Summer BBQ Feast: chicken skewers, vegetarian tempeh ​skewers, and grilled corn.

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Christmas in New Zealand is without snow, ice and cold. It’s summer and of course, it is different from the Northern Hemisphere. Christmas in New Zealand comes in the middle of summer holidays and this is a perfect time to gather your family and friends, enjoy BBQs and fun on the beach under beautiful Pohutukawa trees, swim in the crashing waves, treat yourself with strawberry desserts and ice cream.

The grill is one of the best tools for making summer dinners: It’s easy to use and cooks full meals in a flash. Use these delicious grilled recipes as inspiration for your meals: spicy barbecued chicken skewers, flavour packed tempeh skewers with vegetables and juicy grilled corn on the cob.

Thick, spicy and sweet, Mamia’s Ethiopian sauce could be your secret weapon for perfect BBQ. Goes beautifully with chicken, tempeh, and corn. Can be used both ways for marinade and serving.

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I would recommend using the charcoal grill if it’s possible. The charcoal grilled food had a distinct smoke flavour, which I personally love so much. It cooks the chicken slowly and over a long period of time, due to which the meat retains its tenderness and remains moist.

Firing up the grill doesn’t mean you’ve got to stick to the traditional meat-filled spread. There are plenty of veggies and vegetarian dishes such as delicious seasonal sweet corn on the cob, or these finger-licking tempeh, vegetables and mushrooms skewers.

Tempeh is a product made from soybeans cooked and fermented with a special culture. It has a firm chewy texture and a light nutty mushroom flavor. Tempeh is a nutritional superhero. It is high in protein, dietary fiber, iron, potassium, and calcium.

Uncooked tempeh has almost no taste, but has an excellent texture and a high absorbency. It absorbs flavors even more readily than tofu does!

Tempeh skewers can be absolutely delicious if it has been cooked properly. A few steps for cooking is required: steaming, marinating, grilling. Steaming makes the tempeh tender, it opens up its pores, so it better absorbs sauce and flavours. I recommend marinating tempeh slices in rich marinade at least 24 hours for a more intense taste. Rich and flavourful Mamia’s sauce works beautifully here. 

Mamia’s is Ethiopian Wat sauce combining a list of ingredients such as onion, garlic, ginger, chili, Berbere spice mix, and herbs. Berbere spice mix smells great. This is a deeply flavorful combination of spicy and sweet, the Ethiopian equivalent of garam masala plus a roundup of Ethiopian inspired recipes. If you use it as the marinade, it flavours the tempeh and chicken, it also tenderizes the chicken meat.

Try to sprinkle the grilled corn with nutritional yeast for cheesy taste and more umami flavor. It works as natural flavor enhancer here. Nutritional Yeast is a deactivated yeast related to brewer’s yeast, which is used as a fermentation agent in beer making. The yeast is grown on a food source then harvested, heated, dried and crumbled. This process deactivates the yeast and creates a wonderfully nutty, tasty and versatile ingredient.

Nutritional yeast is a great source of Vitamin B-12.

Mamia`s sauces are vegan-friendly. Prepared with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Sauces available in three options: medium spicy, mild and kiwi hot.

Find your nearest stockist here. Or purchase online.