Round-the-world Chicken

August 18, 2003

The wealth of ingredients for ethnic cooking can lead to some interesting experiments in "fusion‚" cooking.

Yesterday I pulled some boneless chicken thighs out of the freezer, thinking I might make some tandoori chicken. However, as I wandered around the supermarket after work, I started thinking Middle Eastern and picked up some yoghurt to mix with the tahini I had at home for a sauce.

But when I started digging in the pantry for the marinade spices, I started Asian then veered off into Northern Africa and while checking out the various breads in the freezer I found some Mexican tortillas.

There is very little the home chef can't find ingredients for these days and we may well end up with some sort of global cuisine.

I like to keep several jars of assorted commercially prepared flavouring ingredients such as chopped coriander, finely chopped ginger, chilli paste, lemon grass and so on. These are a good substitute when you don't have fresh available and they save wastage - we've all had bunches of coriander turn limp and nasty.

The one flavouring I prefer to use fresh, however, is garlic. I am afraid the various potted garlics impart a totally different flavour compared with the crushed fresh cloves - a flavour I don't find particularly pleasant, particularly if cooking time is short.

Ras el Hanout (which means "top of the shop‚") is a Moroccan spice blend containing up to 50 different ingredients. In Morocco shop keepers mix up their own blends and traditionally this could include aphrodisiacs like cantharide or Spanish Fly but I doubt you will find that in the commercial varieties prepared for mass distribution.

You can make your own see here or here for sample recipes but it's probably easiest to source a readymade variety. You should be able to track down a spice supplier near you by using the Internet.

Round-the-World Chicken

2-3 skinned boneless chicken thighs per serving
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander
1-3 teaspoons chilli paste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons Ras el Hanout
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil

Cut the chicken thighs into about 6-8 bite-size pieces and place in a bowl. Mix together the remaining ingredients and stir well through the chicken, ensuring each piece is coated. Set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Cook under a griller (placing on skewers if you wish) or stir-fry in a non-stick pan until cooked.

Meanwhile, for the sauce, mix well together:

1 small pottle of plain unsweetened yoghurt
3 tablespoons tahini (ground sesame paste)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the bread you can use wraps, pita bread, tortillas or even panini. Warm your choice through in the oven while you cook the chicken.

You will also need a selection of salad ingredients:

shredded iceberg lettuce
finely sliced red onion, sprinkled with a little white wine vinegar and salt
chopped plum tomatoes
chopped red pepper
diced cucumber
grated carrot
baby radishes, halved

Drain the onion rings. Arrange all on a serving platter.

To serve, place a few piece of chicken on a tortilla, pita pocket or wrap, add your salad and spoon over some of the sauce. Fold, close or roll up as appropriate.