Joojeh kabab

Before you start

• skewers, or a heavy griddle
• marinate 4h at least — overnight is better

Ingredients

Serves 2 · dimmer marks are storecupboard

• 400gchicken thighs, boneless
• 140gbasmati rice
• 80gnatural yoghurt
• 1 pinchsaffron
• 1onion
• 1lemon
• 15gbutter
• 2tomatoes
• 1 tspsumac

Method

7 steps

1. fold · 4m

   Saffron ground to powder with a pinch of salt, then steeped in three tablespoons of just-boiled water. Bloomed like this it colours everything it touches; thrown in dry it colours nothing at all.

2. fold · 6m

   Onion grated and squeezed, beaten together with the yoghurt, lemon juice, salt and half the saffron water, and the chicken turned right through it.

3. rest · 4 hours walk away

   In the fridge. Four hours is the minimum that does anything; overnight is where it gets good.

4. boil · 12m

   Rice rinsed until the water runs clear, then boiled hard in plenty of salted water for six or seven minutes only and drained while the grains still have a chalky core.

5. steam · 30m walk away

   Back into the dry pan over the butter, holes poked down through it with the handle of a spoon, a tea towel under the lid, lowest heat.

6. grill · 14m

   Threaded onto skewers and grilled hot and close, turned often and brushed with the marinade until the last few minutes. Chicken goes right through — no pink at the thickest part and the juices run clear. Tomatoes at the edge until their skins split.

7. finish · 4m

   The rest of the saffron water forked through a scoop of the rice so it goes orange, that spooned back over the white, sumac and butter over the chicken.