Tags
barbeque, BBQ, braai, cape malay, Chicken, curry, kebabs, skewered foods, sosaties, traditional food
Sosaties are one of the great traditional South African braai (barbeque) foods of all time. Sosaties are not just any old kebabs. They’re usually lamb meat on skewers, marinated in a distinctive aromatic Cape Malay-style sauce. The term derives from sate (“skewered meat”) and saus (spicy sauce). There are a few variations to the sosatie marinade, but most at least include apricot jam, curry powder and onions. The combination of fruit and curry flavors is something you’ll see often in Cape Malay recipes, like the classic bobotie, and give such delicious results.
Today, I have decided to do a chicken sosatie. See Lamb sosaties for my lamb sosatie recipe.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut up into large cubes
1 large green pepper
1 onion
12 dried yet plump apricots
marinade:
3 small onions, diced
1-2 small chili peppers or ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons/ 30 g curry powder (depends on the strength)
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander/cilantro
10 dried apricots, cut into tiny pieces
175 ml/ ¾ cup apricot jam
50 g / ¼ cup light brown sugar
150 ml / ⅔ cup white wine vinegar
300 ml / 1¼ cup water
Method:
Peel and dice the onions
Cut up the peppers finely
Heat the oil over medium heat, add the onions and chili and cook until just translucent
Add the curry, turmeric, bay leaves, ginger and coriander and allow to cook for a minute
Add the apricots and all the remaining ingredients and leave to simmer about 15 minutes
Remove from heat and allow to cool completely, about 3 hours
When cool, add the marinade to the meat and place in the refrigerator for about 24 hours ideally (minimum 4 hours)
Now cut the peppers and onions to the same size as the meat cubes
When ready to grill, thread four meat pieces alternating with green pepper, onion and apricot to make a sosatie
Remember to soak the skewers first if you are using wooden ones so that they do not burn
Heat the BBQ to about 250°C/500°F
Cook the kebabs about 10 to 15 minutes
Turn several times to make the edges golden, basting with the marinade
Enjoy! Lekker eet! Bon Appetit!
Wine suggestion: Viognier or Chenin Blanc go well with this spicy dish but if you prefer a red, Shiraz or Grenache are equally good choices
A bredie is a type of stew, slowly simmered for several hours and its seasonings include cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, cloves as well as chilli. The type of vegetable used gives it its name, so tomato bredie would be a tomato stew, but it would include a meat as well, in this case, usually lamb. A few common ones are: green pea bredie, green bean bredie, cabbage and sweet turnip, waterblommetjie (Cape water lilly), carrot and turnip, brown lentil, pumpkin and many others. Bredies are eaten as everyday family meals with a variety of ingredients used and always deliciously spiced. It is actually of Dutch origin. Bredie is the Afrikaans word for stew, but it is a word of Malaysian origin. This form of cooking was first introduced to the Cape by Malays, who were brought to the then colony in most cases as slaves. The word bredie referred to oriental spinach originally.
Serves 6