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Sekuwa
Spiced grilled meat skewers
सेकुवा (sekuwa): spiced meat skewers grilled over a wood fire, Dharan style
Dharan, in Nepal's eastern hills, is famous for its 'sekuwa corner', a lane of smoky grills where families and friends gather in the evening for spiced goat, chicken and pork skewers fresh off the fire. The meat is marinated in a dry-ish paste of garlic, ginger, cumin, chilli and timur (Nepali Sichuan pepper), with a little mustard oil, then grilled until charred at the edges. It is the classic picnic and party food, eaten with puffed rice, a tomato-sesame achar and sliced onion. This recipe uses lamb or mutton shoulder in place of goat. Chef's tip: soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes and leave a little space between the pieces so the heat reaches all sides.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 1 ½ lb boneless lamb or goat shouldercut into 3 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp garlic-ginger paste
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 ½ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
To cook and serve
- 8 wooden or metal skewerswooden ones soaked for 30 minutes
- 1 red onionsliced
- 3 ½ oz puffed rice (bhuja) (optional)
- 1 limein wedges
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 1 ½ lb boneless lamb or goat shoulder in a bowl with 2 tbsp garlic-ginger paste, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 ½ tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp Sichuan pepper (timur), ground, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp mustard oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 ¼ tsp salt. Mix with your hands until every cube is coated.
5 minStep 2: Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Never leave raw meat out on the counter to marinate.
5 minStep 3: Light a charcoal grill and let it burn down to glowing coals, or heat a griddle pan or the oven grill to high. Thread the lamb onto 8 wooden or metal skewers with small gaps between the pieces.
10 minStep 4: Grill for 10–14 minutes, turning every 2–3 minutes, until charred at the edges. A common mistake is crowding the skewers on the grill; the meat steams instead of searing.
12 minStep 5: Check a thick piece: lamb cubes should be browned all over and cooked to at least 145°F for medium, with juices that are no longer red. If using pork, cook to 160°F. Rest the skewers for 3 minutes.
3 minStep 6: Slide the meat off the skewers and serve hot with 1 red onion, 3 ½ oz puffed rice (bhuja) and 1 lime.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sekuwa take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic-ginger paste?
- Equal parts crushed garlic and grated ginger.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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