[*hello, grandpa! in zulu speak]
everyone loves a good old barbecue. in malaysia, it’s a pretty common alternative to making steamboats/have caterers (cop out!) for a party at home as it’s pretty easy. and i’m sure you lot out there who’s been to australia or the ‘states have experienced the way they grill their meat over a fire! i’ve never been to australia or the ‘states. in fact over here in britain, only occasionally i’d get some prawns, skate wings, chicken and lamb chops over a small £6.99 woolworths b-b-q set with a few friends. only in the summer. if it doesn’t rain.
last saturday, i was over at jason and kate’s for a braai. as a malaysian, i’ve pretty much had the braai experience a couple of times now. braai is afrikaans for barbecue. the braai is simply an institution for south africans. wherever they are in the world, whatever the outdoor temperature is, you just need two of them around and the next thing you know, they’ll be lighting up a fire and getting ready to grill some succulent boerewors!
the braai experience is simply different. most barbecues i’ve been to are mainly getting the charcoal lit, get a fire going, bung in some chicken, and the next thing you know, blood comes dripping down your chin and you’d go, “this could do with a couple more minutes”.
one takes their time preparing for a braai. while the fire is being prepared, guests would usually enjoy basking in the evening sun, having pleasant conversations over a glass of fine red. i noticed my british friends were busily helping themselves to the doritos and dips, probably not expecting the laidback nature of the evening! the evening’s non-vegetarian fare consisted of ribs, sausages, chicken (it was considerate of them to have provided me with the halal version!) and lamb chops. it was also publicly announced that the marinade of the chicken was based on my recipe, much to my embarassment (it was a half-baked attempt for a soya sauce-based marinade, ie ayam kicap, made a few years ago at my first braai. apparently, this recipe was highly praised and had even been used by my friend’s mom in jo’berg, entertaining their guests by the poolside) as the wife of one of the guests was keen to know how to make it.
one thing i can say is that you can get a full 3-to-4 course meal out of a single braai sesh. i experienced this first-hand at my first braai at another south african friend’s home in sheffield. and this was late autumn! after getting the fire right, you can have starters the likes of shiitake mushrooms glazed in garlic, herb and butter. i’ve also had cheese, tomato and onion toasties over the fire! obviously, grill meat like chicken first as they take a longer time to cook. steak is simply gorgeous. with no salt or pepper (to prevent osmosis of the meat’s juices), grill the (unmarinated) steak for about 5 minutes on each side if you like it medium. season thereafter. serve with a steak sauce of your liking.
as the fires die down, throw in a couple of bananas in the glowing embers. let the skin burn to a black colour. remove the skin, and trickle some vanilla/cardamom syrup (if it’s your cup of tea, a tinge of brandy should also add some zing) over the steaming bananas. dessert’s ready. by the end of that evening, all three of us sat down quietly with our freshly brewed coffee – too full to even speak!
i’m glad that i’ve learnt how to do a barbecue the suid afrikan way, and that is the way i have been doing it ever since that cold autumn’s evening. chilled and laid back.
wah… I didnt know bananas could be roasted… must try it someday…
I am very lucky in that I am related (by marriage) to South Africans (hubby’s family, Pakistani-origin but born and bred in Suid Afrika) so I know of wot you speak. Whenever we are in South Africa, it’s neverending braais from the time we arrive until the day we leave. I guess it helps that one of the cousins owns an abbatoir and a butcher shop. *LOL*
Again, very South Beach Diet-friendly. (BTW, carb withdrawal suxx big time. :P)
BTW, do you mind sharing the recipe for that soy-sauce based barbecue marinade? 😉
yebo! you really want the ‘recipe’? its laughable really. pretend you’re making daging masak kicap la.
in my case, soy sauce (std), then the dark cheong chan soy sauce, some lea & perrins (i think its pretty redundant by now, soy-wise), some chilli powder, a little shallots/garlic combo for good measure. what’s your style? 🙂
btw, whats a south beach diet????
Oh laa… sounds just like my marinade, just that I don’t have the soy sauce and the cili podar. 😀
South Beach Diet? It’s a more do-able version of the no-carb-at-all Atkins Diet. On the SBD one is allowed veg and even fruit after the initial 2-week ‘strict phase’. Atkins allows saturated fat, not on the SBD. Trans fats totally out. SBD formulated by a cardiologist, so I guess you could say it’s heart-friendly, to say the least. 😉 I’m now on the strict phase of the diet, no carbs at all, only in the form of veg. Aiyo. *LOL*
yeah… they do live outdoor down there, and they luv their braai. i wish i could try the ‘biltong’ my friends brought in the office once in a while.
kudo: why dont u try marinate the chicken satay style, sure depa suka nye.
atok: that sound like a good idea. in fact i should go make satay this weekend!
[…] the braai is a way of life for the south africans. the barbecue for them isn’t just a social function for friends to get together but is also an alternative method of preparing food. just like frying, baking and poaching. so, on thursday night we got the barbecue set out to simply make ourselves dinner. just like them. […]