I came across this sauce with the horrible name while on the internet, looking through Taste magazine, a publication for Woolworths – a South African retailer.

Of course I had to check it out, but don’t worry – there are no monkey bits in the sauce. The story goes, that French chefs found it distasteful when South African diners covered their finely prepared French dishes with the likes of tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and chutney.

So, the disgruntled chefs then combined all the those condiments to create a sauce which they named monkey gland sauce. (There was speculation at the time that monkey glands could slow down ageing.) Ew.

This sauce, which contains a number of normal ingredients, is eaten with steaks, burgers, and potatoes, used as a marinade, plus a dipping sauce for onion rings. It’s sweet and tangy, like a South African version of American barbecue sauce, and became a traditional sauce by the 1970’s.

Monkey Gland Sauce

3-4 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped and crushed
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup fruit chutney
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons mild prepared mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
5 tablespoons port wine or 5 tablespoons muscadel wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons red wine (I used white)
Salt
Black pepper

Sauté the onions, garlic and ginger in the oil until the onions are translucent.

Add the rest of the ingredients and let cook over fairly high heat for about 7 – 10 minutes, stirring often.

Taste for seasoning: you might want to add 1/2 teaspoon sugar, enough salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. (I thought it was perfect.)

Can be served hot or cold, although I can’t imagine it served cold.

I tried out the monkey gland sauce over sous vide’d flank steak with potato mash and steamed broccoli.

The sauce will last 2 weeks in the fridge and can also be frozen.