Mishkaki

Ingredients

• 800 g beef sirloin or rump, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste for the baste
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil for the baste
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 12 metal or soaked bamboo skewers
• Kachumbari and lime wedges, to serve

Before you cook

• Trim the beef and cut it into even 3 cm cubes.
• Whisk the garlic, ginger, lime juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon of tamarind, cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder, black pepper, cinnamon, salt and 3 tablespoons of oil together in a bowl.
• Turn the beef through the marinade until every cube is coated.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
• Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes if you are using them.
• Whisk the remaining tamarind, oil and chilli flakes together to make the basting sauce.
• Take the beef out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and thread 4 or 5 cubes onto each skewer, pushed close but not squashed.

Steps

1. Light a charcoal grill and wait until the coals are covered in grey ash and glowing, or heat a griddle pan until it smokes.
2. Lay the skewers over the hottest part of the grill.
3. Grill for 3 minutes without moving them, until the underside is deeply browned and lifts away cleanly.
4. Turn the skewers and grill the second side for 3 minutes.
5. Move the skewers to a cooler part of the grill and brush them all over with the tamarind baste.
6. Cook for a further 4 minutes, turning and basting twice more, until the beef is charred at the corners and just pink inside.
7. Lift the skewers onto a warm plate and rest them for 4 minutes.
8. Serve with kachumbari and lime wedges.