Put bamboo skewers in water to soak while you prep. Mix marinade ingredients, multiplying by the number of pounds you wish to marinate. Marinade is recommended for meat. It is also great on vegetables, but, alternatively, you can brush the skewers generously with oil and sprinkle on the shaokao spice before and during grilling.
Prep meat by cutting into small cubes of about ½ inch or slicing thinly into long strips. Thread them onto the skewers, using only the top half or so of the skewers, leaving the bottom as a "handle." Leave chicken flats and shrimp whole.
Cut vegetables into uniform, thin slices about ⅛ inch thick (potato, lotus root, zucchini, eggplant) or into small cubes of ½ inch. Break cauliflower and broccoli into small florets. Leave green beans and chilies whole. The goal is uniform cooking size.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the dense vegetables (everything except eggplant, chilies, green onions) and cook about 2 minutes, until the vegetables are only slightly cooked. Remove to an ice-water bath or run under cold water until cooled.
Thread vegetables on skewers as though you're sewing, coming up through one side and out through the other of larger pieces like potatoes and zucchini. Be careful not to break the vegetables. Feed green beans and green onions onto the skewers horizontally.
Place the skewers in large freezer bags or flat trays and pour marinade over them, turning skewers to coat well. Marinate at least 30 minutes at room temperature or longer in the fridge, and then return to room temperature.
Prepare grill as you normally would. Grilling skewers is considerably easier if your grill is structured to allow you to hold the skewers and turn/flip them as they cook. Otherwise, use long tongs to flip the skewers. Keep in mind that the smaller, thinner cuts require less time to cook. Sprinkle additional shaokao spice on the skewers as they cook or right after they come off the grill.
