Yusuf's Chicken Shish

One of Turkey’s best-known and loved meals, chicken shish is found on the menu of just about every restaurant in Turkey. But it was in a small eatery in Bursa that I first encountered Yusuf’s version. Yusuf is the talented chef of a city park restaurant adored by locals. He will probably never be famous. But his interpretations of local favourites are so good, it is almost worth the drive to Bursa just to try his charcoal-grilled treats. If you do, tell him we said ‘hi’.

Yusuf’s Chicken Shish Kebab

tavuk şiş

1 onion

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 heaped tablespoons tomato paste

1 ¼ cup sunflower oil

1 kg chicken breast or thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces

Skewers for roasting (if using wooden skewers, soak the skewers in water for 10 minutes first)

Grate the onion, reserving any juices, then place the grated onion in a sieve over a bowl. Squeeze the grated onion to remove all the juice. Discard onion pulp (a less tearful method is to use a vegetable juicer if you have one).

Add the sugar, salt and black pepper to the onion juice, and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Add the oil in a slow steady stream, stirring constantly until well incorporated.

Add the chicken, and toss well with your hands until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for four hours.

Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers, and for best results grill over a charcoal barbeque until done.

Alternatively, you can use a grill frypan for a family-weeknight dinner version - also quite yummy.