Chicken skewers with muhammara, poached eggs and moutabal
- Prepare
- over 2 hours
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4
- Dietary
- Pregnancy-friendly
This Middle Eastern feast is the perfect way to impress friends and family at the weekend.
Ingredients
For the chicken skewers
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp ground dried lime
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp grated fresh root ginger
- 2 large skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
For the moutabal
- 2 aubergines
- 3 green chillies
- 4 tbsp Greek-style yoghurt
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the eggs
- 400g/14oz Greek-style yoghurt
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper
- 4 free-range eggs, softly poached
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the muhammara
- 4 roasted red peppers from a jar
- 150g/5½oz walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 lemon juice
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2–4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds, to garnish
- fresh mint leaves, to garnish
To serve
Method
To make the chicken, mix all of the ingredients, except the chicken, in a large bowl. Add the chicken, stir to coat and leave to marinate for 1–2 hours.
Preheat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers and griddle for 10–12 minutes until cooked through. Set aside.
To make the moutabal, preheat a barbecue to hot or turn on the flame of a gas hob. Carefully blacken the aubergines and chillies all over on the barbecue or directly over the flame of the hob (using long metal tongs and a heatproof glove) until soft inside. Leave to cool slightly.
Peel the aubergines, scrape out the flesh and chop well. Chop the chillies and mix the aubergine and chillies with the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
To make the eggs, mix the yoghurt, garlic, lemon and vinegar in a bowl.
Spread the yoghurt mixture over a serving plate and sprinkle with the dill and Aleppo pepper. Add the poached eggs and olive oil.
To make the muhammara, blend all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender to a smooth paste. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds and mint leaves.
Serve the chicken skewers, moutabal, eggs and muhammara in separate dishes with the flatbreads alongside for dipping.
