BBQ Shish Taouk

Ingredients: 3 Cloves 1 Lemon (Squeezed) 1 tsp Paprika 1 tbsp Tomato Paste 1 tbsp Mace 2 tsp Sumac 200g Chicken Breast 2 tbsp Olive Oil 1 tbsp Mustard seed

Salad 1 Cucumber 1 Capsicum (Red) 2 Tomatoes Radish bunch 1 Red onion Few slices pita bread

Method: Shish Taouk is essentially Chicken on a stick. “Shish” being a Turkish words meaning skewer. And it’s one of the oldest forms of cooking.

Make sure to get your barbecue lit well in advance to give it time to for the flames to die down. Don’t use firelighters it you can avoid it as they give off a nasty chemical taste.

Let’s start with our meat, cutting each breast into cubes. When cutting chicken it’s a good idea to use a separate board.

In a bowl emulsify the mustard with the olive oil. This is done by whisking a drop or oil in at a time, until all the oil is incorporated. Now add 3 cloves of garlic, crushed. Pop in our lemon juice, paprika and tomato paste. A good spoonful of mace, which is a type of nutmeg. Some salt and pepper and two tablespoons of sumac, another Middle Eastern spice.

We’re now going to pop the chicken in and let it marinate for at least an hour in the fridge.

In the meantime, let’s get on with our salad Fattoush. Take your tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, radish, onions and give them all a good clean.

Chop parsley and mint and combine in a large bowl.

Give the pita bread and quick fry in oil, break into pieces and add to the bowl.

Sprinkle with sumac, drizzle with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice and toss to gently combine.

Take the meat out the fridge and thread pieces into skewers. Roll in sesame seeds.

Onto our BBQ a few minutes each side and they’re ready to serve.