Monkey Gland Sauce

Monkey gland sauce is what South African steakhouses spoon over rump and sirloin, and it does the same job next to a braai. There is no offal in it despite the name: the base is slowly fried onion, tomato sauce and Mrs Ball's chutney, sharpened with Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Nobody has pinned down where the name came from, so treat it as old steakhouse slang rather than a description of the pot.

What you need

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 large onion (about 200g), finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt, plus more to season
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Robertsons Braai & Grill (optional)
• 100ml dry red wine (or water)
• 1 tsp Benny Instant Stock Powder dissolved in 100ml hot water
• 200ml All Gold Tomato Sauce
• 100g Mrs Ball's Original Recipe Chutney (about 4 tbsp)
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp brown vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp hot English or Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp brown sugar, only if the sauce needs it
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and the salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until it is soft and pale gold.
2. Garlic goes in next, with the Robertsons Braai & Grill if you are using it. One minute of stirring is enough. Do not let the garlic take on more than a light colour.
3. Pour in the red wine (or water) and scrape the base of the pan clean with a wooden spoon. Let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes until reduced by about half.
4. Stir the Benny stock powder into 100ml of hot water until it dissolves, then pour it into the pan.
5. Add the All Gold Tomato Sauce, Mrs Ball's chutney, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and mustard, and stir everything through.
6. Bring it to a gentle simmer and leave it uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often. It is ready when it looks glossy and sits on a spoon instead of running straight off.
7. The chutney leaves pieces of fruit behind. Press them against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon, or run a stick blender through the sauce for a smooth finish.
8. Now taste it. Season with black pepper and more salt, and add the brown sugar only if it is too sharp. More vinegar pulls back the sweetness, more chutney does the opposite.
9. Take the pan off the heat and give the sauce 5 minutes to settle and thicken, then spoon it warm over steak.

Worth knowing

• The onions are the part people rush. Give them the full 10 minutes: they should collapse and taste sweet with no raw crunch left, because underdone onion is what makes a batch taste harsh.
• For heat, stir a teaspoon of Gorima's Peri Peri Pour-On through at the end. Overdo it and another spoonful of chutney or a small knob of butter will settle it down.
• Steakhouses usually blitz the sauce completely smooth. At home it is just as good left chunky with the fruit from the chutney still in it.
• Serve it warm rather than straight off a hard boil, with chips and a green salad. It also works on a burger or a boerewors roll.
• In a clean jar it keeps for 5 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer. It sets thick when cold, so loosen it with a splash of water as you reheat.