Nyama Choma is a delicious grilled meat dish that is the national dish of Kenya. It is perfectly seasoned, tender, and great for a crowd!
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Nyama Choma is the perfect recipe for a warm summer day. It’s Kenyan barbeque, perfectly seasoned, marinated overnight, and then cooked slowly in the oven and finished on the grill for the perfect charred flavor.
Nyama Choma is traditionally made with goat meat, but this Nyama Choma recipe uses beef ribs instead as they are more easily accessible in the United States!
This dish has been called the national dish of Kenya and Tanzania and is so popular you can find Nyama Choma joints all over East Africa. It’s a hearty dish, often served for special occasions.
Serve this alongside a salad or rice and you’ve got a delicious lunch or dinner everyone will love.
Recipe Origin
Nyama Choma is a dish that has been shared across Africa for centuries. Maasai, a nomadic African tribe, relied heavily on the animals who traveled with them for food, and they developed this practice of grilling meats over an open fire.
Even as people became more settled, the practice of cooking outdoors remained and Nyama Choma remained an incredibly popular dish.
Nyama Choma means “grilled meat” in Swahili, and though it is traditionally made with goat meat, it can also be made with your meat of choice like beef, chicken or lamb. It is also traditionally seasoned with salt and pepper, but every chef has their own combination of spices they like to add.
Today Nyama Choma is more than just grilled meat. It is an important part of just about any gathering or celebration. This meal is one that brings people together and you can find it served at weddings, holidays, and Friday night parties.
Nyama Choma’s charm is well known. It is a symbol of friendship and that’s evident at local eateries called choma joints. There, the meat is served fresh off the grill with an ambiance of music and friendly conversation.
Why Make This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Authentic Nyama Choma is about bringing out the pure meat flavor and combining it with the smoky flavors of the grill.
- Become a Grill Master: This is a simple grilled meat recipe. The down-to-basics approach to cooking the meat ensures it is perfectly tender. While you have the grill fired up, try making this Grilled Halloumi from Cyprus, too!
- Taste of Kenya: This grilled meat recipe is one of the most popular Kenyan dishes and for good reason! It’s the perfect meal for a relaxing summer evening.
What Do I Need To Make This Recipe
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Salt: I like using Kosher salt. Use more or less to taste.
- Black Pepper: Use fresh-cracked black pepper for the best taste!
- Olive Oil
- Garlic Paste: You can use a mortar and pestle to grind it yourself or buy it from the tube.
- Ginger Paste: You could substitute ground ginger but may need to adjust the amount
- Goat Ribs/Beef Ribs: The traditional recipe uses goat ribs. If you cannot find goat ribs, beef ribs are a good substitute or you can try another type of meat.
Tools
- Spray Bottle
- Aluminum Foil
How to Make This Recipe
Step One: Prepare Your Marinade
In a small bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, olive oil, ginger paste, and garlic paste. Mix until a paste is formed.
Add the beef pieces into a large bowl and pour the paste on the ribs. Make sure to rub it in completely to make sure the ribs are fully covered.
Cover the bowl and place in the fridge. Marinate overnight for best results if possible. If not possible, marinate for at least 3 hours.
Step Two: Bake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the ribs are done marinating, lay a large sheet of foil out on your counter or a baking tray and place the marinated meat in the center. Wrap your ribs in foil about 4 times, then fold the top and bottom of the foil closed to make a packet. Place on the rack in your oven.
Set the timer for about 25-30 minutes. Once done, remove the ribs from the oven.
Step Three: Grill
Take your ribs out of the foil. You may notice that there will be juices on the foil. Do not get rid of those juices because you will use them to grill your ribs.
Fill a water bottle about halfway with water and add 1 tsp of salt. Mix until the salt is dissolved.
Place your roast meat on the grill rack to grill over medium heat for about 30-35 minutes, turning the ribs every 15 minutes. Pour the reserved juices over the top of the rack of ribs.
As you are turning the ribs, spray with them the water and salt combination in your water bottle. Continue this grilling process until the ribs reach an internal temperature between 190 – 203 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the desired doneness.
