During my last trip to Kenya, I had the pleasure of meeting Mshikaki for the first time – a pleasure I am still reliving. And I daresay that jf you’ve ever had the pleasure of hanging out in Nairobi or Mombasa, you’d be hard pressed not to spot one or several Mshikaki stalls.
Mshikaki is basically marinated meat on skewers, cooked on an open air charcoal grill. Mshikaki is a very popular snack enjoyed mainly after dusk, which is when the Mshikaki stalls come to life. In so many ways, Mshikaki stalls in Mombasa are so reminiscent of suya stands in Northern Nigeria.
Mshikaki isn’t fussy with regards to what meat is skewered and grilled for 15 minutes. This is up to the seller but basically, the meats of choice are usually either of beef or goat or mutton. The secret to Mshikaki is the marinade. which is a combination of various aromatic herbs and spices, prevalent along the eastern coast of Africa.
As a lover of simplicity, this is one of those dishes that you can pull together in about 30 minutes, with minimal fuss. For this recipe, I have used minced grass-fed beef, marinated in herbs and spices, with eggs and breadcrumbs acting as binding agents. I have used Panier-Mischung from Knorr which contains absolutely no preservatives as my breadcrumbs! I then roasted the meatballs for 20 minutes, then basted them in a Sweet Pepper Sauce, and I have to say, I even got 2 enthusiastic thumbs-ups from one fussy eater!. I left out the skewers, but do feel free to put some skewers on, for an authentic Kenyan treat.
Let’s get started.
- 500 g beef grass-fed
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 10 g fresh thyme
- 1 tsp coriander ground
- 1 tsp paprika hot
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- 2 cloves garlic pressed
- 2 eggs medium-sized (approx 65g) and pasture-raised
- 200 g seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- Mix onion, thyme, spices, garlic, eggs and seasoned breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Fold in minced meat and rub the mix well into the mince. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 180ºC (fan-assisted oven) or 200ºC. With slightly damp hands, roll the mince mixture into balls. Arrange on prepared parchment sheet.
- Brush the olive oil over the meatballs, and roast in oven for 20 minutes.
Serve with sweet pepper sauce or your favourite dipping sauce.
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