Mshakiki

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 kgzebu beef
• or any lean beef, in 3 cm cubes
• some fat left on

The marinade

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

To baste

• the strained marinade
• boiled
• a little oil

To serve

• a hot chilli sauce
• raw onion and tomato
• flatbread or rice
• lime wedges

Directions

1. Take it off while still juicy. Both matter with a lean firm cut. Cut the beef into even sized cubes. Aim for about three centimetres. Take some time over the cutting. Trim off any hard sinew or gristle. Leave the soft fat on the cubes. Fat renders and keeps the meat moist.
2. Grate the onion into a large bowl. Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger. Squeeze in all of the lime juice. Add the oil and all the spices. Add the salt and stir it together. Combining it takes only a moment.
3. Put the beef cubes into the marinade. Turn them so they are all well coated. 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.
4. Thread the cubes onto the skewers. Put four or five cubes on each one. Spaced pieces dry on all sides. 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.
5. Hold your hand above the grill to judge it. You should not be able to hold it long. Lay the skewers on the hot grill. Give them about four full minutes. Turn them all over with tongs. Give them another four full minutes.
6. Brush them with the boiled marinade. It keeps the surface from drying out. Brush it on quite generously each time. Judging them takes a careful look. Turn them often to control that.
7. 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. Put hot chilli sauce out beside them. Add chopped raw onion and tomato. Serve flatbread or rice alongside. It must be eaten hot from the grill.

Technique

• The atlas carries four members of this family: mishkak from Oman, mishkaki from Tanzania, masikita from Madagascar and this Comorian mshakiki. The word comes from Arabic for skewering and travelled with Arab and Omani traders across the Indian Ocean. Oman leans on tamarind, Tanzania on lemon and curry powder, Madagascar has changed further, and the Comorian version sits close to the Tanzanian with lime and turmeric. 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

• Any lean beef stands in for zebu, the humped cattle kept across the Comoros and Madagascar.
• Metal skewers avoid soaking; dry wooden ones catch fire over charcoal.

Variations

• Zebu is leaner and firmer than European beef with a stronger flavour, so leave some soft fat on and take the skewers off while still juicy.
• The Comoros sit in the Mozambique Channel and were part of the Swahili trading world, which shaped their food and language.
• Wait for grey-ashed coals rather than grilling over flames, and move the skewers aside when dripping fat flares up.

History

Skewers of marinated beef grilled over charcoal; the name comes from Swahili mishkaki, carried from the East African coast.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mshakiki?

Mshakiki is a street food from Comoros: marinated zebu skewers grilled over coals. Skewers of marinated beef grilled over charcoal; the name comes from Swahili mishkaki, carried from the East African coast.

How long does Mshakiki take to make?

Mshakiki 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 Mshakiki?

Yes, within limits. Any lean beef stands in for zebu, the humped cattle kept across the Comoros and Madagascar. Metal skewers avoid soaking; dry wooden ones catch fire over charcoal.

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

Thread the cubes onto the skewers. Put four or five cubes on each one. Spaced pieces dry on all sides. 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.