A post for Tandy and Mandy and Brett!
And don’t panic, no monkeys were injured in the making of this sauce!
. . . . .
Every month, Workman Publishing put a few of their e-cookbooks on sale. You might recall (or have purchased) The New Spanish Table when it was on special for $2.95 in April – it’s now back up to $14. It’s worth checking the Workman website each month to see what’s on offer.
This month I picked up Stephen Raichlen’s Barbecue! Bible Sauces, Rubs and Marinades for $3 (less than the cost of a takeaway coffee – I love that!)…
I was flipping through the pages (virtually) and came across a recipe for the fabulously named Monkey Gland Sauce – a traditional South African barbecue condiment. Naturally, I couldn’t resist!
The sauce is based around a fruit chutney, so I used the last of the Mrs Ball’s that our neighbour Brett gave us last year…
- 1 cup fruit chutney
- 3 tablespoons red wine
- 3 tablespoons port
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- several twists freshly ground black pepper
- generous sprinkle (to taste) of smoked salt (or regular Maldon salt)
Note: I didn’t have the liquid smoke specified, so I substituted smoked salt in place of the regular salt.
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the chutney breaks down. Stir often and continue to simmer until slightly thickened. Check seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if required. I blitzed it smooth with a stick blender, but you could leave it chunky if you prefer. According to Raichlen, the sauce will keep in the fridge (presumably stored in a sterile container) for several weeks.
Monkey Gland sauce is traditionally served hot as an accompaniment to grilled red meats, but I used mine to coat chicken wings which were baked in the oven for dinner that evening. The boys smashed them…
The wings were served with our twisty bread and a bowl of garden lettuces – our first for the season…
Monkey Gland Sauce – it’s a winner! Not only does it taste delicious, but imagine how much fun you’ll have serving it up at the next barbecue!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
I have that book, but the monkey gland sauce escaped my radar….
I confess to almost passing out when I read the title of your post, I am such a delicate flower :-)
Hahaha…I wondered if anyone would react! :)
Monkey gland sauce takes me back to wonderful childhood memories eating out with my folks and big brothers. I always had a monkey gland sauce with my steak or burger.
Mrs Balls has a permanent home in our kitchen.
Thank you so much for the mention Celia and I am looking forward to hearing how your enjoy koeksisters.
Have a wonderful weekend.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, I hope you’re impressed that I kept it as South African as possible by using the Mrs Ball’s! :D
Absolutely! xo
Catchy title for a blog post – couldn’t pass over reading this. I’m just glad it’s not real monkeys involved! LOL!
Hahaha…I was too Suelle! Could you imagine? ;-)
What an interesting name for a sauce! I wonder where the name came from? Nothing there that reminds me of monkeys or glands. lol
The sauce sounds very tastey.
Manuela, according to Wiki…
“At the time the sauce was developed there was a lot of speculation in the popular medical press regarding the use of monkey glands as a means of keeping young.”
:)
Now I HAVE to marinate tofu in that…”Monkey gland tofu” what a great vegan irony eh? ;)
Fran, how cool would that be to serve up at a vegan dinner party! :D :D
HAHAHAHA! You could slather it on tofu, bake it up and serve “Monkey Gland Tofu” and I wonder who would dig in first ;) Me, that’s who…good way to make sure you got your fair share methinks. I will be remembering this one! Cheers for the share Celia ;)
You beat me to it with the Monkey Gland Sauce post! I photographed it on a menu in Sydney two weeks ago as we had never heard of it before. We laughed about seeing that when we had just come back from foreign destinations where we expected to see such exotic things, but here they were in our own ‘backyard’! Thank you for keeping us up to date Celia!
Oops, sorry Ardys! Where did you see it in Sydney?
Well you surely got me with that headline! I’m glad no monkey had to sacrifice any glands for the sauce because those wings look so good. Perfect with a fresh from the garden salad.
Diane, isn’t it funny? I couldn’t resist the name.. :)
Ooh that sounds good (and new) to me – and I’m also curious now about searching for some smoked salt…never tried it!
Tanya, the smoked salt is widely available here – it’s a nice (if imperfect) substitute for actually firing up the bbq (which I don’t have). :)
Brilliant name for a sauce but I’m curious about the origins. Maybe I shouldn’t be thiugh!
