Cold sauces & condiments
Monkey Gland Sauce
Monkeygland Sauce · A South African sweet-tangy-spicy condiment, traditionally built on fruit chutney and tomato ketchup seasoned with Worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic, vinegar and brown sugar. Despite its name, it contains no primate tissue; the label is purely facetious. It is treated as a reusable base condiment — finished and held, then spooned, brushed or dolloped onto grilled proteins — rather than a stand-alone dish.
The formula
2:2:1:1:1:1 chutney:ketchup:Worcestershire:stock:vinegar:brown sugar (plus sautéed onion & garlic)
Volumes in cups; brown sugar and vinegar frequently reduced to taste. The Raichlen variant replaces stock, vinegar and ketchup with red wine and butter.
Identity
- South African steakhouse condiment of the braai repertoire
- Hybrid chutney-tomato sauce (sweet + acidic + umami bridge)
- Foundational cold-sauce base — built and held, then applied to many finishes
- Sweet-tangy profile moderated by a gentle chile/pepper heat
- Etymologically a gag — no animal product named is used
Ingredients
| Base | fruit chutney (traditionally Mrs Ball's chutney) | Provides sweet-sour-spicy fruit backbone; the single most identifying ingredient. |
| Base | tomato ketchup | Adds tomato body, sweetness and gloss; works with the chutney's acidity. |
| Aromatics | onion, finely chopped | Sautéed first to build savoury depth beneath the sweet sauce. |
| Aromatics | garlic, crushed | Standard in homemade builds; often omitted in quick-combine commercial versions. |
| Liquid | Worcestershire sauce | Provides umami, tang and fermented depth. |
| Liquid | water or light stock | Used to loosen the chutney-ketchup base to brushing or spooning consistency. |
| Sweetener | brown sugar | Balances the vinegar and chutney acidity; caramelises slightly on the simmer. |
| Acid | vinegar (white wine or spirit) | Final acid hit; adjust to taste. |
Method
- 1Sweat chopped onion and crushed garlic in a little oil over medium heat until translucent and soft, 4–6 minutes.Softens the alliums, removes raw bite, and lays a savoury foundation under the sweet base.
- 2Stir in chutney, ketchup, Worcestershire, water/stock, brown sugar and vinegar; bring to a gentle simmer.Allows the chutney's sugar and pectin to dissolve uniformly into the tomato base.
- 3Simmer 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.Concentrates flavour and drives off raw vinegar harshness.
- 4For a smooth restaurant-style sauce, blitz briefly in a blender or pass through a food mill; leave chunky if preferred.Smooth texture is the classic steakhouse presentation; blending also emulsifies any separated butter or oil.
- 5Taste and adjust — more vinegar for tang, more sugar for roundness, more Worcestershire for savoury depth.All chutneys and ketchups vary in sweetness and acidity; final balance is calibrated here.
- 6Cool, then transfer to a sterilised jar and refrigerate; use cold or re-warm.The sauce is treated as a base condiment to be re-used across multiple servings.
Techniques that matter
Sweating aromatics
Releases sweetness from onion and garlic without browning, keeping the sauce's colour red-orange.
Reduction simmering
Mellows vinegar, fuses chutney with tomato base and reaches spoon-coating consistency without a thickener.
Final-bottle adjustment
Commercial chutneys and ketchups vary widely; tasting and trimming at the end standardises the result.
Variations & derivatives
Raichlen / Barbecue Bible versionUSA (Steven Raichlen)
Replaces stock, ketchup and vinegar with dry red wine and salted butter, plus Tabasco and liquid smoke for a punchier BBQ-glaze style.
Leopards Leap fresh-tomato versionSouth Africa (winelands)
Uses grated fresh tomatoes and tomato paste instead of ketchup, finished with rosemary and white wine vinegar for a brighter, less sweet sauce.
Food.com fruity versionSouth Africa (home cook)
Adds grated fresh ginger and prepared mustard, uses port wine and tomato purée, and includes soy sauce for extra umami — closer to a chutney-relish style.
Spur / Steers commercial styleSouth Africa (steakhouse chains)
Very smooth, glossy, sweeter and milder than homemade; typically warmed and spooned over pre-grilled steaks.
Used in these dishes
Substitutions
- Mrs Ball's fruit chutney → any other major-brand fruit chutney — Use the same volume; flavour will shift slightly toward whichever chutney is substituted.
- tomato ketchup → tomato purée + 1 tsp sugar — Loses some of ketchup's vinegar-and-spice depth.
- Worcestershire sauce → soy sauce + dash of vinegar — Provides umami and tang but loses the fermented, anchovy undertone.changes result
- water / light stock → dry red wine or port — Adds fruit and tannin; notably used in the Raichlen and port versions.
- brown sugar → white sugar + small spoon of treacle — Mimics the caramel-molasses note.
Troubleshooting
Sauce is too thin and runs off the meat
Insufficient reduction or too much stock/water added → Simmer uncovered another 5–10 minutes, or stir in a spoon of extra chutney for body.
Sauce is too sweet and cloying
Chutney + ketchup + brown sugar stack up; fruit vary → Cut with extra vinegar, a splash more Worcestershire, or a spoon of lemon juice.
Sauce tastes harshly acidic
Raw vinegar or Worcestershire dominating → Simmer a further 5 minutes, or add a pinch more brown sugar.
Chutney stays in lumps rather than blending into the sauce
Cold chutney added to a hot base, or insufficient blending → Mash with a whisk while simmering, or blitz with an immersion blender for the classic smooth finish.