Sosaties… kebabs… call it what you want – it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that sosaties are delicious and South Africans can’t help but love them. Back home in SA, you’re probably used to calling them “sosaties” whereas any foreign country would probably call them “kebabs”. Whether you have your own secret sosatie recipe or are open to new ideas, you can put just about anything on a kebab, slap it on the braai, and end up with a delectable treat – everyone knows that.

 

The History of Sosaties

Where does the sosatie actually come from? In fact, sosatie is an Afrikaans word. The dish has been in South African culture for decades, thanks to the Cape Malays. The term derives from “sate” which means “skewered meat” and “saus” which means “spicy sauce.  In short, sosaties are cubes of meat, skewered, marinated, and braaid to perfection. While traditionally sosaties were made from lamb meat, nowadays anything goes when it comes to making a sosatie.

 

How to Make Sosaties

Today, we would like to take a look at the sosatie/kebab and share a few of our tried and tested recipes too. While most families have a sosatie recipe that they have used for years, younger generations have been adventurous and quite open to sosatie ideas. The result is a flood of great sosatie recipes to try. Below are 3 of our favourites:

 

Pork & Chicken Sosatie Recipe

This is one of our favourite sosatie ideas! Let’s talk about pork and chicken sosaties with apricots and onions…

 

What you need:

• 1 pork tenderloin cut into cubes
• 4 chicken breasts or thighs, also cut into cubes
• 5 slices or rashers of bacon cut into pieces
• 3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
• 1 and ½ tablespoons of curry powder
• 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds
• 2 cups of dried apricots
• 2 tablespoons of apricot preserves or marmalade
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 2 large onions peeled
• 1 and ½ cups of red wine
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• Cooking oil
• Wooden or metal skewers

 

What to do:

• In a large bowl place the pork, chicken, brown sugar, curry powder, coriander and salt – combine well with stirring.
• Slice up one of the onions and add to the bowl with the vinegar, red wine, apricots, whipping cream and oil. Stir again and leave this in the fridge overnight.
• Cut the remaining onion in half and then quarter it.
• Separate the onion quarters into layers and put them to one side – these will be skewered.
• Drain the marinade from the meat into a saucepan.
• Take the meat cubes and alternate them with the dried apricot pieces, onion pieces and bacon pieces onto the skewers.
• In the saucepan, boil the marinade until it reduces. This should take about 5-6 minutes.
• Now, whisk in the butter, brown sugar, a dash of curry powder, apricot preserves and whipping cream and let simmer until it thickens (usually around 2 minutes).
• Season the sauce with salt and pepper than then transfer to a bowl so you can baste the sosaties before cooking.
• Braai the sosaties over medium heat until cooked through.
• Continue to baste the meat while turning the kebabs.

 

Beef Sosatie Recipe

Beef sosaties are undoubtedly the easiest and simplest to make. They require very little time and attention and are a firm favourite, only second to chicken sosaties, at a braai.

 

What you need:

• 4 sirloin steaks
• 6 dried apricots cut in half long ways
• 1 large red pepper and 1 large yellow pepper
• BBQ sauce
• 1 onion
• 8 skewers

 

What to do:

• With a fork or sharp knife, prick the meat right through all over.
• Cut each sirloin steak across 3 times and lengthwise in order to create 8 cubes from each steak.
• Cut the onions, apricots, and peppers into cubes of a similar size to the meat cubes.
• Thread meat cubes, red pepper, onion, yellow pepper, and apricot onto the skewers – 4 times over should fill the skewer.
• Baste the meat pieces with the BBQ sauce generously and allow it to rest for around 10 minutes.
• Place the sosaties on the braai over medium heat and cook them right through.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve with garlic sauce or mayo.

 

Lamb Sosatie Recipe

If red meat isn’t for you, perhaps you would like to try something a little different. Garlic lamb sosaties are a great idea for those who want a taste sensation.

 

What you need:

• Pickling onions (mini onions)
• Sweet piquant peppers
• 1.5kg of lamb cubed
• 2 onions cut in half, cubed and layers separated
• ½ cup of apricot jam
• ¼ cup of soya sauce
• 1 grated garlic clove
• Skewers

 

What to do:

• In a bowl, mix the apricot jam, soya sauce and grated garlic.
• Thread the meat, onion, and peppers onto the skewer – alternating pieces.
• Use a basting brush to baste the meat with the apricot jam and garlic marinade.
• Let the skewers rest in the left-over marinade for around 10 minutes.
• Pop the sosaties onto a medium hot braai and cook through.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve with the sauce of your choice.

 

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