Hello, my dear friends! It’s so nice to be here at the party. And to make up my absence, I am bringing you something so new to me and I know everyone will love this…
Trying out foods that originated from other countries was never my thing. The thing is, if I didn’t grow up eating that kind of stuff or anything from such country, I don’t REALLY try it. I don’t know – maybe I am just not used to it. Or, maybe I am afraid that I will not like how it tastes.
Although there are existing restaurants which serve dishes I am not familiar with, I have not really tried eating anything alien to me. During dining out with friends or family, some of them ask for Middle Eastern or Indian food. As for me, I order anything Filipino, Italian or Chinese food. I haven’t even tried eating Malaysian food when I went to Malaysia. While some others are enjoying their foods, I did not even bother to take a bite, regardless of how I love food. I am weird, I know. Haha! Anyway, so while they are enjoying every bite, there I was – watching them with amazement as I can see how they love the food so much.
Last week, I stayed at home for the whole week for some… let’s say I needed to rest for a bit. So while at home, I had the time to chat with my friends and relatives who work in the Middle East. As always, I asked them about food. Some of them suggested that I need to try this and this, mentioning that the smell and taste is not that strong… blah, blah, blah! After chatting, I tried Googling (is this a new word?) Shish Tawook because that was the first thing they ever told me to try. According to Wiki, the dish originated from Lebanese and Syrian cuisine. And as what I have understood, they are just chicken skewers. Well, in that case, I would need to find the recipe, I thought.
Googling. Googling. Googling. (Here’s that word again!)
After I saved one recipe, I imagined how the combination of the ingredients will taste. Well, maybe not that bad. Just chicken skewers, I kept thinking. How shall I know if I wouldn’t try, right? So I did take the risk and made some.
Shish Tawook
Ingredients:
- Chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, cut into cubes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- ¾ tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp paprika
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Bellpeppers & onions, chopped & cherry tomatoes
Instructions:
- In a bowl, mix everything except the veggies, making sure to coat very well.
- Keep in the fridge to marinate at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- When ready, skewer the chicken pieces and veggies.
- Grill all sides until chicken are cooked through (about 3-4 minutes each side).
Note: This can be grilled on the grill pan, electric grill or over a charcoal.
Source recipe: Shish Tawook by Chef in Disguise
Since one of them knows that I am not a huge fan of outside grilling and she knows that I will be doing the grilling on the pan, she taught me a trick – a very helpful one – to get that ‘charcoal’ smell and take note – the TASTE, too. You get what I mean? So, here’s the trick:
- Top left: get a charcoal and set on fire as shown below.
- Top right: arrange your Shish Tawook in the same pan or in any pan that could handle heat and put butter or oil in aluminum foil as shown below.
- Bottom left: when the coal is smoking hot, put it immediately together with the butter; don’t close the foil.
- Bottom right: cover with aluminum foil, making sure that no smoke is coming out. Leave for 10 minutes.
The Shish Tawook was really delicious and instantly became another favorite of mine. 😀 Despite not being a huge fan of chicken breasts, I was amazed how moist and soft the chicken pieces were and if I am not mistaken, that was because of the yogurt. And believe me, the trick was really awesome.
I hope you make this and let me know your thoughts. 🙂 Wishing everyone a yummy Fiesta Friday and have a safe weekend!! xx
Thank you, Angie, for bringing us all together!! <3
