Serves 4
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 handful coriander (cilantro) leaves and stems
1 handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves and stems
2 tbsp lemon juice
600g thick cut beef rump steak, cut into chunky
2-3cm cubes fresh lemon, to serve
Don’t you find that many skewered meats (kebabs) are tough?
And try not to be tempted by those pre-made ones you see at the
butchers. Here, the acid in the grated onion tenderises the meat
in this Moroccan inspired recipe. And remember to leave the meat
to rest at room temperature for a short while, both before and after
cooking. The cooking time here is short and if cooked directly from
the refrigerator the beef will be stone cold in the centre.
Finely grate the onion so you have 2 tablespoons. Put the onion
pulp into a small bowl with the garlic, cumin, paprika, chilli flakes,
coriander parsley and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Soak some
bamboo skewers.
Put the steak cubes in a non-metallic dish and add the spicy
onion mix. Stir well so the meat is evenly covered in the spices or
cover firmly with plastic food wrap and shake the bowl to combine
the ingredients. Refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours, shaking the bowl from
time to time.
Thread 3 to 4 pieces of meat onto a wooden skewer. Season
each skewer well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Set aside for 30 minutes.
Preheat the barbecue hotplate to high and drizzle with just
enough olive oil to grease. Put the kebabs on the hotplate and cook
for 8 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until all the sides of the beef
are brown. Remove to a serving plate and cover with foil to rest for
5 minutes. Squeeze over fresh lemon to serve.
Recipes and images extracted from Fired Up, by Ross Dobson (Murdoch Books), RRP $34.95. Photography by Brett Stevens.