The Ultimate Braai Snack Guide
When planning a braai there is a lot more to consider than braai meat and firewood. Inevitably, the braai always takes longer than expected leaving those waiting for the wood to turn to coals feeling a bit peckish.
While the good old bag of chips is a faithful favourite, perhaps you would like to shake things up this time and serve some tasty and innovative pre-braai eats?
Here are some delicious go-back-for-seconds recipes that you must try:
Vegetable Sosaties
This recipe is super simple, quick to make, healthy and even delicious to eat! All you will need is:
- Beetroot
- Butternut
- Tomatoes
- Peppers (assorted colours)
- Sosatie sticks
Prepare your vegetable sosatie by slipping the chopped vegetables onto the sosatie stick then brush it with some olive oil to aid with the cooking process.
After about 20 minutes on the fire, they will be ready to eat as the perfect pre-braai snack or side dish!
Recipe by: www.lowveld.co.za
Chocolate Bananas
If you love chocolate and bananas why not combine the two for an amazing pre-braai dessert? All you will need is:
- Bananas
- Chocolate pieces
- Marshmallows
- Tinfoil
Slice a banana hallway down the center so that the two pieces are still attached. Place pieces of chocolate and marshmallows into the center gap and wrap the banana closed in foil.
Allow the banana to cook for 7 minutes, unwrap and enjoy!
Recipe by: www.lowveld.co.za
A Different Kind of Chip ‘n Dip
If you are tired of the conventional store-bought dip then give this homemade dip a try. It is easy to make and great to serve with some nachos or raw veggies. All you will need is:
- 1 packet of plain nachos
- 1 tub of cream cheese
- 1 tub of hummus
- 4 sundried tomatoes
- ½ avocado
Blend the sundried tomatoes with the cream cheese until combined then move to a bowl.
Dice the avocado and stir into the hummus. Add to separate bowl.
You can now arrange the two dips onto a platter beside a selection of nachos and raw veggies and you are ready to serve!
Sweet Potatoes on the Braai
Forget to make the potato salad? That’s okay – you can try out these sweet potatoes on the braai. All you will need is:
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- Cooking oil and sea salt
- Can of cannellini beans
- 6 tomatoes
- Parsley
- 1 lemon (juiced)
Poke the potatoes with a fork, rub in the oil and sea salt then wrap the sweet potato in foil and bake on the edge of the braai grid until cooked.
Rinse off the beans, chop up the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Mix some chopped parsley, oil and lemon juice into the beans and tomatoes.
Serve your bean-tomato mix on top of the sweet potatoes once cooked!
Recipe and image by: www.womanandhome.co.za
Noodles with a Kick
No one said that you cannot sample some of the braai salads before the meat is ready so set out a bowl of some spicy noodle salad! All you will need is:
- A pack of noodles
- 1 cup of mayonnaise
- 1 can of chakalaka
- ½ a pineapple (chopped)
- ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
- 3tbsp tomato sauce
Cook the pasta until al dante. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and gradually add in the noodles. If the noodles are still dry, gradually add in some mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce. Easy!
Recipe and image by: www.sunsetctprojects.co.za
Braai Tips:
Now that you have an idea of what snacks you are going to serve as pre-braai eats, it’s time to make sure that you have the braai game plan in place. Your snacks will keep the hunger at bay but these tips will help you ensure that everything rolls out smoothly and in time:
The Preparation Plan
For meat that is tender and succulent, be sure to marinate your meat overnight. Not only will this ensure that your meat is tender but it will also allow all the flavor to soak into the meat for as long as possible. Be sure to keep it stored in the fridge until the fire is ready!
The Braai Order
There’s nothing worse than being the odd man out at the table because some of the meat is still on the braai. The best way to avoid this is to ensure that all the meat goes on at the same time guaranteeing that everyone can eat together.
Place your chicken around the edge of the fire, boerewors and chops around the centre and steak right in the middle of the grill. This will ensure that all the meat cooks evenly and will be ready to eat at the right time.
Clean-up Time
The worst part of any dinner is always the cleaning up. But you can save yourself some effort by using paper plates in plastic holders! Using paper plates means that there are no dishes which helps to minimize the clean-up time drastically.
At the same time, waiting to clean your braai grid at the start of the next braai will take quite some time. Instead, take half an onion or half a lemon and rub it over the braai grid while it is still hot. This will help to lift dirt from the grill and add some flavor to the next batch of meat!
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Have any pre-braai snacks that you’re particularly fond of making? Or perhaps a nifty braai tip? Be sure to share them in the comments on our Kerrygold Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages.
