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Nyama Choma (Charcoal-Roast Goat with Ugali)

Nyama Choma (Charcoal-Roast Goat with Ugali) reads citrus 6.8, sourness 6.4 and fruity 5.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Kenyan main, about 3 hr 40 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 4.9 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 6.0 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 8.7 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.5 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.2 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Citrus 6.8 · Sourness 6.4 · Fruity 5.5 · Richness 4.9 · Salinity 4.6 · Allium 4.5 · Umami 2.6 · Warm Spice 1.9 · Sweetness 1.6 · Floral 1.4 · Bitterness 1.2 · Heat 1.1 · Nutty 0.9 · Smoke 0.8 · Herbaceous 0.8 · Earthy 0.7

What's in it (12)

• goat leg — 1500 g
• garlic — 18 g
• vegetable oil — 27 g
• coarse salt — 15 g
• ground black pepper — 5 g
• lemon — 60 g
• ground coriander — 10 g
• pili pili powder — 5 g
• butter — 27 g
• white cornmeal — 300 g
• water — 1000 g
• salt — 3 g

Time & effort: about 3 hr 40 min (1 hr 30 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 57.7 kcal, 1.2 g protein, 2.3 g fat, 8.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. Rub the goat all over with the crushed garlic, oil, coarse salt, black pepper, lemon juice, ground coriander and pili pili, and leave it 2 hours at cool room temperature. Nyama choma is not a marinade-heavy dish - the seasoning is there to season, not to disguise, and goat this good does not need hiding.
2. Build a charcoal fire and let it burn down until the coals are grey-ashed and you can hold a hand 15 cm above the grate for 5 seconds. Bank the coals to one side so you have a cooler zone.
3. Lay the goat on the cool side, cover with a lid or foil tent, and cook 45 to 55 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until a skewer slides into the thickest part with no resistance.
4. Baste with the melted butter and move the pieces over the direct coals for the last 8 minutes, turning often, until the outside is crusted and blistered in places.
5. Rest the meat 10 minutes under foil, then chop it on a board into rough bite pieces - at a choma joint the butcher does this in front of you with a cleaver.
6. For the ugali, bring the water and fine salt to a rolling boil in a heavy pot. Rain in the maize meal with one hand while stirring hard with a wooden spoon in the other.
7. Keep stirring and folding the mass against the side of the pot over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until the ugali pulls cleanly away from the sides and a spoon stands up in it. Turn it out onto a plate and shape it into a dome.
8. Serve the goat and the ugali together with kachumbari on the side.
9. Substitutions: ribs can stand in for the goat leg; 1/2 tsp cayenne can stand in for the pili pili powder; beef dripping can stand in for the melted butter.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Beyran Çorbası (Garlic and Lamb Shank Breakfast Soup) — Turkish
• Brik a l'Oeuf — Tunisian
• Lemon Pepper Baked Tilapia with Rice — American
• Greek-Marinated Grilled Pork Chops — Greek
• Hindbeh bi Zeit (Dandelion Greens with Caramelised Onion) — Lebanese

Keep reading: what citrus, sourness, fruity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.