Bring East Africa under your roof with Nyama Choma

Indulge your taste buds on your next BBQ party this summer, featuring Nyama Choma. No, we’re not talking about “slow boys” (snails) — as the expression “nyama” will easily bring up that image in the mind of some West Africans. Nyama Choma is an East African meal; it is barbecued meat, from the meaning of its name, but hey! This is no ordinary BBQ as you know it, the marinade is what gives the recipe that extra flavour and the respect it deserves.

We got the ultimate Nyama Choma recipe thanks to Kate Hahnel of “We Eat At Last”. She chose goat meat as her nyama. You can use lamb, mutton or beef ifyoudon’tdogoat.Justfollowher steps.

Ingredients

5.5 lbs goat meat (approximately 2.5kgs)

10 cloves garlic

1 bulb whole garlic cut across in the middle

1 red or white onion large

1 lemon juice

⅓ piece ginger

½ cup extra virgin olive oil or preferred cooking oil

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoon ground paprika

1 tablespoon salt

2 stock cubes

6 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 bird-eye chillies deseeded

¾ tablespoon salt

Steps for the Grill Method

1. In a bowl, combine garlic, ginger, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt, stock cubes, rosemary, and chilli. Use a food processor or blender, to save on time but take care not to process it too much. It should still retain some texture.

2. Place the meat in a large bowl and toss it with half of the marinade. Set the other marinade aside, to be used in basting the nyama choma.

3. Use a knife to make slits 2 inches or 5 cm apart on the goat leg and massage the marinade into the meat, making sure to also cover the slits. Cover the meat with aluminium foil and allow to marinate overnight or for at least for 2 hours.

4. Remove the marinated goat meat from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for at least an hour, before setting it on the barbecue. During this time, prepare your grill and set it to high. Cover your grill with ashes if using a charcoal grill, to prevent it from getting too hot.

5. Grill the meat on high for approximately 3 minutes on each side, or until it attains a proper colour then transfer to a triple layer of foil paper.

6. Place two sprigs of rosemary and the bulb of garlic on top of the goat leg. Cover the meat loosely with foil so it resembles a tent.

7. Set it on a baking tray or grilling rack, transfer to the barbe- cue grill then cover the lid, trying to maintain the temperature at medium-low or between 180 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit . Grill at medium-low for one and a half hours, turning from time to time.

8. Once the time is up, mix the honey with 2-3 tablespoons of hot water.Uncoverthemeatandbaste it with the honey glaze. Continue to grill for a further 15-30 minutes or until the desired brownness has been achieved and the juices run clear, or it has an internal temperature of at least 150-160 degrees Fahrenheit.

9. Once cooked, transfer the meat to a tray and allow it to rest for 10-20 minutes before carving. Nyama choma is mainly served with ugali, a cornmeal porridge.

10. If you’d like to try out Nyama Choma, and would like to go with goat meat, Kate can give you some tips for a good marinade. Visit weeatatlast.com/the-ultimate-nyama-choma-recipe.