Threaded onto skewers and turned slowly over glowing wood, sekuwa is the marinated grilled meat that draws crowds to roadside grills across Nepal.
About Sekuwa
Heritage meat skewers, traditionally goat or pork, marinated in a secret blend of 'shatter-crisp' spices and roasted over a traditional 'bhatti' charcoal grill; the legendary Dharane Sekuwa Corner in Kathmandu serves the most authentic; smoky; high-intensity version.
Grilled Over Wood
Sekuwa is marinated meat grilled on skewers over a wood or charcoal fire. Goat and mutton are the classic choices, with chicken and pork also common, cut into bite-sized pieces. The live fire is central: the meat is cooked close to glowing embers so the edges char while the inside stays juicy.
“Sekuwa is marinated meat grilled on skewers over a wood or charcoal fire.”
The Marinade
Before grilling, the meat is steeped in a marinade of ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric, chilli and timur pepper, often with mustard oil and a little yoghurt to tenderise. The spicing leans warm and pungent rather than sweet. Each grill house keeps its own blend, and regulars return for a particular marinade as much as for the meat.
A Roadside Institution
Sekuwa is hill and highway food, associated with grill stalls along travel routes and with towns that have built reputations on it. It is cooked to order in the open air, the smoke drifting across the road as a kind of advertisement. The dish belongs to the social, unhurried end of Nepali eating, ordered by the plate and shared.
How It Is Served
The skewers are pulled hot off the fire and served with beaten rice, raw onion, green chilli and a wedge of lime. The beaten rice soaks up the smoke and fat, while the onion and lime cut through the spice. A cold drink and good company are the usual accompaniments.
“The skewers are pulled hot off the fire and served with beaten rice, raw onion, green chilli and a wedge of lime.”
