I used pork for these kebabs, but chicken would work just as wellIn Tanzania you will find “Mishkaki” which are seasoned or marinated cubes of meat (goat, beef, mutton or even fish and chicken) threaded on to a wooden skewer (sometimes with vegetables in between, sometimes not) and cooked over the open coals. This is a variation of the popular South African “Sosatie” (which is the same thing as a “Mishkaki”, but with a funny name !) or the wider known Kebob, Kabob or Kebab.
Who doesn’t like a nice Kebab (as we call them in English here) ? They’re great served at a barbecue – I usually make vegetable kebabs threaded with onions, peppers, courgettes (zucchini), tomatoes & carrots and baste them in a simple lemon, oil and fresh herb marinade.
Yesterday I decided to make some Kebabs and cook them inside, under the grill. We had them for supper with a side salad and baked potatoes, and they were really tender and very tasty.
I was 'inspired' to create a new Kebab marinade when last week in the big city, I found a new ingredient in a local shop called “Kechap Manis” (or “Kecap Manis”). This originates from Indonesia (the bottle I bought came from Thailand though) and is basically a thick, sweet, syrupy soy sauce that has the same colour as soy sauce, the consistency of runny honey, and is much sweeter. It is thickened with sugar (or molasses), and has a distinctive flavour with just a hint of liquorice (I’m guessing that it has aniseed or star anise added, although the bottle does not say !).
I was first introduced to this syrupy delight a few years ago by some Dutch friends (it seems to be used quite commonly in Holland ?). It is great for stirring through noodles, adding to rice, using as a basting sauce, adding to a stir-fry or even, I am told, can be used to make Peking Duck.
This is the marinade recipe I came up with, and it worked a treat -:
Marinated ‘Kechap Manis’ Pork Kebabs
1 kg Pork fillet, cubed (or another cut of pork meat)
4 Onions, quartered
3 tbsp Kechap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)*
3 tbsp Sesame Oil
2 tsp Garlic, finely grated
1 tsp Ginger, finely grated
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Lemon (or Lime) Juice
Black Pepper
Wooden Skewers
Whisk the Kechap Manis, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, salt, lemon juice and black pepper together until well blended. Then add the cubes of pork and the quartered onions. Stir to blend & then cover, & set aside to marinade for around an hour. In the meantime, leave your wooden skewers to soak in a bowl of cold water (this helps to prevent them from burning when you cook the kebabs).
After the meat/onions have been marinating for about an hour, break the onion quarters up slightly and then thread a piece of onion followed by a piece of meat and so on, on to the skewer until all the meat/onions have been used.
Cook under a hot grill until done, turning often and basting with the marinade to keep it moist. You could also cook the kebabs on an open fire/over the coals.
*If you can’t find Kechap Manis in your part of the world, you could always and equal parts of honey and soy sauce instead.
Who doesn’t like a nice Kebab (as we call them in English here) ? They’re great served at a barbecue – I usually make vegetable kebabs threaded with onions, peppers, courgettes (zucchini), tomatoes & carrots and baste them in a simple lemon, oil and fresh herb marinade.
Yesterday I decided to make some Kebabs and cook them inside, under the grill. We had them for supper with a side salad and baked potatoes, and they were really tender and very tasty.
I was 'inspired' to create a new Kebab marinade when last week in the big city, I found a new ingredient in a local shop called “Kechap Manis” (or “Kecap Manis”). This originates from Indonesia (the bottle I bought came from Thailand though) and is basically a thick, sweet, syrupy soy sauce that has the same colour as soy sauce, the consistency of runny honey, and is much sweeter. It is thickened with sugar (or molasses), and has a distinctive flavour with just a hint of liquorice (I’m guessing that it has aniseed or star anise added, although the bottle does not say !).
I was first introduced to this syrupy delight a few years ago by some Dutch friends (it seems to be used quite commonly in Holland ?). It is great for stirring through noodles, adding to rice, using as a basting sauce, adding to a stir-fry or even, I am told, can be used to make Peking Duck.
This is the marinade recipe I came up with, and it worked a treat -:
Marinated ‘Kechap Manis’ Pork Kebabs
1 kg Pork fillet, cubed (or another cut of pork meat)
4 Onions, quartered
3 tbsp Kechap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)*
3 tbsp Sesame Oil
2 tsp Garlic, finely grated
1 tsp Ginger, finely grated
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Lemon (or Lime) Juice
Black Pepper
Wooden Skewers
Whisk the Kechap Manis, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, salt, lemon juice and black pepper together until well blended. Then add the cubes of pork and the quartered onions. Stir to blend & then cover, & set aside to marinade for around an hour. In the meantime, leave your wooden skewers to soak in a bowl of cold water (this helps to prevent them from burning when you cook the kebabs).
After the meat/onions have been marinating for about an hour, break the onion quarters up slightly and then thread a piece of onion followed by a piece of meat and so on, on to the skewer until all the meat/onions have been used.
Cook under a hot grill until done, turning often and basting with the marinade to keep it moist. You could also cook the kebabs on an open fire/over the coals.
*If you can’t find Kechap Manis in your part of the world, you could always and equal parts of honey and soy sauce instead.
