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Mishkaki

A marinated beef skewer dish from East Africa.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 16 ingredients
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Why it works: Coriander and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,866 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Mishkaki

Time24–48 hours marinating

Ingredients

Directions

Marinate

  1. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, water, thyme, spices, ginger paste, and garlic paste to make a marinade.

  2. Add the meat and toss well, then transfer everything to a large ziplock bag.

  3. Seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 24–48 hours.

  4. Take the meat out of the refrigerator and let it sit for at least an hour to reach room temperature.

Grill and serve

  1. Thread the meat onto the skewers.

  2. Preheat a charcoal grill.

  3. Grease the grill grate and place the skewers on it.

  4. Cook until medium-done (internal temperature 65°C / 145°F).

  5. Serve hot with fresh coriander.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

453Calories
28 gProtein
30 gFat
17 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 13 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Allspice1 tsp ground (1.9g)5
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Waternot in our table0
Coriandernot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Coriander + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,866 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Thyme + allspicetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,077 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  4. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Thyme + cumintop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together349 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef sirloin steak
Provides the meat that becomes tender and juicy when grilled after marinating.
White vinegar
Adds acidity that helps tenderise the meat during marinating.
Vegetable oil
Carries the spices and helps keep the meat moist on the grill.
Garlic paste
Adds pungent savoury flavour that deepens as the meat marinates.
Ginger paste
Adds warm, aromatic flavour to the marinade.
Fresh coriander
Adds fresh, herbal aroma as a finishing garnish.

The step that matters

Cook to medium-done with the grill's heat under control. Grilling over direct charcoal heat can char the outside before the centre reaches temperature. Checking the internal temperature keeps the meat juicy rather than dry.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, thyme, garlic, coriander, cumin, pepper, allspice):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Mustardfits better
  3. Okrafits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, thyme, garlic, coriander, cumin, pepper, allspice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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