African Style Shish Kebab Food

THE BEST SHISH KEBABS

Steps:

• Soak the skewers in water for at least 15 minutes and up to overnight. Pat them dry and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk the vinegar, scallions, Dijon, garlic, sugar, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified.
• Put the beef pieces, bell peppers, onions and zucchini in a large resealable plastic bag. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade and pour the rest into the bag and seal. Toss the bag so the meat and vegetables are well coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat.
• Thread the meat and vegetables onto a skewer in the following order: beef, zucchini, red pepper, yellow pepper and onion. Repeat the threading three more times, ending with a piece of beef (there should be 5 pieces of beef and 4 pieces of each vegetable on the skewer). Repeat with the remaining skewers and ingredients.
• Sprinkle the kebabs with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Grill at an angle, uncovered, until deep char marks form and the vegetables start to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the skewers and continue cooking until the beef has reached an internal temperature of 125 degrees F when measured with an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the grill and brush the kebabs with the reserved 1/4 cup marinade. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

WEST AFRICAN BEEF KABOBS

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, grate the onion until it's finely chopped. Add the peanut butter, tomato paste, olive oil, all spice, salt, crushed red pepper and powdered ginger. Continue to blend until the mixture is well combined and smooth.
• Transfer the sauce from the blender to a large bowl. Add the beef to the sauce and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the beef to marinade.
• When ready to grill, thread the beef onto wooden or metal skewers. Pour any leftover marinade on top of the beef kabobs.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, and grease the grill with cooking spray.
• Cook on the preheated grill, flipping once, until meat is browned, about 10-15 minutes.

NIGERIAN BEEF SUYA (SPICED GRILLED SKEWERS) RECIPE

Steps:

• For the Yajin Kuli: In a small mixing bowl, combine groundnut/peanut butter powder, ground ginger, sweet paprika, onion powder, kosher salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper powder, ground grains of selim (if desired), cubeb pepper, and ground cloves. Whisk to mix thoroughly, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
• For the Suya: Wrap beef tightly in plastic wrap and place on a plate or small baking sheet and set in the freezer until the beef is partially frozen and firm to the touch, 15 to 30 minutes. Using a sharp chef's knife or slicing knife, slice beef against the grain into 2-inch-long, 1-inch-wide, and 1/8-inch-thick strips. (The easiest and most efficient way to do this is to start by portioning the beef into 2-inch-wide by 1-inch-thick pieces, and then slicing those pieces crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick strips.)
• Place sliced beef in large mixing bowl and drizzle peanut oil over it. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of yajin kuli over the beef and carefully toss and massage spice rub into beef until it is evenly coated. Cover, place in refrigerator, and allow beef to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
• Working with one piece of beef at a time, thread beef onto skewers, piercing each piece through twice to secure it, then bunching meat tightly together like an accordion. Continue threading beef onto skewer, making sure it's bunched tightly together, leaving no parts of the skewer exposed except for a 2-inch handle at the bottom and the pointy tip at the top. Repeat skewering process with remaining beef.
• If Using Skewer-Specific Grill Setup: Set up grill for skewers, making sure to adjust distance between bricks to the length of your skewers. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly in the channel between bricks.
• Place skewers directly over the hot coals, balancing them on top of the bricks, with the handles overhanging the bricks closest to you, and the tips balancing on the farther wall of bricks. Cook, turning frequently, until beef is lightly charred and a piece of beef looks cooked through when removed and cut in half, about 8 minutes. If flare-ups occur, move the skewers around as needed to get them away from the flames. Transfer to serving platter and let rest 2 to 3 minutes (see note).
• If Using Conventional Charcoal or Gas Grill: Light 1 chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals evenly over half of coal grate. Alternatively, set half the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate.
• Place skewers on grate and cook over direct heat, turning once, until charred on both sides and a piece of beef looks cooked through when removed and cut in half, about 8 minutes. Transfer to serving platter and let rest 2 to 3 minutes.
• For Serving: Serve with reserved yajin kuli, thinly sliced red onions, tomatoes, lime halves, crisp lettuce, and coriander leaves and tender stems.

