Nyama Choma (Kenyan Grilled Meat with Kachumbari)

Method

1. Cut the meat into fist-sized pieces of 6 to 8 cm, keeping it on the bone, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Make 2 or 3 slashes in the thickest parts so they cook evenly. Mix the grated garlic and ginger, lemon juice, most of the salt, the pepper and the oil, rub it all over the meat and leave to marinate for 30 min. Don't leave it at room temperature for longer than 30 minutes; for a longer marinade, put it in the fridge.

   Add in this stepBone-in goat or lamb (ribs or leg, in large pieces) 700 gGarlic cloves, finely grated 2Fresh ginger, finely grated 10 gLemon (juice) ½Coarse salt 1¼ tspBlack pepper ½ tspVegetable oil 1½ tbsp

2. Light 2 kg of charcoal and wait about 20 min. When the coals are covered in white-grey ash, pile them on one side of the grill so you have a hot side and a side with no coals. The right charcoal (medium heat): you can hold your hand 10 cm above the grate on the side without coals for 5 to 6 seconds.

   charcoal (medium heat)

3. Put the meat on the side without coals, close the lid if you have one, and grill over charcoal (medium heat) for 45 min, turning every 10 minutes. If dripping fat makes the flames leap, move the meat aside for a moment. It's ready when the fat has rendered, the outside is browned, and the thickest part shows clear juices and no pink when pierced (71 °C or more on a thermometer).

   charcoal (medium heat)

4. While the meat grills, make the kachumbari. Slice the red onion paper-thin, soak it in salted water for 5 minutes, then rinse; this takes away the harsh bite. Thinly slice the tomatoes into half-moons, deseed and finely slice the chilli and roughly chop the coriander. Put everything in a bowl, add the kachumbari salt, squeeze over the lime and toss gently.

   Add in this stepRipe tomatoes (for the kachumbari) 2Red onion (for the kachumbari) ½Green chilli (for the kachumbari) ½Fresh coriander (for the kachumbari) 10 gLime (for the kachumbari) 1Salt (for the kachumbari) 1 pinch

5. Make the ugali. Bring the ugali water to a rolling boil in a 18 cm pot over high heat and whisk in a third of the maize meal a little at a time so no lumps form. Turn down to medium-low heat, then add the rest of the meal bit by bit, stirring without stopping for 10 min with a wooden spoon, pressing and folding the dough against the side of the pot. It's done when it's very stiff, forms one mass that comes cleanly away from the pot and smells toasty. Hot dough can spit, so use a long spoon. Turn it into a wet bowl to shape it into a dome.

   Add in this stepFine white maize meal (for the ugali) 160 gWater (for the ugali) 500 ml

   high heat→medium-low heat

6. Move the meat directly over the coals and grill over charcoal (medium heat) for 4 min, turning, until crisp and charred at the edges. Rest it on a board for 5 minutes, then chop it on the bone into bite-size pieces with a heavy knife and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Serve with the kachumbari and ugali, and eat with your hands.

   Add in this stepCoarse salt ¼ tsp

   charcoal (medium heat)