Shish Tawook

I know a lot of people find Middle Eastern cuisine quite bland but I grew up eating a lot of middle eastern stuff so I go crazy when I go to a restaurant that claims to cook Arabic and ends up giving me a load of non sense. I am down with food poisoning after one such encounter. We visited Zaks in Cox town, Bangalore and paid 900 bucks for the most horrible Kabsa, Shawarma, Kuboos and Hummus. I have zero tolerance when it comes to cuisines I love and respect and Arabic is one of them. It does not take much effort to cook authentic Arabic food because they use very limited spices compared to Indian cuisine and rely mostly on herbs that is freely available here. So now I am on a middle eastern cooking spree, it's my dedication to my childhood days and the place I grew up- Kuwait. This is a very simple Lebanese recipe. Thyme and yogurt is the highlight of this dish. My mom made these on a skillet sometimes even without a skewer it was her way of making us eat veggies with meat. I would recommend mutton instead of chicken for ardent fans of meat but chicken should be fine too. 

Ingredients for Shish Tawook

Boneless chicken- 1/2 kg

Carrots cubed- 2

Capsicums cubed- 2

Onions cubed- 2

For the marinade

Lemon- 1

Garlic- 8 pods

Yogurt- 6 tbsp

Apple cider vinegar- 2 tbsp

Olive oil- 2 tbsp

Ground pepper- 2 tbsp

Ground thyme- 1 tsp

Paprika- 1/2 tsp

Ground ginger- 1/2 tsp

Directions

Mix all the ingredients mentioned under marinade. Marinate the chicken and veggies with this marinade and refrigerate for 4 hours. 

Skewer the chicken and veggies right before grilling so heat the skillet if you plan cooking these on your stove or light your bbq and when it's just ready start skewering the chicken alternating the veggies. Start with veggies at the bottom and end with a veggie too the act as stoppers preventing the meat from falling off. If you use wooden or bamboo skewers soak them in water for thirty minutes before you start skewering. Grill on medium heat for 8- 12 minutes on the BBQ it should take a bit more time on the skillet. If cooking over skillet add some olive oil to the pan before you start. 

Once grilled transfer to a pot and cover with a lid to retain moisture or the chicken dries out. Serve with hummus, garlic sauce and pita bread. Well I was lazy for all that so had them with mashed potatoes that's politically wrong way to devour a middle eastern dish. Next time will try to have them pita bread.