South African Monkey Gland Gravy

The name is a leftover from a 1920s medical fad and it puts people off, which is a shame, because this is a genuinely good sauce. It is sweet, sharp, oniony and slightly smoky, somewhere between a barbecue sauce and a gravy, and it belongs on a grilled steak with chips. Every South African steakhouse has a version and every family argues about the chutney.

Ingredients

Makes about 500ml, enough for six

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil, or the fat from a fried steak
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp fruit chutney Mrs Ball's is the South African standard and is sold in most large supermarkets and online. Mango chutney is the nearest easy swap
• 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 300ml (½ pint) hot beef stock
• 1 small red chilli, chopped optional
• salt and plenty of black pepper

Kit

• Frying pan or saucepan
• Wooden spoon

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, or use the fat left from frying steaks so you get the browned residue as well. Add the onion and cook for eight to ten minutes until soft and properly golden. Do not stop at translucent, since the sweetness of browned onion is a big part of this sauce.

2. Add the garlic and the chilli if using and cook for one minute more.

3. Stir in the chutney, ketchup and sugar and cook for three minutes over a medium heat, stirring, until the mixture darkens slightly and starts to catch a little at the edges.

4. Add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and smoked paprika. Let it bubble for two minutes, scraping the base of the pan, which lifts the caramelised sugar back into the sauce.

5. Pour in the hot stock, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for ten to twelve minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and reduced by roughly a third.

6. Taste and balance it. It should be clearly sweet and clearly sour at the same time. More vinegar if it is cloying, more chutney if it is too sharp, more Worcestershire sauce if it tastes shallow.

7. Season with salt and a lot of black pepper. Serve hot over a rested steak with chips, or over grilled chicken or a burger. It thickens further as it stands, so pour it while it is properly hot.

Tips worth knowing

• Mrs Ball's chutney is what makes this taste like the South African original. It is a peach and apricot chutney, sweeter and smoother than a Major Grey style mango chutney, and worth buying if you plan to make this more than once.
• The balance is everything and every batch is slightly different because chutneys differ. Always taste and adjust at the end rather than trusting the quantities blind.
• Cook the chutney and ketchup for a few minutes before the liquid goes in. It takes the raw sugary edge off and gives a deeper, more rounded sauce.
• Made in the steak pan it is considerably better. The browned bits from a seared steak give it a savoury backbone that stock alone will not.

Keeping and reheating

Keeps a week in the fridge and is arguably better on day two. Freezes for three months. It thickens noticeably when cold, so loosen it with stock or water as you reheat.

Questions people ask