Swahili Mishkaki

Mishkaki is a Swahili street food - beef kabobs grilled as you wait, hands in pockets or chewing the fat with other hubbies out for some post-dinner MEAT, sipping cold sugarcane juice or having a bowl of hot urojo (mango soup.)

We've been living here in Pemba, Zanzibar, for nearly four years now, and have only recently discovered the VERY simple secret (mostly because we were busy chasing the more complicated wives-tales including boiled tamarind, limes, chilies...)

Here's the simple, delicious truth - and worth a try next time you grill, even for the Americans and Europeans in our midst.

Swahili Mishkaki

-Chop 2 lbs. of lean steak into small bites

Mix together:
-1/4 cup minced ginger
-2 cloves minced garlic
-1 tbsp. oil -2 tsp. salt
-3 tbsp. soy sauce (for the purist, go ahead and increase the salt and omit the soy sauce, but I found that this small addition added a whole bunch of the right sort of flavor.)

Marinate the beef in the mixture over night, giving it a stir once or twice, then skewer and grill.

This is Mishkaki, and it's just plain The Best.  It does not, surprisingly, have a very strong ginger taste (in case you're opposed) but the ginger does work some tenderizing and flavorful magic.   Tamu Kabisa... Utterly delicious:) Pin It Now!