AFRICAN-STYLE SHISH KEBAB

Steps:

• Combine yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, onion, mint,.
• cilantro, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper in large bowl. Add.
• meat to marinade; refrigerate 4 to 5 hours for lamb, overnight.
• for beef.
• Remove from refrigerator 2 hours before cooking.
• Just before cooking, arrange meat on skewers alternately with.
• tomatoes, green peppers, onions and mushrooms. Place on grill.
• 3 inches above coals, which should be red hot but not flaming.
• Cook 5 minutes on each side, turning skewers to brown meat.
• evenly.
• I recommend serving with rice.

BUILD-YOUR-OWN SHISH KABOBS

Steps:

• If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 1 hour to retard charring.
• Whisk together all of the Dijon-rosemary steak ingredients (except the steak) in a bowl. Toss the steak in the mixture until evenly coated. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Whisk together all of the citrus-tarragon chicken ingredients (except the chicken) in a bowl. Toss the chicken in the mixture until evenly coated. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Whisk together all of the lemon garlic shrimp ingredients (except the shrimp) in a bowl. Toss the shrimp in the mixture until evenly coated. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces.
• Puree balsamic basting vinaigrette ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds.
• Place meats, shrimp, and veggies in individual bowls and set out buffet style. Instruct your guests to skewer their own kabobs and baste veggies with balsamic vinaigrette.
• Grill kabobs directly over heat source for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning 1/4 rotation every 2 to 3 minutes, or until the meat and/or fish is cooked throughout.

SHISH KEBAB

Steps:

• Skewer the lamb cubes on the skewers. Stir together the yogurt, olive oil and onion juice in a glass or ceramic pan or bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the lamb skewers, coat with the marinade and refrigerate, covered, for 4 hours. Prepare a charcoal fire and let it die down a bit or preheat a gas grill for 15 minutes on low. Set the skewers on a skewer holder over the fire and grill until golden brown and succulent, turning often, about 20 minutes. Or, lacking a skewer holder, place them on the grill and grill to perfection. Serve with or on a piece grill-warmed pita bread and the cacik on the side.
• Toss grated cucumber with a light sprinkling of salt. Leave for 30 minutes. Drain the cucumber, squeezing out all the liquid. Pound the garlic in a mortar with 1 teaspoon salt until completely mashed. Stir the garlic into the yogurt and beat with a fork until smooth. Stir in the cucumber, the dill, mint and olive oil and stir until the consistency of a thick soup. Refrigerate for an hour and serve cold.
• Recipe courtesy Clifford Wright

TRAFFIC LIGHT CHICKEN SHISH KEBABS

Steps:

• Make the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Spoon a third of the mixture into a smaller bowl, then cover and chill until needed. Stir the chicken into the marinade and set aside for 20 mins. Can be chilled for up to two days, covered.
• If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 1 hr before using. Alternately thread the peppers and chicken onto the skewers until you have 6-8 kebabs. You can do this in advance if you like, and chill the kebabs until needed.
• Heat a barbecue to medium, or until a thin layer of coals has turned grey. Cook the kebabs for 10 mins, turning occasionally, until the chicken is charred and cooked through. Serve the kebabs with the reserved yogurt sauce, warmed flatbreads, chopped tomatoes and lemon wedges on the side.

SHISH KEBAB SAUTE

Steps:

• Trim fat and cut steak across the grain into bite-size strips about 1/4 inch thick and 1/4 to 1 inch wide (bite size pieces like in chop steak).
• Place in marinade in a shallow bowl, cover and chill 2-3 hours or longer.
• Drain meat well on paper towels, reserving marinade for later use.
• Cook onion in 2 tablespoons of the butter in large frying pan over medium heat until it is lightly browned.
• Add green pepper, cook stirring until limp and bright green. Remove and reserve the vegetables.
• Brown mushrooms in 2 tablespoons more butter in the same pan; add to the green pepper mixture.
• In remaining butter, cook steak strips quickly, about a third at a time.
• Return all the steak and vegetables to the pan with tomato wedges and 2 tablespoons of the reserved marinade.
• Cook, stirring lightly, just until mixture is heated through.
• Salt to taste.