Try nyama choma

IN Kenya and other East African countries, any gathering tends to be an excuse for eating “nyama choma”, Kiswahili for roast meat.

From the finest restaurants to roadside shacks, roast goat meat is served up as a kind of social lubricant, often aided by copious amounts of the local beer.

Nyama choma is always eaten with the hands, and common side dishes include tomato and onion salad, and ugali (sadza).

Ingredients for four to six servings

◆ Goat meat or beef meat, cut into bite-size chunks — 2 pounds

◆ Oil — 3 tablespoons ◆ Warm water — 2 cups ◆ Kosher or sea salt — 2 tablespoons

Method

◆ Prepare your grill and have it hot. Toss the meat with the oil, then thread it on skewers.

◆ Stir the salt into the warm water until it is fully dissolved.

◆ Grill the skewered meat, basting it occasionally with the salt water, until it is cooked to your desired doneness. ◆ Remove the meat from the skewers and serve with onion and tomato salad, and ugali.

Nyama choma variations

Goat meat is the favourite in East Africa, but beef will work just as well. Chunks of meat on skewers are the easiest to grill, but whole legs or shoulders are often roasted until fork-tender. The cooked meat is then pulled off the bone with the fingers. Using short ribs, spare ribs and offal for nyama choma is common as well.

Seasonings

The only seasoning used for authentic nyama choma is in the form of salt and pepper, but if you prefer, you can first marinate your meat in a mixture of minced onions, minced garlic, ground ginger, hot pepper flakes and a little lemon juice.