Kebab Koutbane (Moorish Beef Kebabs)

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

This weekend, my kitchen takes flight to Northern Africa, specifically Morocco. I do love Moroccan food and I always try to make my Moroccan Chicken given the chance. This week though, I wanted to try something new and I decided to go for this beef kebab marinated in a Moorish spice mix. Usually served as an appetizer, I'm serving it as the main dish. The key to this dish is to use a good cut of beef and to marinate it for at least three hours. Only then will the marinade seep through the meat and tenderize it even more and bring out the meaty flavor that will surely impress.

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

The marinade is very simple with a base of vegetable oil flavored with grated onions. Grating the onions really brings out the onion flavor especially when cooked on a hot grill. I also used a good cut of beef, sirloin steak to be exact, and it had a bit of marbling which was also necessary so that the meat does not dry out when cooked. A bit pricey for 9 kebabs but it was totally worth it. The recipe is taken from the African Studies website at the University of Pennsylvania which I think is a part of their program to test out recipes from Northern Africa.

Kebab Koutbane - Adapted*

2-2.5 lb sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, grated
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced finely
1 large zucchini, cut into tenths
10 large bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 5 minutes

1. Combine the oil, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and minced garlic in a
    large bowl. Add the meat and mix well. Cover with clingfilm and marinate
    for at least three hours at room temperature.

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

2. Prepare the grill and
    make sure that it is
    very hot. Skewer the
    kebab in this order:
    one cube of meat,
    one cube of zucchini,
    three cubes of meat,
    one cube of zucchini
    and topped by one
    meat cube. Do the
    same for the rest of
    the ingredients.

3. Slather the marinate
    over the kebab and lay in one layer over the hot charcoals. Cook each side
    about two minutes making sure each of the four sides are golden brown
    but not dried out. Serve right away with slices of lime. Couscous is a
    wonderful accompaniment to this dish.

* Kebab Koutbane recipe.