South African Sosaties (Marinated Curried Meat Skewers)

About This Recipe

South African Sosaties is a real, traditional South African dish, known as Marinated Curried Meat Skewers. Lamb or chicken skewers marinated in a mildly curried, apricot-sweetened marinade, grilled over open flame, a Cape Malay braai favorite.\n\nSosaties reflect Cape Malay culinary traditions, their sweet-savory apricot and curry marinade showing the same Indonesian and Malaysian influences found in bobotie, historically prepared for special celebrations and now a braai staple.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in South African home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 800 glamb shoulder or chicken thigh(cubed)
• 2yellow onions(cut into chunks, plus 1 diced for marinade)
• 3 tbspmild curry powder
• 3 tbspapricot jam
• 3 tbspwhite wine vinegar
• 1 tbspbrown sugar
• 4garlic cloves(minced)
• 1 piecefresh ginger(minced)
• 2 tbspneutral oil
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 8dried apricots(to skewer)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the marinade

   Cook the diced onion, curry powder, garlic and ginger in oil for a few minutes until fragrant, then stir in apricot jam, vinegar, brown sugar and salt, simmering briefly until combined. Let cool.

2. 2

   Marinate the meat

   Toss the cubed meat with the cooled marinade and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight for best flavor.

3. 3

   Thread the skewers

   Thread the marinated meat onto skewers, alternating with onion chunks and dried apricots.

4. 4

   Heat the grill

   Preheat a grill or braai to medium-high heat.

5. 5

   Grill

   Grill the skewers for 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with any remaining marinade, until charred outside and cooked through.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve hot with yellow rice or pap.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken instead of lamb for a lighter, quicker-cooking version.

• •

  Some households add bell pepper chunks to the skewers for extra color.

• •

  Adjust the curry powder quantity for a milder or more pronounced curry flavor.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions