007 - This Feels Like Fire Hazard
London's best skewered meat, semi-dangerous BBQ setups and loads of skewered recipes from around the world.
Thank you for opening a very… meaty Food Team Monthly. This month we wanted a BBQ, but true to British form, the weather wasn’t playing ball. Scroll down to find out our favourite spots in London to eat grilled meat inside and what we learnt from them. Read a little further for top tips on how you can “BBQ” from the comfort of your own home. Read on even further for loads of recipes that work well inside and outside. Happy grilling!
Slater: A week ago, we opened the windows at Sorted HQ for the first time since last summer. The fact that we chose a refreshing breeze over the silence that the windows afford us from the busy road below was a sure sign that the hot weather is here to stay. Before we had a chance to plan a BBQ in the roasting heat, torrential rain dampened the mood. The predictably unpredictable nature of May is such that no weather dependent schemes are safe from the rain. Weddings, funerals… Coronations? Forget it and wait a month.
No bother, if we couldn't BBQ outside, we would bring the outside in. Before creating an arguable fire hazard in our own studio kitchen, I suggested a Food Team whistle stop tour of 3 unique skewered, grilled meat spots in London.
Kush: First stop was Lekki, a compact restaurant serving food from West Africa as well as the West Indies. Having experienced grilled skewers in both Northern and Eastern Africa on numerous occasions, I was interested to see what differences over 3000km on the same continent would get you. Would we get something akin to the French influenced brochettes in Morocco or Indian influenced Kenyan mishkaki (one of my favourites)...
Lekki serves Suya, spiced grilled skewers of meat, in this case beef and chicken, dusted in a heady mix of chilli, salt, pepper, nutmeg and bay. The chicken was cooked perfectly, with a light char on the exterior and firm, yet tender meat that yielded easily. The beef was a far “meatier” affair, with a lot of texture and far more chewing needed.
The stand out for us was the spice powder loaded on to both sets of skewers. At the time we couldn't quite pin down the exact flavours in the blend. After some investigation it’s the mixture of chilli, pepper as well as rosemary and sage that makes this mix so unique and something that we need to explore further. We all know that Ebbers likes a little spice, but that spice definitely doesn't like him, so to kick off our tour with something eye-wateringly hot was just perfect!
Slater: Some of the best grilled meat in the world comes from Turkey… By extension, some of the best grilled meat in London can be found at one of the Turkish grill restaurants that span the length of Kingsland road in East London. Mangal 1 has long been one of my favourite spots in London thanks to the simplicity and honesty of their offering. Lightly seasoned, perfectly grilled meats are their bread and butter (their bread is also great). So when I was asked for a restaurant suggestion for our whistle stop meat tour, this no frills, charcoal-licked meat mecca was top of my list.
We ordered well, but tentatively, knowing this was the second of three spots booked in for the day. Tender grilled sweetbreads, delicate quail and a robust salad of grilled onions tossed with red wine vinegar was more than enough to talk about. And talk we did. We noticed deep slashes in the quail’s breasts, to speed up cooking - essential for maintaining moisture. The sweetbreads were only just cooked, flames had kissed the surface of the meat in places creating crispness which made the soft interior all the more welcome.
While I can’t recommend filling up on bread in many restaurants, you might want to here. Often the bread is softened over the skewers of meat as they cook, creating a somewhat hostile environment for vegetarians, but an unrivalled eating experience nonetheless.
Kush: Our last stop was to a stalwart of the Punjabi restaurant scene in London - Lahore Kebab House. Many might assume that Lahore is an Indian restaurant as it serves kebabs and “curries”. However it is quintessentially Punjabi, a state in south east Pakistan as well as northwest India where the countries meet. Think plenty of meat, ghee and warm spices such as black cardamom and clove in a setting that has been operating since 1972. I know it will be good as my restaurateur uncle would take us here for, as he put it, “Real Punjabi Kebabs” - rather than eating at his upscale place in Marylebone. Slater is also here pretty much every month for a fix.
We were here to try my favourite of all Punjabi skewers, the Seekh kebab, as well as some mutton tikka. The food arrived in circa 2 minutes, still lightly smoking and sizzling from the intense charcoal heat. Rather than cooking these skewers in a tandoor, as would be tradition, they are cooked horizontally over charcoal, not too dissimilar to the grill at Mangal 1. This allows the chefs to cook multiple skewers at the same time for multiple tables without having to constantly pull them out a tandoor to check on them one by one. This also gives a more intense heat directly to the meat so you really taste the lick of smoke from mutton fat hitting white hot coals.
Both skewers had great texture, with the Seekh having that light snap from a well worked minced meat and the mutton being incredibly tender from good marination and a fierce but short cook. Both were a great hit with all three of us, with Ebbers and Slater agreeing that the Seekh kebab deserves its place as part of skewer royalty.
Having helped run a Michelin star Indian restaurant kitchen in London, where we took great care in making our Seekh kebabs, I knew that I wanted to show them mine and make them accessible in a home kitchen with a few hacks. So I instantly ordered some Seekh specific skewers online!
Slater: Here are 5 top tips that we picked up from eating our way around London this week that will level up your skewered grilled meat game, whether indoors or outdoors.
Keep things even - It’s always a good idea to cut whatever you are grilling into even-sized pieces. This will ensure everything cooks, and colours at the same rate. If your knife skills aren’t up to the job, just group similar sized chunks of meat or vegetable onto different skewers… Then grill according to size.
Create hot spots - You wouldn’t enjoy cooking on a stove you couldn’t control. If you are cooking over charcoal, the same logic applies. Form the charcoal into a slope towards one side of the BBQ to create one hot end and one… less hot end of the BBQ. Constantly move your skewers from one side to the other depending on colour and done-ness.
Spice lightly… twice - Great grilled meat can often do the talking on its own with just a little salt, so if you spice before, do so lightly. We found on our tour that often the meat would be seasoned with spices after cooking too, creating welcome layers of fragrance. Check out the Turkish spice blend below.
Don’t skip salads - Salads are so often overlooked as soon as the BBQ is wheeled out, but they are very much needed. Try incorporating grilled vegetables into your salads, they can be grilled over the coals as they come up to temperature or as they cool down while the meat is resting. Once ready, they are a simple acidic dressing away from flavourtown and a welcome contrast from fatty meats.
Choose your weapon wisely - Different skewers should be used for different jobs. Before embarking on your grilling adventure, match your foods to your skewers. Larger, thicker skewers, whether flat or square profile will allow better adherence of the meat or fish, making turning kebabs on a grill that much easier.
Kush: If you do have to cook indoors, but want that BBQ feel…here are a few tips to bring the outside in.
Step 1: Open all the windows and doors! BBQ food relies on smoke and char so you want a lot of ventilation!
Step 2: Get a Blowtorch. Cook your skewers under a super hot preheated grill and then give them a lick of colour and char with a blowtorch just before you serve them. It will never be as good as cooking over charcoal but will be infinitely better with a kiss of the flame.
Step 3: Make sure whatever you are grilling has enough fat in it or in its marinade to give the grill some chance of producing a little smoke and that pop and sizzle we are after.
Chicken Liver Kebabs
Makes 3-4
BBQs can get a little on the expensive side if you aren’t careful. While butterflied legs of lamb, steaks and rare breed pork taste fantastic after the charcoal treatment, they can leave the beer fund rather depleted. Enter liver kebabs! In Turkey, and at Mangal 1 (above) they tend to use lamb’s liver but we opted for the slightly more creamy (and more readily available) chicken livers. Cheap eating has never tasted so good.
500g chicken livers
1 tbsp Turkish spice blend, below
1 tbsp olive oil
To serve
1 tsp Turkish spice blend, below
Remove any white or discoloured membranes from the livers. Try to keep the livers as whole as possible. Add them to a large mixing bowl.
Toss with the spice blend and oil. Cover and leave to marinate and cure slightly for 3-6 hours.
Thread the livers onto small, flat, metal skewers, ensuring the profile of the kebab maintains an even shape. You may have to weave them onto the skewers.
Cook according to Kush’s grill/blowtorch technique above or over hot charcoal for no more than 1 minute per side, or until just bouncy to the touch.
Allow to rest and finish cooking for 2-3 minutes, until light pink on the interiors. The residual heat from the skewer will continue to cook the livers from the inside out.
Season liberally with the spice blend and serve immediately.
Parson’s Nose Kebabs
Makes 3-4
If fat equals flavour, this might technically be the most flavoursome kebab you are likely to eat as the parson’s nose of a chicken is pretty much… all fat. What’s more, this cut of meat is often wasted! Pair these skewers up with leaner kebabs like the chicken livers above for the perfect, balanced mouthful.
500g chicken parson’s noses
1 tbsp Turkish spice blend, below
1 tbsp olive oil
To serve
1 tsp Turkish spice blend, below
Burn any stray feathers from the Parson’s noses, then carefully remove the bone in the centre of each. Take your time, and try to keep them intact. Add them to a mixing bowl.
Toss with the spice blend and oil. Cover and leave to marinate for 3-6 hours.
Thread the parson’s noses onto small, flat, metal skewers, ensuring the profile of the kebab maintains an even shape. You may have to weave them onto the skewers.
Cook according to Kush’s grill/blowtorch technique above or over hot charcoal for no more than 3-4 minutes on each side. A good amount of fat should render from the meat in this time and the skin should crisp up and colour.
Season liberally with the spice blend and serve immediately.
Turkish Spice Blend (for grilled meats)
4 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp white peppercorns
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp dried mint
1 tbsp dried winter savoury
1.5 tbsp fine sea salt
Toast the cumin seeds, peppercorns and coriander seeds in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat, until darkened slightly and fragrant.
Allow the toasted spices to cool slightly, then blitz in a spice grinder with the remaining blend ingredients.
Turkish Grilled Onion and Pomegranate Molasses Salad
Serves 4
This grilled onion salad from Turkey is the perfect way to remedy any meat sweats. It’s bright, light and full of pomegranate acidity. Make it ahead of time before guests come over, it benefits from a little time to let the flavours mellow and bind.
For the onions
2 white onions, peeled and quartered, keeping the root in tact
1 tbsp olive oil
For the dressing
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sumac
2 tsp Aleppo pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
To serve
¼ bunch parsley
Preheat the grill/broiler to high. If you are using a charcoal grill, now would be a great time to fire it up.
Thread the onion wedges onto small metal skewers - we used 2 skewers at a time to ensure when grilling later, the meat wouldn’t spin around when flipped. If you are cooking over charcoal, it might be best to use large, flat mangal-style meat skewers.
Brush the onions with oil, lay them on a large baking tray lined with foil and grill for 5-6 minutes, until charred before flipping and repeating.
Mix all the ingredients for the dressing.
Once ready, remove the onion from the skewers and cut off the root. Split the wedges down into their individual petals.
Toss the onion petals in the dressing and allow them to cool to room temperature. Season to taste with salt.
Serve with the leaves from the parsley.
Tavuk Ciğeri Dürüm (Turkish Chicken Liver Wrap)
Serves 4
Creating the perfect mouthful can be a tricky task, so we have done some of the hard work for you with this recipe!
For the onion labneh
200g natural yoghurt
50ml onion dressing, above
For the wrap
4 flatbreads
4 chicken liver kebabs, above
4 parson’s nose kebabs, above
12 dressed onion petals, above
½ bunch parsley
To make the labneh, beat yoghurt with the onion dressing and season to taste with salt. Line a sieve with a jay cloth, then set it over a large mixing bowl. Spoon in the yoghurt dressing and cover with cling film.
Chill in the fridge for around 12 hours, until thick and the mix holds its own shape when stirred.
Heat the lavash over a gas flame or in a ripping hot oven to soften it slightly. Spread labneh on the soft breads, then load in the meat from the skewers, onion petals and leaves from the parsley.
Roll the breads up and serve.
Seekh Kebab
Makes 8 - 12 large skewers
Traditionally made with mutton in India or in Pakistan, beef, we have gone for a blend of lean leg and fatty lamb breast to get that fat balance just right. The skewers can be shaped and formed well in advance - as long as they fit in your fridge!
For the Seekh
750g lamb leg, cut in to strips
1kg lamb breast, cut in to strips
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
40g ginger, peeled and minced
8 green finger chillies, finely chopped
2 brown onion, peeled and finely diced
80g coriander, leaves and stalks, finely chopped
20g mint leaves, finely chopped
1.5 tbsp fine sea salt
4 tbsp fresh kebab masala, below
1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
To Serve
1 lemon, juice only
1 tbsp chaat masala
2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
8 flatbreads, toasted
Place the metal meat grinding attachments into the freezer for 1 hour to chill. Place the lamb in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up.
Place the remaining ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Once the grinder and lamb are chilled, grind the lamb directly into the bowl of the stand mixer using the coarse grinding plate. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer along with the paddle attachment and beat the lamb mixture on medium/low for 3-5 minutes until it starts to become tacky and stick to the side of the bowl.
Refrigerate the mix for at least 3 hours.
Preheat the grill to high or light your BBQ.
Thread the kebab mix onto large metal skewers - we used thick square profile skewers to ensure the meat wouldn’t spin around when flipped and to allow the heat to travel down the length of the kebab from within.
Preheat the grill/broiler to its highest temperature. If you are using a charcoal grill, now would be a great time to fire it up.
Cook the kebabs under the grill or over your coals for 4-6 minutes, turning the skewers through 90 degrees every minute or so to get an even golden brown on all sides of the kebabs.
Once cooked, remove the skewers from the grill and sear with a blowtorch if you are looking for a little more colour and char.
Squeeze over the lemon juice and then dust the kebabs with the chaat masala and chilli powder before wrapping in a warm flat bread and tucking in.
Green Chutney Grilled Fish
Serves 10 as a platter
Grilling and marinating fish is done all over the world. This recipe I learnt at Benares in London where we take a punchy, vibrant green chutney and turn it into a marinade with the help of chickpea flour and yoghurt. The chickpea flour helps thicken the marinade which clings to the fish and protects the delicate flesh from the intense heat as it cooks.
For the marinade
80g coriander, stems and leaves
25g mint leaves
20 curry leaves
8 green finger chillies
8 garlic cloves, peeled
40g ginger, peeled
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp kebab masala (below)
1 tsp chaat masala
2 tsp fine sea salt
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp gram flour
½ lemon, juice only
For the fish
1kg salmon fillet, scaled
To Serve
1 lemon, juice only
1 tbsp chaat masala
2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
Place all the ingredients for the marinade into a blender and purée until smooth.
Cut the salmon fillet into 3-4cm chunks and place in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the marinade and mix well so that every piece of fish is evenly coated. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Thread the fish onto large metal skewers - we used thick square profile skewers to ensure the fish wouldn’t spin around when flipped and to allow the heat to travel down the length of the kebab from within.
Preheat the grill/broiler to its highest temperature. If you are using a charcoal grill, now would be a great time to fire it up.
Cook the skewers under the grill or over your coals for 4-6 minutes, turning the skewers through 90 degrees every minute or so to get an even golden brown on all sides of the fish.
Once cooked, remove the skewers from the grill and sear with a blowtorch if you are looking for a little more colour and char.
Squeeze over the lemon juice and then dust the fish with the chaat masala and chilli powder before tucking in.
Kebab Masala
This is my take on a garam masala but specifically for grilled meat and fish. Once made it keeps well for a month in an airtight container. It is worlds apart from store bought Garam Masala and will elevate your skewers far beyond what you thought was possible at home!
2 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp cumin seed
1 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tsp fennel seeds
¼ nutmeg
¼ tsp dried ginger
2 dried kashmiri chillies
2 cm cinnamon stick
2 dry bay leaves
1 tsp rose petals
3 green cardamom pods
1 black cardamom pod
1 star anise
3 cloves
To make the masala, toast ingredients in a large frying pan over a low heat for 10 minutes until very aromatic and starting to lightly colour.
Allow the toasted ingredients to cool slightly and then blitz in a spice grinder until fine.