Nancy, here you go, from Wiki…
“At the time the sauce was developed there was a lot of speculation in the popular medical press regarding the use of monkey glands as a means of keeping young.”
Interesting, if less than alluring, name for a sauce! I must have a look at that ebook site!
Amanda, the book is from Amazon, should download to your kindle in seconds! :)
What a name for a sauce. Might save this one for the camping extravaganza in February and use some of my left over chutneys ( there are quite a few home made numbers half eaten on the shelves).
Francesca, I was thinking the same thing – fabulous way to use up leftover chutneys!
Am off to ‘Workman Publishing’ which surely has escaped my notice until now as has the wonderfully named ‘Monkey Gland’ sauce . . . . sounds very ‘usable’ in a variety of ways . . . and one could sound so ‘wicked’ in front of friends offering this with a straight face in one’s loudest voice ;) !!
Eha, definitely one for the next bbq or party! :)
I saw this post pop into my IN box at around midnight… and thought to myself, Celia is really getting adventurous! Fascinating recipe.
Oh you have such faith in me, thanks darling.. :)
I will try anything, once, and I don’t think there is any food I have come across in my admittedly little life that I wouldn’t give an experimental gnaw, but that post title almost, almost, stopped my yum-yum motor in its tracks!
Jan, you should make up a batch and serve it to your Pete with steak for dinner one night.. :)
That is such an unfortunate name for a sauce! But I do love the combination of the list of ingredients and your wings look fabulous – those sort of wings are always addictive xx
See, I think it’s a WONDERFUL name for a sauce! :)
Great sauce Celia, it would be very tasty indeed! I wouldn’t have moved if it did use real monkeys though- I have a bit of a phobia of them- creepy little creatures, yuck!! Xox
Darling, for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t have made it if it used real monkeys.. :D
This sauce originated in a steak house in South Africa. Probably the Spur or the Longhorn, both of which I have personal ties to. It traditionally has Worcestershire sauce in it as well as soy. I have served thousands of monkey gland steaks in my time. Thanks for the link love Celia :)
Tandy, apparently this sauce recipe comes from Garth Stoebel, exec chef of the Mount Nelson Hotel in Capetown. Worcestershire sauce and soy sound like great additions!
Celia, there is no way MGS comes from Garth Stroebel. My mother used to make it in the mid 50’s and Garth was not even a twinkle in his mothers eye then. Garth was only a trainee chef in the late 70’s at the Beacon Island Hotel in Plettenberg Bay, where his parents also owned an Inn. I would call your recipe a “quick” sauce as the proper one is, from scratch, a bit more complicated and really gets the saliva glands working.
The flavors are as intriguing as the name.
Greg, it could have been tomato ketchup and I probably would have still made it because of the name! :D
I thought this sauce was going to have peanuts in it.! But no,. I am sure it is the operfect sauce for chicken wings. Yum
Yes, that would have been a reasonable guess! But no peanuts.. :)
I’m going to have to tell Johan about this one- anything made with his beloved chutney I’m sure will go over well. And can we talk about the fact that there’s port AND butter in your sauce? How did you not drink it?! xx
Em, according to the recipe, the butter and liquid smoke (which I didn’t add) are American additions! :) The port and wine were fabulous in it!
You caught me there for a second, lol! Don’t show me this or I’ll come grabbing! Yummo!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Julie, I want to make it again simply so that I can serve it to friends – what a name! :)
I got a laugh from your post’s title, Celia. I’m aware of it. The cookbook’s author, Raichlen, has a weekly cooking show, “Primal Grill, in which he demonstrates grilling techniques and I’ve seen him prepare Monkey Gland sauce. I bet it made those wings of yours taste incredibly delicious. Small wonder your boys “smashed” them. I hope you set aside a few for you and Pete. :)
John, how cool that you’ve seen him make this! Pete and I managed to get two each – the boys ate the other eleven between them! :)
I love that name!
Ha! Me too! :)
I didn’t open this post for ages, I found the name so off-putting! Having had ribs at Hurricanes – boyfriend’s favourite! – last night, I’m so glad I did. Ribs at my place marinated in monkey gland sauce coming up!