Ons Gaan Nou Braai...

For those of you who don't speak Afrikaans, this translates to "We are now going to bbq." There is a famous South African comedian called Barry Hilton who tells the hillarious story of what happens at many a braai or bbq all over the world. Too much to drink, too much talking and then far too much meat late in the evening. I promise it is a thing. But, this is not the case today I can assure you.

As long as it is not raining Kyle will braai. A hint of good looking weather and the fire is lit. South African braais are very different to the British bbq, American bbq and Australian bbq. I will not delve into the intricacies of each but only to say we South Africans will cook ANYTHING on a braai. Meat, fish, poultry, game, vegetables and dessert. A classic in this household is peri-peri chicken. Who doesn't love crispy skinned, spicey, juicy chicken with a hint of smoke? When people think of peri-peri they think of Nandos or Portuguese piri-piri but I guarantee, unless you've lived in South Africa or visited Mozambique, you have not experienced the one true peri-peri (my humble opinion). There is something about Mozambican Portuguese peri-peri that knocks the socks off the rest. Poured over fire roasted chicken and in a fluffy, floured white bun slathered with butter and an ice cold 2M beer on a sunny afternoon. You can't beat it! Just typing this and I am salivating.

Everyone has their own favourite version of peri-peri sauce that either they buy or make. Whatever floats your boat. I am all about homemade. So I am sharing my favourite peri-peri sauce recipe which literally goes with everything if you want to add a bit of spice to your life. You can marinate chicken in it before popping it on the braai or in the oven. Great for dipping slices of steak in or putting on your steak sarnie. Perfect for adding to stew or Bolognaise to give it a bit of a kick. You choose.
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​Homemade Peri-Peri Sauce - Alida Ryder, Simply-Delicious-Food.com

​Ingredients

2 red onions peeled and roughly chopped
1 head of garlic peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup of bird's eye chillis, stems removed - if you can't get them I'd say use a mixture of red chillis that you can find
2 red bell peppers, de-seeded and roughly chopped
3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil
Juice and zest of 3 lemons
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp smoked paprika

​Method
Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor/blender and blitz until all the ingredients are finely chopped and the mix is saucy in consistency.
Transfer to a saucepan on a medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir every few minutes to prevent the sauce from burning.
After 20 minutes check the seasoning and adjust. The sauce should be well balanced with a good kick of spice and sourness from the lemons and vinegar.
Pour into sterilised jars and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or marinate your plump, organic or free range, spatchcock chicken and cook on the braai/bbq or roast in the oven at 220°c until the juices run clear when you poke a knife into the fattest part of the thigh. Depending on the size of your bird about 1.5 - 2 hours.

"Lekker eet!"
Nix


All pictures taken by Judit Erdos @lelencjud