I was intrigued by the rusty red powder which was liberally sprinkled over our dinner in our local Turkish restaurant. After enquiring, the waitress told us it was Sumac (sometimes spelled Somak) and I realised that I had read about this middle-eastern seasoning not long before in foodie biography set mainly in Egypt. When I got home I did some more research and realised that this powder was not obtained from the Sumac tree which has such beautiful foliage in our back garden each autumn but from a closely related plant. This link gives a little more information. We are fortunate to have many ethnic shops in our little corner of London, which is a wonderful multi-cultural melting pot of peoples and their foodstuffs. Sure enough I found Sumac powder easily in the local Turkish supermarket and managed to borrow the book from the library again. The recipe I remembered was for a simple marinade for chicken and was originally designed for using on whole small chickens and served with roasted bananas. I used the same marinade ingredients with skinned chicken thighs or breasts and adapted it for cooking indoors rather than on the barbecue, using either a conventional oven or a ‘George Foreman’ style grill. It was delicious and I will definitely be making it again. It is an ideal dish for summer visitors when you want to spend minimal time in a hot kitchen: perfect accompanied with rice, salad and a spoonful of Cacik (a yoghurt, mint & cucumber mixture – see Basic Recipe: Yoghurt side dish -Tzatsiki/Cacik/Raita) served on the side, plus of course, the grilled/roasted banana recommended in the original recipe. (Grilled Courgette and Aubergine are a tasty addition as well.) Versions of the yoghurt mixture are part of the cuisine of a number of cultures, each of which has its own name: Cacik (Turkey), Tzatziki (Greece), Raita (India), Tarator (Eastern Europe) are just some. Sprinkle a little more rusty coloured Sumac powder over the dish before serving. Sumac has a slightly astringent citrus flavour.
This dish was taken from Apricots on the Nile by Collette Rossant. I have adapted the idea for using individual chicken portions, usually skinless thighs. For a special occasion use one skinless chicken breast per person. If you have a charcoal grill the chicken can be barbequed as suggested in the original recipe.
'Meanderings through my Cookbook' http://www.hopeeternalcookbook.wordpress.com
Grilled Chicken with Sumac
(Serves 4)
1 or 2 Chicken thighs per person depending on size (or other joints)
Small bananas (about 10cm/4″ long, if available) for grilling/roasting
Courgette or Aubergine, in slices, for grilling/roasting – optional
Marinade
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
2 limes, juiced
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp sumac powder
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
Salt & pepper
1. Start the recipe the day before, or at least in the morning before an evening meal. Remove the bones from chicken thighs, wash and dry them. Skin them if you wish.
2. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large glass bowl. Mix the chicken pieces well so they are coated with the mixture and leave in the fridge to infuse.
3. In advance of cooking, lift the chicken pieces from the marinade and remove any excess mixture. Place the bananas in the marinade mixture whilst the chicken is cooking. Courgette and/or aubergine slices can also be placed in the marinade if you wish.
4. Grill the chicken pieces under a low grill. Make sure they are thoroughly cooked by piercing with a knife in the thickest section so that any juices run out clear.
5. Set the chicken aside to keep warm. Remove the bananas and vegetables, if using, from the marinade Remove any excess mixture and briefly grill until very slightly browned.
6. If you have a George Foreman grill de-boned and flattened chicken pieces should be cooked according to the grill instructions. Once the chicken is cooked the bananas can be briefly grilled on the same machine, but not for too long as they soften very quickly. Courgette and aubergine slices can be flash grilled at the same time.
7. Serve the chicken and grilled banana (plus courgette and/or aubergine slices) sprinkled with a little more sumac, along with rice, green salad and a spoonful of cacik.
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