Crunchy veg patties, juicy chicken and citrusy overtones.
Light and bright Lebanese flavours combine with the herby crunch from Mauritian baja.
This dish is a winning combination, a couple of shining stars from some recent dinners. We first tried our hand at "Shish" Taouk in the oven for Father's Day (with lemon Greek pilaf), and I've made the carrot and courgette fritters as a quick supper during summer, with mint and cucumber sauce. It goes without saying, the best shish taouk would be as it's intended, skewered and over charcoal... but sometimes you have to improvise!
Recipes on this blog are meant to celebrate improvisation. Pictured above is the second day of the marinated chicken - oven cooked rather than griddled - with some nutty rye and sprouted grain bloomer from the the breadbin instead of naan. Let's also ignore the strategically placed lemon to cover the extra mayonnaise...
That said, this meal needs sauce: Sriracha's always a winner but I'd like to make an oil based emulsion soon, a home-made mayo with lots of herbs and garlic.
Serves 5
Ingredients: For the taouk (traditionally cooked on skewers)
960g chicken breast, cut into large cubes
6 garlic cloves, minced
115 ml plain natural yoghurt
60 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice
60 ml olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
1tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground ginger
For the fritters
3 small courgettes, grated
2 medium carrots, grated
1 small red onion, chopped (I think I prefer without this addition)
Handful of coriander, roughly chopped
4ish tbsp gram flour
1ish tbsp plain flour
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp chili flakes
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
Accompaniments (optional)
/Whatever kind of salad you like. This would go great with a simple olive oil and lemon dressed salad; lettuce, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers... Also often served with fattoush (shout out to the Cathays crew !!!)
Method
Start by mincing your garlic, and adding to the yogurt, lemon juice and olive oil in a medium-large bowl.
Add the tomato paste, dried herbs and spices (paprika, cumin, oregano and cinnamon), and whisk to combine.
Add the chicken cubes and mix thoroughly to coat with the marinade.
Cover the chicken and leave to chill in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
Later, when you're ready to start cooking, preheat the oven (if you're using the oven to cook the chicken).
If you're using a griddle, heat it up and start cooking the chicken once it's warm (no need for oil, it's already in the marinade).
Keep the chicken on a medium heat to ensure they cook through the middle but get smoky and charred on the outside.
Meanwhile, gather the grated courgettes in a clean tea towel and squeeze the excess moisture out.
Then, combine the courgette and carrots in a bowl with the gram flour, plain flour, oil, egg, and condiments (garlic granules, paprika and chili flakes - plus anything else you'd like to add!)
Shallow fry the fritters and make sure to keep an eye so they don't burn.
If the chicken finishes cooking before you're finished with the fritters, you can keep them warm in the oven (but on an extremely low heat, to make sure the cubes don't dry out).
Prepare your salad accompaniment and serve with plenty of sauce!
As always I hope you enjoy this recipe if you try it out, and comment below if you do!
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