Central Asian Shashlik Seasoning

Name: Central Asian Shashlik Seasoning
Yield: About 1/2 cup dry components (before onion and liquid are incorporated into the marinade)
Ingredients: Onion (often grated or juiced into the marinade rather than used as a dry spice); cumin; coriander; black pepper; and salt; forming a simple; marinade-oriented seasoning rather than a complex dry blend

The Quirky Foodster Team

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About 1/2 cup dry components (before onion and liquid are incorporated into the marinade)

Servings

Ingredients

Onion (often grated or juiced into the marinade rather than used as a dry spice)
cumin
coriander
black pepper
and salt
forming a simple
marinade-oriented seasoning rather than a complex dry blend

Method

Combine the dry spice components, then mix into a wet marinade with grated onion, vinegar or citrus, and oil.
The cumin and coriander components are typically lightly toasted before grinding.

Origin: Broadly across Central Asia and the Caucasus — the seasoning tradition for shashlik, skewered grilled meat.

Use: A marinade for skewered meat before grilling, typically applied several hours to overnight ahead of cooking.

Classic Dishes: Shashlik (skewered grilled meat, a foundational dish across a very wide swath of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and neighboring regions).

Storage: Dry spice component keeps 6 months to a year sealed and dark; the wet marinade is prepared fresh per use.

Variations: Considerable regional and household variation exists in the specific marinade liquid used (vinegar, pomegranate juice, or dry red wine, depending on region) alongside the relatively consistent core dry spice base.

Substitutions: A simplified cumin, coriander, black pepper, and grated onion marinade.