free of lumps.
3. Pour your milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and warm it gently over medium-low heat until it is hot to the touch, but do not let it come to a rolling boil.
4. Temper the eggs by slowly pouring a small splash of the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly, which stops the eggs from scrambling.
5. Pour the warmed egg mixture back into the remaining milk in the saucepan, whisking vigorously to combine everything evenly.
6. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, making sure to scrape the bottom and corners of the pot so it does not catch.
7. Continue stirring until the custard thickens to a glossy, smooth consistency that coats the back of your spoon, then remove it immediately from the heat.
8. Stir in your butter and a pinch of salt until melted and glossy, then pour it straight into your prepared pastry crust for melktert or over your minced meat for bobotie.

Common mistakes

• Using high heat, which causes the eggs to scramble instantly and leaves you with lumpy, curdled custard.
• Skipping the tempering step, resulting in cooked bits of egg floating in your milk mixture.
• Not stirring constantly, allowing the bottom of the custard to burn and imparting a bitter taste to the whole pot.
• Adding flour or Maizena directly to hot liquid without mixing it with cold or room temperature ingredients first, leading to stubborn lumps.

Safety notes

Always keep a close watch on hot stoves and keep young children and pets safely away from the kitchen counter while you are working with boiling milk and hot pots. When preparing bobotie, ensure your minced meat filling is cooked right through before you pour the raw egg custard over the top and place the dish into the oven to bake.

Quick tips

Press a piece of cling film directly onto the surface of your cooling sweet custard to prevent a tough skin from forming on top. If your stovetop custard does develop a few small lumps despite your best efforts, simply push it through a fine mesh sieve while it is still hot to restore a completely smooth texture.