Lamb Shish Kebab

Ingredients

• 800 g lamb leg, in 3 cm cubes
• 120 g natural yoghurt
• 1 onion, grated and juice squeezed out
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp cumin seeds, ground
• 1 red onion, in petals
• 1 green pepper, in squares
• 2 tsp sumac
• 4 flatbreads, to serve

Method

1. Use the onion juice, not the pulp

   Grate the onion and squeeze the juice into the marinade, discarding the pulp. Onion juice contains enzymes that tenderise lamb properly, while the pulp just burns on the grill.

   1 min

2. Marinate

   Mix the yoghurt, onion juice, oil, tomato puree, paprika, oregano, cumin and plenty of salt, and coat the lamb. Four hours minimum, overnight ideally. Leg rather than shoulder — it stays firm enough to hold a skewer.

   4 h

3. Meat and vegetables on separate skewers

   Thread the lamb on its own skewers and the onion and pepper on others. They cook at completely different rates, and the usual alternating kebab gives you burnt vegetables around underdone meat.

4. Grill fiercely

   Cook over the hottest heat you have, turning every couple of minutes, until charred outside and still pink within — about 10 minutes. Lamb cooked through on a skewer is dry lamb.

   10 min

5. Rest on the bread

   Rest the skewers on the flatbreads for five minutes so the juices soak in, then scatter with sumac. That is the traditional trick and it makes the bread the best part.

   5 min