Thursday 09 / May / 2024
While no one knows for sure the origin of barbecue we all know that barbecue is not just about devouring huge chunks of hot eats off the grill, it is an experience by itself. Traditionally prepared over hot burning charcoal; marinated meat, chicken, sausages, prawns, fish, cubed cottage cheese, and a host of root and starchy vegetables are just some of the different types of food that can be grilled.
Talk of barbecue and I transport back to yesteryears when I had the opportunity to eat Nairobi’s traditional barbecue in an exotic setting at Kenya’s Safari Club. A whopping 13 types of meat were served, and I was awestruck by the sheer enormity of the platter, much before I tasted them. There was a huge wooden plate in front of each diner.
We were almost 300 in total and each of us were served by around 20 chefs who were at the barbecue pits, preparing meat ranging from camel and ostrich to crocodile, lamb and chicken, to name a few. There was also a huge stage featuring 15 to 20 African performers, who were dancing to some energetic African beats. What an ambience it was. A cool climate, piping hot BBQ, and some finest dance performances.
Each time the piping hot BBQ meat was brought to our table, served on skewers, it was like a wish upon a grill. The chefs would cut off generous portions of meat onto our wooden platters and we couldn’t wait longer to dig into the flavourful delights . It was an appetising ecstasy indeed and the chefs lingered around to make sure that every bite was savoured with relish.
But what caught my attention was the camel meat spread. While I have been in Oman for more than two decades, I never got a chance to sink my teeth into this delicacy before and it was my first time, in the wilderness of Kenya.
While it was new to my palate, my culinary curiosity was so overwhelming that I went ahead and tasted crocodile meat; it is like a mixture of chicken and fish. I have many memories of barbecue gatherings and while each time I get nostalgic about my barbecue sojourns, come winter and Muscat too gets all set for some perfect barbecue outing.
There is no dearth of an ideal location here though beach barbecue is more prevalent. So as your charcoal heats up, have a lovely salad such as potato or a Waldorf salad as a starter, and then watch the chicken sausages sizzle as you light the grill.
Marinate the sausages with tomato ketchup, salt, and a dash of pepper or rub in some chicken tandoori masala for added flavours. For chicken, marinate with yoghurt, tandoori chicken masala, ginger-garlic paste, salt and lemon juice and leave it overnight for the masalas to soak in the chicken pieces. Once the griddle is hot, place the chicken pieces on the grill and brush oil onto the meat. Turn it over and let it cook. Add a dash of lemon.
Grilled corn is delicious and once ready, you can add some salt, a little chilli powder, butter and some lime on it. Vegetarians can marinate some cottage cheese in yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, a little garam masala powder, coriander powder, salt, and some chaat masala. Mix all the ingredients and add pieces of paneer, pieces of squared capsicum and onions. Let it all stand for a few hours till all the spices seep into the paneer. Take a skewer and place the capsicum, onion, paneer, onion and capsicum and let it cook on the grill. Once done sprinkle some chaat masala and a few drops of lime on it.
There are plenty of other ways to create a delicious marination. All you need to do is just be a little more creative. So go on a barbecue binge and have an impromptu gathering in Muscat’s finest weather now.
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Recipes for marination
For chicken
Marinade/sauce
Ingredients
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the grill
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
butterflied
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
Preparation
Combine the honey, mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl with chicken and refrigerate for 24 hours to make sure the meat is well coated.
For prawns
You can marinade your seafood with lemon, garlic, and salt
For lamb chops
Marinade/sauce
Ingredients
1 small onion, cut into chunks
4 canned tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
4 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons red vinegar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon coriander powder
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 lamb loin chops, 11/2 inches thick
Olive oil
Preparation
In a food processor, process the marinade ingredients until very smooth, for about one to two minutes. Arrange the chops side by side. Pour the marinade over the chops and turn to coat them on all sides. Cover with a plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for three to five hours.
