Even though weather has been on the chilly side around New York these past few days, Memorial Day week-end marks unofficial kickoff of the summer season.
Summer and barbecuing go hand in hand.
Looking for a change from chicken and beef, fire up the grill or plancha and give a chance to this goat kabobs recipe adapted from Barbecue by Hugh Mangum (Phaidon, 2025, Photography by: Nico Schinco)
To add some Ghanaian feel to your day, read It Takes a Mac Jordan to Navigate Accra, Ghana, 10 Do’s and Don’t 1st African Stop from ‘Serge the Concierge’ January 2011 archives.
Ghanaian Goat Kabobs
These street food kabobs, which are similar to Nigerian Beef Skewers (page 30), are called chichinga (a trans-literation of the Ghanaian word kyinkyinga, meaning “kabob”). While they are traditionally made with goat, the spicy peanut marinade works with almost any kind of meat, so feel free to substitute chicken or beef.
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus at least 1 hour marinating
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
For the spice rub
- Scant 1 cup (4¼ oz/125 g) roasted peanuts
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (2-inch/5-cm) piece ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons groundnut or vegetable oil
For the goat
- 1 (1-lb/450-g) boneless leg of kid goat, diced
- 1 large red onion, quartered
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded, deveined, and cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
For serving
- 4 tablespoons cilantro (coriander), chopped
- Jollof rice
- Citrus salad
DIRECTIONS
FOR THE SPICE RUB
Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, grind the peanuts to a coarse paste. In a large bowl, combine the peanut paste, garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, pepper, and oil.
FOR THE GOAT
Add the goat to the bowl with the spice rub and massage the rub into the goat meat. Thread the onion, peppers, and goat onto skewers. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or, preferably, overnight.
Preheat a grill to high heat.
Remove the skewers from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Brush the skewers with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place the skewers on the grill and cook for 10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until cooked through. Transfer the skewers to a serving dish and set aside to rest for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro (coriander) on top.
Serve immediately with jollof rice and a bright citrus salad.
(* Excerpted from Barbecue © 2025 by Hugh Mangum. Photography © 2025 by Nico Schinco. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.)
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