Michopo

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.5 kggoat on the bone
• or beef, in large chunks
• some fat left on

The marinade

• 2onions, grated
• 8garlic cloves, crushed
• 4cm ginger, grated
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• 2 tablespoonssoy sauce
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 teaspoonscurry powder
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 2 teaspoonssalt

To grill

• charcoal
• an open brazier
• or a barbecue

To serve

• hot chilli or piri piri
• raw onion and tomato
• nshima
• cold beer

Directions

1. Cut the goat into large chunks. Leave it on the bone where you can. Bone gives flavour to the meat around it. It also stops it drying out so fast. Leave some soft fat on the chunks. It also keeps the lean meat moist. Grate the onions into a large bowl. Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger.
2. Add the oil, soy sauce and lemon juice. Add the curry powder and black pepper. Add the salt and stir it together. Combining it takes only a moment. Put the meat chunks into the marinade. Turn them so they are all coated well.
3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it. Give it at least four hours to marinate. Put the meat and marinade in a pot. Add just a little water to it. Bring it up to a gentle simmer.
4. Add only a little water at first. Too much makes it a boiled dish. Cover the pot and lower the heat. Let it simmer for about forty minutes. Goat needs real time to become tender. Take it off while it still holds together. Lift all the meat out of the pot.
5. Keep the cooking liquid for basting. Do not throw any of it away at all. Wait until it is covered in grey ash. That is exactly what this meat needs. Lay the meat on the hot grill. Give it about five full minutes. Turn it all over carefully with tongs. Give it another five full minutes.
6. Brush it with the reserved cooking liquid. It also stops the surface drying out. Brush it on quite generously each time. Judging it takes a careful look. Turn it often to control that. Let the flames die before returning it. Take the meat off and let it sit. Give it about five full minutes. Chop the meat up on a wooden board. Cut it into bite-sized pieces. Serving it is always done hot.
7. Pile it onto a plate or paper. Put hot chilli sauce out beside it. Add chopped raw onion and tomato. Serve nshima alongside if you want a meal. Serve very cold beer alongside it. It must be eaten hot from the grill. Grill it again briefly to reheat.

Technique

• Many cooks simmer the meat before grilling it, which tenderises tough goat on the bone that grilling alone would leave chewy; the grilling then adds the char and smoke. Take it off the simmer while it still holds together, since meat that falls apart cannot be turned on a grill.
• Keep the simmering liquid and brush it on each time you turn the meat: it carries all the marinade flavour and the rendered fat, builds a sticky glaze and stops the surface drying out.
• Wait for the charcoal to be covered in grey ash rather than grilling over flames, and move the meat aside when dripping fat flares up — flames blacken meat without cooking it.

Substitutions

• Beef stands in for goat, though goat has the stronger flavour and is preferred.
• Young tender goat can be grilled straight from raw over a lower heat, which some bars do.

Variations

• Nyama choma in Kenya and Tanzania is the same idea, usually grilled in larger pieces.
• It is chopped up on a board and served on a plate or paper to eat with the fingers.
• Nshima, the stiff Zambian maize meal, turns it from a bar snack into a meal.

History

Goat or beef grilled over open braziers and eaten with the fingers at roadside bars, Zambia’s answer to nyama choma.

Frequently asked questions

What is Michopo?

Michopo is a street food from Zambia: chunks of goat or beef grilled at taverns with chili. Goat or beef grilled over open braziers and eaten with the fingers at roadside bars, Zambia’s answer to nyama choma.

How long does Michopo take to make?

Michopo takes 20 minutes plus marinating of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Michopo?

Yes, within limits. Beef stands in for goat, though goat has the stronger flavour and is preferred. Young tender goat can be grilled straight from raw over a lower heat, which some bars do.

What is the most important thing to get right in Michopo?

Keep the cooking liquid for basting. Do not throw any of it away at all. Wait until it is covered in grey ash. That is exactly what this meat needs. Lay the meat on the hot grill. Give it about five full minutes. Turn it all over carefully with tongs. Give it another five full minutes.