This is me
Cook, traveller, father, husband, filmmaker, urban farmer, custodian… and not particularly in that order. I cook. I make television. I love the outdoors. I’m earning my green fingers and the open road is where I find my sanity. I was born in Durban, South Africa, grew up in Cape Town and have been burning my, Read More
What’s not to love about spicy wings? It’s the perfect excuse to eat with your hands, lick your fingers, suck on some bones and have a bucket of beers chilling on ice on your table. This is guy food at its best!
Luckily for you and me, Bertus Basson whipped up the perfect recipe for the ultimate spicy wings and now we all get to get our hands messy! Not only is the recipe available in my new book, Road Tripping but I thought I’d share it here with you first – so do yourself a favour, and give it a bash!
You will need:
- At least 4 free-range chicken wings per friend…so go count them
- About 4 chillies (or more), seeds removed and finely chopped
- About 6 tablespoons of sugar
- The juice of one lemon
- 2 cups of tomato sauce
- About a handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Metal or bamboo skewers
- Lime wedges for serving
Method:
First up, if you’re going to use bamboo skewers, submerge them in water and soak while you get on with the rest of the prep.
Combine all the sauce ingredients, pour over the chicken wings, cover and leave for about an hour.
When the coals are moderate (and the guys are starting to misbehave) get those babies onto skewers and start braaiing. If you want to you can skewer the chicken first and then pour the marinade over – up to you! (A lot of people stretch the wings out when skewering, which does help to crisp up the skin, but Bertus says it’s better to keep them in their natural shape to ensure that the chicken doesn’t dry out).
Keep turning and basting the wings until the skin is nice and crispy and the chicken is completely cooked – about 25 – 30 minutes.
Once braaied till your liking, crack open a cold one and get your hands messy!
This recipe is courtesy of Ultimate Braai Master judge, Petrus Madutlela and is straight out of my new book – Road Tripping! I thought I’d share a few of my favourites .. If you have a sweet tooth this one is for you .. and if you don’t, this might just change your mind!
- 2 bunches of bananas, peeled and cut into slices
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- half a block of unsalted butter
- 4 star anise
- 2 sticks of cinnamon
- A roll of short crust pastry
- A large heavy-bottomed pan, with fireproof lid
Method:
Pop the lid onto the pan, and scatter a few coals over the top. Bake over moderate coals for about 25 minutes or until golden on top. Remove the tart from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then place a wooden board over the top of the pan and carefully flip the pan over, so that the banana is on the top and the pastry at the bottom. Place it on the table with some bowls, double thick cream and spoons and watch it get devoured faster than a heartbeat.
This is deliciously sweet and sticky – serve with dollops of real double thick cream!
Whilst filming the Ultimate Braai Master, we travelled up to Musina in Limpopo – just an hour away from the Kruger National Park. Limpopo is baobab country and I had the pleasure of experiencing these magnificent ‘upside down’ trees in their full glory under a star gazers paradise. The picture above is an untouched photo, perfectly portraying a baobab’s beauty and incredible stature. If I’m not mistaken, this specific tree is just over 3000 years old. Of course I fell in love, and had to get my hands on a few seeds to plant back at home … There is just one small problem though – I need an elephant! Elephants are quite significant in the seeding process, because as they digest the seeds from the delicious baobab fruit – the seed spends roughly 5 days passing through the elephant’s digestive tract, and the hot stomach acids aid in breaking down the tough coat. I have heard that using hot water or sandpaper to soften the coat can work too … but I only have a few seeds and want to use the most effective process possible. If anyone knows of something that will work, or can lend me an elephant … just shout!
Copyright © 2024 · All Rights Reserved · Justin Bonello
All photography courtesy of Louis Hiemstra
