“These kebabs are lovely to cook on the barbecue, but are just as good made on a chargrill pan if the weather isn’t ideal,” explains chef Ainsley Harriott. “The toasted coconut adds a nutty sweetness to this spicy dish.”
Poppy and coconut beef kebabs with roasted chilli salsa
Equipment
- Barbecue or grill
- Large bowl
- Small baking tray
- Food processor
- Small frying pan
- Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 kg beef sirloin cut into 2.5cm dice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
- 3 tbsp poppy seeds
- 3 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 4 tbsp desiccated coconut
For the roasted chilli salsa
- 3 long green chillies tops trimmed
- 8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil plus an extra drizzle for oiling the chillies
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- A large handful of flat-leaf parsley
- A handful of mint
- 1 lemon juice
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Preheat a barbecue (if using).
- Place the diced beef in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic and ginger and pour over the beef. Mix with your hands to ensure the beef is well coated. Cover the bowl with cling film and marinate in the fridge for one hour.
- Next, make the salsa. Unless using a barbecue, preheat the grill to its highest setting. Place the green chillies on a small baking tray and lightly drizzle with oil. Place the tray under the hot grill for five to 10 minutes, until the chillies are charred and blistered – they should be nice and soft. Alternatively, this can be done directly on the barbecue.
- Put the garlic, parsley, mint, lemon juice and charred chillies into a food processor and pulse for four to five seconds. Add the oil and pulse again, until the mixture is well combined but still quite coarse. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat a small dry frying pan over a low heat, add the chilli flakes, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds and desiccated coconut and lightly toast. As soon as the coconut turns golden, remove from the heat and tip into a pestle and mortar. Grind to a coarse texture.
- Remove the marinated beef from the fridge, add the spice mixture and massage the spices into the beef. Thread the pieces of beef onto skewers.
- Place the beef skewers on the barbecue (or on a pre-heated chargrill pan) and grill, turning frequently, for about six minutes, depending on how you like your beef cooked. Once cooked, remove from the heat and let rest for five minutes before serving.
- To serve, place the beef kebabs on a board and spoon over the salsa.
Nutrition
Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen by Ainsley Harriott, photography by Dan Jones, is published by Ebury Press.
Wise Living Magazine may receive a small commission to help support the running of this site from purchases made from links on this page. Affiliate links do not influence our editorial or articles published by Wise Living.