Great kebabs for any meal

Kebabs for starters, mains and dessert – they’re a brilliant way to prepare meals

SURF ’N TURF KEBABS

The popular combo of red meat and seafood works well on a skewer. The calamari and steak have the same cooking time, so neither dries out when they’re braaied together. MAKES 4-6 KEBABS Preparation: 20 min Marinating: 30 min Cooking: 5-10 min 500g beef steak 4 calamari steaks 2 lemons MARINADE FOR CALAMARI juice of 1 lemon 15ml (1T) oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed handful of fresh parsley,

chopped TO FINISH salt and freshly ground pepper 60ml (¼c) barbecue sauce micro herbs to garnish

(optional) Prepare a braai with enough coals to cook the steak and calamari. Keep a braai grid and kebab skewers handy. 1 Cut the steak into 3cm cubes. Slice the calamari into wide strips. Cut the lemons into wedges. 2 Put the calamari in a marinating bowl and set aside. 3 Marinade Mix all the ingredients well and pour over the calamari. Mix to coat and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. 4 To finish Thread a steak cube, then a calamari strip folded concertina-style on a skewer. Repeat until the skewer is nearly full. Add a lemon wedge to each end of the kebab. Make the rest of the kebabs in the same way. 5 Season with salt and pepper. Arrange on the grid and braai for a minute on each side. Brush liberally with the barbecue sauce and braai for another 1-2 minutes a side or until the steak is done to your liking and the calamari is no longer translucent. 6 Garnish with micro herbs (if using) and serve hot.

SWEET CHILLI CHICKEN KEBABS

MAKES 6-8 KEBABS Preparation: 15 min Marinating: 1 hour or overnight Cooking: 6-10 min MARINADE 30ml (2T) oil 1 small red onion,

chopped 60ml (¼c) honey 60ml (¼c) light brown

sugar 15ml (1T) rice vinegar

or white wine vinegar 2,5ml (½t) sesame oil

(optional) 15ml (1T) fish sauce 4 garlic cloves,

crushed 2-3 red chillies,

chopped 2cm fresh ginger,

grated (optional) salt and freshly

ground pepper KEBABS

4 chicken breast fillets 2 small red onions, quartered (optional) TO SERVE 5ml (1t) dried chilli

flakes (optional) fresh basil lemon wedges

(optional) Prepare a braai with enough coals to cook the chicken. Keep a braai grid and kebab skewers handy. 1 Marinade Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until soft and done but not browned. Add the rest of the ingredients except the salt and pepper and cook, stirring continuously, until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes or until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper and cool completely. 2 Kebabs Cut the chicken fillets into long strips and transfer to a marinating bowl. Pour the marinade over and mix well to coat. Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. 3 Thread the chicken strips onto skewers concertina-style. Add an onion quarter to the end of each kebab (if using). 4 Arrange the kebabs on the grid and braai for 3 minutes a side or until done and lightly charred. 5 To serve Sprinkle the chilli flakes over (if using) and serve with basil and lemon wedges (if using).

CURRIED PORK KEBABS

MAKES ABOUT 6 KEBABS Preparation: 15 min Marinating: 1 hour Cooking: 15-20 min 850g – 1kg leg of

pork MARINADE 500ml (2c) plain

yoghurt 2 chillies, chopped 5cm fresh ginger,

grated 6 garlic cloves, crushed juice and grated zest of

1 lemon 30ml (2T) roasted

masala 5ml (1t) turmeric 5ml (1t) cumin seeds,

toasted salt and freshly ground

pepper TO SERVE 4-6 readymade naan breads and/or poppadums 2 baby cucumbers or ½ regular cucumber, thinly sliced lengthways 125ml (½c) plain

yoghurt 1 chilli, chopped a few fresh mint

sprigs Prepare a braai with enough coals to cook the pork. Keep a braai grid and kebab skewers handy. 1 Cut the pork into cubes of about 2cm and transfer to a marinating bowl. 2 Marinade Mix the ingredients well. Set aside 60ml (¼c) of the marinade in a separate bowl in the fridge until needed. 3 Spoon the rest of the yoghurt marinade over the pork cubes and mix to coat. Marinate in the fridge for about an hour. 4 Thread the pork cubes onto skewers and arrange on the grid. Braai for about 15 minutes or until done to your liking. 5 To serve Arrange the naan breads or poppadums on a serving plate. Add the cucumber slices, followed by the yoghurt and reserved marinade. Finally add the kebabs and sprinkle the chopped chilli and mint over. Serve immediately.

DESSERT ON A STICK

MAKES 6-8 KEBABS Preparation: 20 min Resting: 30 min Cooking: 15 min 4 bars (55g each) chocolate such as Bar One TEMPURA BATTER 180ml (¾c) cake flour 60ml (¼c) cornflour 1,2ml (¼t) salt 1 egg, whisked 250ml (1c) chilled soda

water

TO FINISH oil for deep-frying chocolate sauce or ice cream (optional)

Keep a few kebab skewers handy. 1 Halve the chocolate bars and thread each half lengthways onto a skewer. Set aside. 2 Tempura batter Mix the cake flour, cornflour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. 3 Pour the egg and soda water into the well then whisk to form a smooth batter. Cover and rest for at least 30 minutes. 4 To finish Heat the oil in a saucepan or pot. 5 Dip the chocolate kebabs into the batter one at a time and deep-fry until golden brown. If the batter browns too fast, reduce the heat and fry slowly to ensure the chocolate starts to melt. 6 Serve the kebabs as is or with chocolate sauce or ice cream.

MUSHROOM KEBABS WITH DUKKAH CRUMB

MAKES 6 KEBABS Preparation: 15 min Marinating: 3 hours or overnight Cooking: 10-15 min

750g mushrooms MARINADE 60ml (¼c) olive oil 80ml (¹⁄₃c) white wine

vinegar 1 red onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, crushed 5ml (1t) dried thyme 5ml (1t) dried chilli

flakes 10g fresh parsley,

chopped DUKKAH CRUMB 15ml (1T) coriander

seeds 15ml (1T) cumin seeds 45ml (3T) sesame

seeds 2,5ml (½t) ground

cumin 15ml (1T) light brown

sugar 50g almonds, chopped 5ml (1t) dried thyme 5ml (1t) sea salt flakes TO FINISH 6 long, sturdy rosemary

sprigs fresh herbs to garnish

(optional) Prepare a braai with enough coals to char the mushrooms. Keep a braai grid handy. 1 Put the mushrooms in a marinating bowl. 2 Marinade Mix the ingredients well. Pour over the mushrooms and mix to coat. Marinate in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight, mixing every now and again to ensure the mushrooms marinate evenly. 3 Dukkah crumb Toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and sesame seeds in a dry pan until they just start to change colour and become fragrant. Lightly bruise the seeds using a mortar and pestle. 4 Mix the seeds with the rest of the crumb ingredients and set aside. 5 To finish Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and thread onto the rosemary twigs. Transfer the kebabs to the grid and braai over the coals until lightly charred. 6 Sprinkle the dukkah crumb and herbs (if using) on top and serve.