Food on sticks will never stop being a mealtime wonder. It allows for novelty, portability and maximum snackable goodness. And most importantly, it allows for maximum penetration of char and flavour.

In 2024, it was one of the strongest trends in dining.

Co-editor of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025, Callan Boys, says Sydney has been a skewer city since the Mrough brothers opened Wilson’s Lebanese on Pitt Street, Redfern, in the 1950s (it’s still going).

More recent hits on sticks include Aalia’s quail cooked over coals, the endless combinations of chicken and charcoal at Yakitori Yurippi and Chaco Bar, hanger steak threaded with beetroot at Baba’s Place, and the spice-throbbing Chinese-style shaokao skewers now on every second corner in Burwood and Haymarket.

Meanwhile in Enmore, the stick-centric menu at New Restaurant of the Year, Firepop, features chef Raymond Hou’s signature lamb with cumin dukkah.

In Melbourne, co-editor of The Age Good Food Guide 2025, Emma Breheny, says the beauty of skewers is that they bridge high and low, snack and dinner, dainty and hearty.

Metal prongs as long as your arm hold Persian kababs at AliQapu, while dainty gildas are seen at Gimlet, The Walrus, Bar Lourinha and Provenance. Fine-diners - including Brae, O.My and Tedesca Osteria - served things on sticks, as did neon-lit Sichuanese spot Chef David, and hot-to-trot bistros and restaurants across the state.

There truly has never been a better time to bypass cutlery.

Chermoula mushrooms

’Shrooms in a punchy, herb-driven North African marinade that doubles as a dressing – what’s not to like? Use any leftover chermoula on all manner of things, from your morning eggs to your lunchtime sandwich.

If you happen to have leftover mushrooms, I cannot begin to tell you how good they are with a hunk of hot flash-fried halloumi in a burger.

Ingredients

a generous lug of olive oil

200g white oyster mushrooms

200g fresh shiitake mushrooms

Chermoula (makes about 1 cup)

180ml (¾ cup) olive oil

½ preserved lemon, peel only, chopped

½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

½ cup coriander leaves

4 garlic cloves, peeled

½ tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed

½ tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed

2 tsp Aleppo pepper

1 tsp sumac

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp sea salt flakes

Method

Step 1

To make the chermoula, add the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blitz until combined but still a little chunky. This will keep in a lidded jar in the fridge for a few weeks.

Step 2

Thread the mushrooms onto five skewers.

Step 3

Heat the barbecue hot plate to medium heat. Drizzle a splash of olive oil over the hot plate and add the skewers. Cook for 1 minute or so, then spoon over a few tablespoons of the chermoula, turning the skewers regularly so the mushrooms cook evenly. Continue to cook until the mushrooms get some colour but are still slightly firm, between 3 and 5 minutes.

Step 4

Transfer them to a serving platter, spoon over a little more chermoula and serve immediately.

Makes about 5 skewers

Prawn and chorizo skewers with quick mojo verde

We’re using fresh, raw pork chorizo sausage here, rather than cured salami-like chorizo, so it’s important to cut it into thin slices to ensure it cooks through in the short time it takes to grill prawns. If you want bigger chunks of chorizo, cook them separately until they are almost cooked through before skewering with the prawns and barbecuing.

Ingredients

750g green king prawns, peeled, butterflied and deveined, tails intact

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for cooking

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp brown sugar

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

1 fresh chorizo sausage, sliced thinly

lemon cheeks to serve

Mojo verde

1 small bunch of coriander

1 garlic clove

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

pinch ground cumin

generous lug of olive oil

Method

Step 1

To make the mojo verde, add all the ingredients, including the coriander leaves and stems, to the bowl of a food processor and add a good lug of olive oil to loosen the mixture. Give it a quick blitz to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If it’s too thick, add a little more olive oil. Set aside.

Step 2

Add the prawns and marinade ingredients to a bowl and give everything a quick toss so that the prawns are completely coated.

Step 3

Thread the prawns and sliced chorizo onto skewers.

Step 4

Heat a barbecue or char-grill pan to medium-high heat and grill the skewers, turning occasionally, until the prawns are opaque and just cooked and the chorizo is cooked through (2-4 minutes).

Step 5

Transfer the skewers to a serving plate. Scoop over the mojo verde and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Eat piping hot.

Makes 6-8 skewers

Sichuan-style cumin and lamb skewers

I’ve used the most economical cut of lamb, leg, which becomes succulent, completely delicious skewers thanks to the bicarbonate soda tenderising trick.

Ingredients

1kg diced lamb leg

3 tsp bicarbonate soda

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

Black vinegar sauce

100g caster sugar

75ml Chinkiang black vinegar

75ml water

50ml light soy sauce

2 tbsp ground cumin

1½ tbsp freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns

2 tbsp finely diced spring onion (green part only)

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

Method

Step 1

Add the lamb, bicarbonate soda, garlic powder, caster sugar, and soy sauce to a bowl. Turn the lamb in the marinade to coat it evenly, and set aside on the bench for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (160C conventional).

Step 3

To make the black vinegar sauce, place the sugar, vinegar, water and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool. Once cool, stir through the cumin and Sichuan pepper.

Step 4

Divide the sauce into two small bowls. Add the spring onion and chopped coriander to one of the bowls only, and set aside them until you’re ready to serve.

Step 5

Thread the diced lamb onto skewers. Lightly oil a barbecue hot plate and cook the skewers for 2-3 minutes or until they start to brown. Spoon over the black vinegar sauce without fresh herbs and turn to coat. They should quickly caramelise.

Step 6

Transfer the skewers to an ovenproof dish and place in the oven for 5-8 minutes, or until the lamb is cooked to your liking.

Step 7

Transfer the skewers to a serving plate and spoon over the herby vinegar sauce. Serve while piping hot.

Makes 6-8 skewers

Quick sticks chicken satay

When time is short, we need to take all available shortcuts. Here I’ve doused the chicken in a spicy coat with no need to marinate overnight and created a peanut sauce that can be whisked together at a moment’s notice. If you are having difficulty combining the honey with the other sauce ingredients, scrape everything into a pan and give it a few minutes over very low heat until the honey is very soft and runny, whisking to combine.

Ingredients

800g chicken thighs cut into even strips

125ml coconut milk

1 tbsp brown sugar (or honey)

2½ tsp ground coriander

2 tsp Malaysian curry powder

1 ½ tsp turmeric

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp freshly grated ginger

3 garlic cloves, crushed

sea salt flakes to season

Quick peanut sauce

130g (½ cup) smooth peanut butter

120ml (½ cup) coconut milk

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp fish sauce

a few roasted peanuts to serve

coriander leaves to serve (optional)

Method

Step 1

Add the chicken and the marinade ingredients to a large bowl and turn to coat. Then thread the chicken strips onto skewers and set aside.

Step 2

To make the quick peanut sauce, mix the peanut butter, coconut milk, vinegar, honey and fish sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

Step 3

Heat a flat grill or barbecue hot plate to medium-high. Drizzle a splash of olive oil on the grill or hot plate, then grill the chicken skewers until browned and cooked through (3-4 minutes on each side).

Step 4

Transfer to a plate and dollop over the peanut sauce. Scatter over peanuts and coriander leaves, if using.

Makes 5-8 skewers