Cooking instructions:
To make the grilled chicken skewers: Soak 8 thin wooden skewers in water. Moisten the chicken with olive oil and season to taste. Thread the chicken fillets onto the skewers and grill over hot coals, turning around to cook all sides, until starting to catch but still moist. To make the bulgur-wheat pilau: Soak the bulgur wheat a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, fry the onion in the olive oil until translucent, then stir in the garlic and cumin. Add the soaked bulgur and salt, then pour in the stock and bring to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cover. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the stock has been absorbed. Add a few twists of black pepper and stir in the chopped parsley. Fluff up with a fork and serve warm. To serve: Arrange the grilled chicken skewers on a platter, alongside a bowl of the sauce, with lettuce leaves and lemon wedges at the ready. Serve the bulgur-wheat pilau on the side. Cook’s notes: Use tahini sauce (not tahini paste) instead of hummus or sprinkle the hummus-yoghurt sauce with sumac, which is ground from dried burgundy-red sumac berries and gives a tart sour-lemon flavour to Middle Eastern cooking. You can also try your hand at making your own hummus Leftovers? Toss together a salad of chicken and pilau, adding canned chickpeas for further dimension in flavour. Thin down any leftover sauce with more yoghurt and lemon juice to use as a dressing. Serve on lettuce leaves. |