This Kenyan meal twists classic grilled meat and mashed potatoes with simple — yet novel and delicious — preparations. While goat is the primary meat used for nyama choma in Kenya, beef is a close second. I love goat, but it is hard to source thus not quite in line with the OWW promise to keep meals accessible. If you can find a rack of beef ribs, that is the preferred cut, but short ribs (pictured above) work if you cannot. Irio potatoes are an easy and healthier spin on our normal mashed potatoes; excited to add them to our regular recipe rotation!
Grilled Beef Ribs (Nyama Choma)
1 ~2-lb rack of beef ribs or 2 lbs beef short ribs
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or ginger paste
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1 tablespoon for basting
In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice minced garlic, grated ginger, paprika, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Whisk thoroughly to create a well-blended marinade.
Place the meat in the bowl of marinade ensuring that all pieces of meat are well coated.
Cover the meat with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, to allow the flavors to penetrate and tenderize the meat.
Preheat your oven to 250° degrees or heat up a smoker to 250°. Place ribs on a roasting rack and cover with foil. Slow cook the ribs for ~5 hours. Alternatively, you can put them in a covered slow cooker, on low, for 6-8 hours, until fork tender.
Turn on grill to medium high. Dissolve the remaining tablespoon of salt in one cup of hot water.
Baste ribs with salt water and them on the grill rack 10 minutes, basting with salt water every 3-4 minutes. Flip and repeat.
Mashed Potatoes and Veggies (Irio)
2 large or 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups raw baby spinach, chopped
1 cup cooked corn, either from a can or on the cob
2-3 tablespoons butter, cut into a few chunks
salt and pepper to taste
Peel potatoes and cut into ~2-inch sized chunks.
Put the potatoes into a medium saucepan and cover with cold water, filling pot to about 2 inches above potatoes. Add the salt and place over medium heat.
Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the frozen peas. Cook another 5 minutes or so, then add the chopped, baby spinach. Cook other 5 minutes or so, until potatoes are fork tender.
Drain the excess water leaving about a quarter cup inside the pot for mashing. Add the corn and butter
Mash with a potato masher or wooden spoon until all potatoes are nicely mashed and the vegetables are incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste.
FUN FACTS:
Hakuna matata, a popular phrase in Kenya made known worldwide by The Lion King, loosely translates to “no trouble" in Swahili; Kenyans aim not to stress about the things they don’t have the ability to change.
The oldest known human fossil, the Turkana Boy, was found near Lake Turkana in Kenya. He is estimated to be roughly 1.5 million years old.
The East African Lion is Kenya’s national animal. Approximately 2,500 lions live in Kenya today.
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