How to Make Chips Mishkaki: The Best Recipe for Tender Skewers and Crispy Chips

Friday evening on a street corner in Mwananyamala. The mishkaki man fans his charcoal with a piece of cardboard, the smoke drifts across the road, and a queue forms before the first skewers are even turned. Next to him, a woman fries chips in a big karai. Put the two together on one plate with kachumbari and a spoon of pilipili, and you have chips mishkaki, one of the best meals in Tanzania.

To make chips mishkaki at home, marinate small cubes of beef for at least two hours in garlic, ginger, lemon juice, a little oil, curry powder and salt (papaya or yoghurt makes it more tender), thread them onto skewers, and grill them over hot charcoal or in a very hot pan for 8 to 12 minutes. Serve on crispy chips with kachumbari and pilipili. Here is the full recipe and the small tricks that make it taste like the street version.

What is mishkaki?

Mishkaki (also spelled mshikaki) are small pieces of marinated meat, usually beef, grilled on skewers. They are close cousins of the shish kebab and of West Africa's suya, and they are everywhere in Tanzania in the evening, from street corners to bars and weddings. Served on chips, they become chips mishkaki. We list it with other favourites in Tanzanian dishes made with fries.

What do you need?

For 4 plates:

• 1 kg beef (sirloin, rump or a tender steak cut), cut into 2 to 3 cm cubes
• 1 tablespoon grated garlic and 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• Juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder or mchuzi mix
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons grated green papaya or 3 tablespoons plain yoghurt (to tenderise)
• Skewers (metal, or wooden ones soaked in water for 30 minutes)
• 1 to 1.5 kg frozen fries for the chips (about 300 g per plate)
• For kachumbari: 3 tomatoes, 1 red onion, 1 green chilli, coriander, lemon juice and salt

How do you marinate the meat?

Mix everything except the meat in a bowl, then add the beef and turn it until every piece is coated. Cover and leave it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight for the best flavour. The papaya or yoghurt is the street cook's secret; it softens tough meat. Do not leave papaya on the meat for more than about 6 hours or it turns mushy.

If you only have tougher meat, cut it smaller, around 2 cm, and give it the full overnight marinade.

How do you grill mishkaki?

1. Thread the meat onto skewers, 5 to 6 pieces each, with small gaps so the heat reaches every side. Some cooks add pieces of onion and green pepper between the meat.
2. Get the charcoal very hot, glowing red with a layer of white ash, and spread it evenly.
3. Grill for 8 to 12 minutes, turning every 2 minutes and brushing with leftover marinade mixed with a little oil for the first few turns only.
4. Fan the coals now and then for a smoky char. A few dark edges are good; burnt is not.
5. Rest the skewers for 2 to 3 minutes before serving so the juices settle.

No charcoal? Use a heavy frying pan or griddle on the highest heat with a thin film of oil. Cook in batches so the pan stays very hot, turning often. You lose some smoke but keep the flavour.

Cook beef until it is no longer red inside if you are serving children, older people or anyone with a weak immune system, and never brush raw marinade on meat in the last minutes of cooking. The World Health Organization's Five Keys to Safer Food is a good reminder: keep raw and cooked separate and cook thoroughly.

How do you make the chips?

Fry the chips while the skewers rest so everything reaches the plate hot. Heat oil to about 175°C and fry frozen fries straight from the freezer in half-basket batches for about 3 minutes until golden. Drain, salt lightly (the meat is already seasoned) and pile onto plates. If you are cutting fresh potatoes, follow our crispy chips guide.

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Supa Fries go straight from the freezer to the oil, so the chips are ready by the time the skewers have rested.

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What do you serve with chips mishkaki?

• Kachumbari: thinly sliced tomato, onion and green chilli with coriander, lemon juice and salt. Make it just before serving so it stays fresh.
• Pilipili: a hot chilli sauce or a dish of chopped fresh chilli with lemon.
• Tomato sauce for children, and garlic mayo for those who like it. See our dipping sauces for fries.
• Grilled bananas or roasted maize if you are cooking for a crowd.

To serve, put the chips down first, lay two or three skewers across the top so the meat juices drip into the chips, and add kachumbari on the side.

What variations can you try?

What mistakes make mishkaki tough or dry?

Most tough mishkaki comes from one of four things. The meat was cut too big, so the outside burned before the inside cooked. It was not marinated long enough. The fire was too cool, so the meat stewed in its own juices instead of searing. Or it stayed on the grill too long. Keep the cubes small and even, marinate for hours not minutes, cook over hot coals and take the skewers off while the meat is still juicy. Leftover mishkaki can be sliced and tossed with chips, onion and chilli the next day for a quick masala chips with meat.

For a crowd, grill the skewers in batches and keep them warm in a covered dish while the next batch cooks, but fry the chips at the last minute. Cold, soft chips under hot meat is the most common party mistake. Our portion guide helps you plan how much to cook.

Can you sell chips mishkaki as a business?

Yes, and many people do. Chips mishkaki sells best in the evening near bars, bus stops and busy roads, and at weddings and parties. Cost every part of the plate: meat, marinade, charcoal, chips, oil, kachumbari and packaging. Our post on chips cost per plate shows how. Keep raw meat cold until it goes on the grill, and keep a separate board and knife for raw meat. Our food safety rules for chips vendors covers the basics. For catering, fries for weddings and events explains how to plan quantities.

Back in Mwananyamala, the mishkaki man has one rule he never breaks: the meat goes in the marinade the night before. "If you rush mishkaki," he says, "the customer chews for a long time and does not come back."

In short

To make chips mishkaki, marinate 2 to 3 cm beef cubes for at least 2 hours (or overnight) in garlic, ginger, lemon, oil, curry powder, pepper, salt and a little papaya or yoghurt. Thread onto skewers and grill over very hot charcoal or in a smoking hot pan for 8 to 12 minutes, turning often, then rest for a few minutes. Fry frozen fries at about 175°C for about 3 minutes while the meat rests, lay the skewers on the chips, and serve with kachumbari and pilipili.

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