Kazakhstan's steppe rendition of the skewer, distinctive for its frequent use of horse meat or fatty mutton marinated in kefir or mineral water with onion and black pepper, grilled over saxaul wood that burns hotter than charcoal. Roadside shashlychnaya stands along the steppe highways serve it with vinegared onions and lepyoshka bread.
Also known as: kazakh shashlik, shashlyk po-kazakhski, horse meat shashlik, Kazakh kabob
Ingredients
- 700 g horse meat or fatty mutton, in 3 cm cubes
- 100 g lamb tail fat or fatty trimmings, sliced
- 2 onions, in thick rings
- 200 ml airan or kefir
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- flatbread and raw onion, to serve
How to make it
- 1
Layer the meat and onion rings in a bowl with salt and plenty of black pepper, pour over the airan and marinate 8 hours in the fridge.
- 2
Alternate meat cubes with slices of fat on long flat skewers, ending with meat.
- 3
Grill over hardwood coals past their flame stage, 10-12 minutes, turning on all four sides.
- 4
Rest 3 minutes and serve steppe-style with flatbread, raw onion and strong black tea.
Pro tip: Horse is far leaner than lamb — without the interleaved fat it dries in minutes, so if the butcher has no fat, switch cuts rather than skip it.
The story of Kazakh Shashlyk
Kazakh shashlyk is the steppe's version of a dish shared across the whole post-Soviet space, and two things make it its own: horse meat, which Kazakhs eat as a matter of course and prize highly, and saxaul, the dense desert shrub that burns hotter and longer than charcoal.
Roadside shashlychnaya stands punctuate the long highways between Kazakh cities, and they are the country's motorway service station — a grill, a few tables, vinegared onions and lepyoshka bread. The distances involved mean these stops are genuinely part of the culture rather than an afterthought.
The technique that defines it
Horse meat behaves differently from lamb and the technique adapts. It is leaner, denser and sweeter, and it benefits from a longer, gentler marinade — kefir or mineral water rather than vinegar — and from being cut a little smaller. Fatty mutton with tail fat is the alternative and is treated more like Uzbek shashlik.
Saxaul wood is the other variable. It burns hotter than charcoal and holds that heat, which means the coals need to settle longer before grilling and the skewers sit slightly higher than they would over briquettes. The result is a harder sear in less time, and a cook who is not paying attention loses the meat quickly.
Choosing your ingredients
Horse meat is sold specifically for shashlyk in Kazakhstan; outside the country it is available in parts of Europe and Central Asia and is worth trying if you can source it legally and safely. Fatty mutton with dumba is the standard alternative and needs no apology.
Kefir marinade with onion, black pepper and salt is the Kazakh idiom, left overnight; it tenderises gently and suits the leanness of horse meat. Mineral water is the lighter alternative. Vinegar works but is more associated with the Russian tradition than the Kazakh one.
Mistakes that ruin it
Treating horse meat like lamb
It is leaner and denser. Cut it smaller, marinate it longer in kefir rather than vinegar, and pull it earlier.
Grilling before the coals have settled
Saxaul burns very hot. Let it burn down properly or the outside is black before the inside is warm.
Vinegar overnight
Long acidic marinades damage the surface. For an overnight soak use kefir or mineral water.
Skipping the vinegared onions
They are the standard accompaniment and their acidity is what balances a fatty mutton version.
How it is served
With lepyoshka bread, a mound of onion rings soaked in vinegar and dusted with black pepper, tomatoes and fresh herbs. Black tea with milk — the Kazakh way — or kumis at a celebration. At a roadside stand it is served on the skewer with bread and nothing else.
Questions about Kazakh Shashlyk
Is Kazakh shashlyk made with horse meat?
Frequently, yes. Horse is a prized meat in Kazakhstan and is commonly used for shashlyk, alongside fatty mutton.
What is saxaul?
A dense desert shrub used as grilling fuel across the Kazakh steppe. It burns hotter and longer than charcoal and gives a harder sear.
What marinade is used?
Kefir with onion, salt and pepper is the Kazakh idiom, left overnight. Mineral water is the lighter alternative; vinegar is more Russian than Kazakh.
How is horse meat different to cook?
Leaner, denser and slightly sweet. It needs smaller pieces, a gentler dairy-based marinade and a shorter time over the fire.
