South Africa's braai skewer with Cape Malay roots: lamb cubes marinated overnight in a curried apricot-jam, onion, and vinegar blend, often threaded with dried apricots between the meat. The sweet-sour curry marinade — a legacy of Indonesian slaves and exiles at the Cape — is what sets it apart from any other kebab.
Also known as: sosaties, sosatie, Cape Malay kebab, curry skewers
Ingredients
- 1 kg lamb shoulder, 3 cm cubes
- 250 g dried apricots, soaked
- 2 onions: one grated, one in petals
- 2 tbsp mild curry powder, 1 tsp turmeric
- 3 tbsp apricot jam, 60 ml red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt, black pepper
How to make it
- 1
Simmer grated onion, curry powder, turmeric, jam, vinegar, garlic and bay for 5 min into a chutney-like marinade; cool completely.
- 2
Marinate the lamb in it overnight — this is where sosatie earns its name (sate plus saus).
- 3
Thread lamb alternating with soaked apricots and onion petals.
- 4
Braai over medium coals 12-15 min, turning, until lacquered and lightly charred.
- 5
Boil the leftover marinade 3 min and serve it as the sauce.
Pro tip: The apricot between every second cube is not garnish — it bastes the lamb with sugar as it roasts. Skip it and you have made ordinary kebabs, not sosaties.
