Jujeh Kabab

Ingredients

• 900g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 4cm pieces
• 1 large onion
• 1/2 tsp ground saffron
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 150g plain yoghurt
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 50g butter, for basting
• 4 tomatoes
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Before you cook

• Bloom the saffron in 4 tablespoons of just-boiled water and leave it for 10 minutes to turn deep orange.
• Peel the onion and grate it coarsely, then press it through a sieve and keep both the juice and the pulp.
• Whisk the onion juice and pulp with the yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and three quarters of the saffron water.
• Turn the chicken pieces through the marinade until every piece is coated, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Take the chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking, and soak wooden skewers if you are using them.

Steps

1. Light a charcoal grill and let it burn down to an even bed of grey-ashed coals, or heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat.
2. Thread the chicken onto flat skewers, leaving a small gap between pieces so the heat can circulate.
3. Thread the whole tomatoes onto separate skewers.
4. Melt the butter and stir the remaining saffron water into it.
5. Lay the chicken skewers over the coals and grill for 5 minutes without touching them.
6. Turn the skewers and brush the cooked side with the saffron butter.
7. Grill for another 5 to 6 minutes, turning once or twice, until the chicken is charred at the edges and the juices run clear.
8. Grill the tomato skewers alongside for about 6 minutes, until the skins blister and split.
9. Slide the chicken off the skewers onto warm flatbread so the bread catches the juices.
10. Serve with the blistered tomatoes, lemon wedges, and either flatbread or saffron rice.