When the ribs are done cooking, remove them from the grill and serve. You can enjoy them with Kachumbari and Sukuma Wiki as sides! Enjoy!
Recipe from Sheila Mathu from Kenya.
Expert Tips
- Traditionally this meal is made over an open fire, so it would be delicious cooked over a gas or charcoal grill.
- As I mentioned, many chefs like to add their own spices to the marinade. I’ve seen lemon juice, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, and many other spices added for extra flavor.
- You can use a food processor or blender to thoroughly mix the spices if desired.
- For even juicier chunks of meat, cover it back up with the foil and let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.
- Allow your meat to come to room temperature before you begin the cooking process.
Can You Make Nyama Choma Ahead of Time?
This is a great dish to prepare ahead of time and let it sit in the marinade for a day before cooking. I would not recommend allowing your meat to marinate for longer than 24 hours.
Once it is cooked, it’s best to eat it right away for the best texture. If necessary, you can save it in an airtight container and it will still be delicious out of the refrigerator the next day.
What Do You Serve With Nyama Choma?
Nyama Choma is great with a fresh vegetable salad like tangy kachumbari salad which is made with tomatoes and red onion. You can serve it with just about any barbeque side, Sukuma Wiki, or another Kenyan staple food ugali.
Did you enjoy this recipe for Nyama Choma? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
Nyama Choma
Equipment
- Spray bottle
- Aluminum Foil
- Oven Mitt
- Food Thermometer
- Barbecue Grill
- Mixing Bowl(s)
- Small Bowl
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp salt, + 1 tsp
- 1 tbsp black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 2 lb Goat Ribs , or Rack of Beef Ribs, the traditional recipe uses goat ribs. If you cannot find goat ribs, beef ribs are a good substitute
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the ½ tbsp salt, 1 tbsp black pepper, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp ginger paste, and 1 tbsp garlic paste. Mix until a paste is formed.
- Add 2 lbs ribs into a large bowl and pour the paste on the ribs. Make sure to rub it in completely to make sure the ribs are fully covered.
- Cover the bowl and place in the fridge. Marinate overnight for best results if possible. If not possible, marinate for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the ribs are done marinating, lay a large sheet of foil out on your counter and place the ribs in the center. Wrap your ribs in foil about 4 times, then fold the top and bottom of the foil closed to make a packet. Place on the rack in your oven.
- Set the timer for about 25-30 minutes. Once done, remove the ribs from the oven.
- Take your ribs out of the foil. You may notice that there will be juices on the foil. Do not get rid of those juices because we will use them to grill our ribs.
- Fill a water bottle about halfway with water and add 1 tsp of salt. Mix until the salt is dissolved.
- Place your ribs on the grill rack to grill over medium heat for about 30-35 minutes, turning the ribs every 15 minutes. Pour the reserved juices over the top of the rack of ribs.
- As you are turning the ribs, spray with them the water and salt combination in your water bottle. Cook until the ribs reach an internal temperature between 190 – 203 degrees Fahrenheit depending on desired doneness.
- When the ribs are done cooking, remove them from the grill and serve. You can enjoy them with Kachumbari and Sukuma Wiki as sides! Enjoy!
Notes
- Salt: I like using Kosher salt. Use more or less to taste.
- Black Pepper: Use fresh-cracked black pepper for the best taste!
- Olive Oil
- Garlic Paste: You can use a mortar and pestle to grind it yourself or buy it from the tube.
- Ginger Paste: You could substitute ground ginger but may need to adjust the amount
- Goat Ribs/Beef Ribs: The traditional recipe uses goat ribs. If you cannot find goat ribs, beef ribs are a good substitute or you can try another type of meat.
- Traditionally this meal is made over an open fire, so it would be delicious cooked over a gas or charcoal grill.
- As I mentioned, many chefs like to add their own spices to the marinade. I’ve seen lemon juice, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, and many other spices added for extra flavor.
- You can use a food processor or blender to thoroughly mix the spices if desired.
- For even juicier chunks of meat, cover it back up with the foil and let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.
- Allow your meat to come to room temperature before you begin the cooking process.
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