Mishkaki

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 kgbeef
• in 3 cm cubes
• some fat left on
• or goat

The marinade

• 1onion, grated
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 4cm ginger, grated
• juice of 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• 2 tablespoonssoy sauce
• 1 tablespooncurry powder
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 1 teaspoonpaprika
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 2 teaspoonssalt

To baste

• the strained marinade
• boiled
• a little oil

To serve

• kachumbari
• pili pili sauce
• chips or chapati
• lime wedges

Directions

1. Cut the beef into even sized cubes. Aim for about three centimetres. Trim off any hard sinew or gristle. Leave the soft fat on the cubes. Fat renders and helps the meat.
2. Grate the onion into a large bowl. Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger. Squeeze in all of the lemon juice. Add the oil and the soy sauce. Add the curry powder and the spices. Add the salt and stir it together. Combining it takes only a moment. Put the beef cubes into the marinade. Turn them so they are all coated well.
3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it. Give it at least four full hours. Put wooden skewers in cold water. Let them soak for thirty minutes. Dry wood catches fire over charcoal. Thread the cubes onto the skewers. Put four or five cubes on each one. Spaced pieces dry on all sides.
4. Pour the leftover marinade into a small pan. Bring it to a boil for two minutes. Wait until it is covered in grey ash. Never grill over flames at any point. Hold your hand above the grill to judge it. You should not be able to hold it long.
5. Lay the skewers on the hot grill. Give them about four full minutes. Turn them all over with tongs. Give them another four minutes. Brush them with the boiled marinade. It keeps the surface from drying out.
6. Brush it on quite generously each time. Judging them takes a careful look. Turn them often to control that. Beef cubes dry out quickly on a grill. Take them off while still juicy inside. Fifteen minutes is usually enough. Let the flames die before returning them. Let the skewers sit for two minutes. Do not rest them long or they cool.
7. Serve kachumbari alongside them. Put pili pili sauce out on the table. Add chips or chapati if you want a meal. It must be eaten hot from the grill.

Technique

• The atlas also carries mishkak from Oman — the same word in Arabic — and masikita from Madagascar, from the same root again. Arab and Omani traders sailed the Indian Ocean for centuries and Oman ruled Zanzibar for a long period, and the word and the food travelled with them. The Omani version leans on tamarind while the Tanzanian one uses lemon and curry powder; they are relatives rather than one dish.
• Grate the onion rather than chopping it, since grated onion releases its juice into the marinade where chopped onion just sits on the surface. Cut the cubes small at about three centimetres, since acid tenderises only the surface and small cubes have more of it.
• Boil the leftover marinade for two minutes before basting with it: it has held raw meat, and boiling makes it safe to brush on right to the end rather than discarding it.

Substitutions

• Goat stands in for beef and both are grilled.
• Metal skewers avoid soaking; dry wooden ones catch fire over charcoal.

Variations

• Curry powder came with Indian migration and soy sauce through later trade; both are now standard in the marinade.
• Kachumbari, the sharp raw tomato and onion relish, and pili pili sauce are served alongside.
• Braziers are lit as the sun goes down and the grills line the roads outside bars.

History

From Arabic mishkak, skewered meat marinated and grilled; the technique arrived with Arab traders and became Tanzanian evening street food.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mishkaki?

Mishkaki is a street food from Tanzania: marinated meat skewers grilled over coals at dusk. From Arabic mishkak, skewered meat marinated and grilled; the technique arrived with Arab traders and became Tanzanian evening street food.

How long does Mishkaki take to make?

Mishkaki takes 25 minutes plus marinating of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Mishkaki?

Yes, within limits. Goat stands in for beef and both are grilled. Metal skewers avoid soaking; dry wooden ones catch fire over charcoal.

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

Pour the leftover marinade into a small pan. Bring it to a boil for two minutes. Wait until it is covered in grey ash. Never grill over flames at any point. Hold your hand above the grill to judge it. You should not be able to hold it long.