Recipe of the day: Korean chilli, sesame and honey chicken kebabs with pita bread
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Hot summer evenings are perfect for a braai with your family, even if it is only Tuesday. Skip the steak and wors tonight and treat your family with these delicious sweet and spicy chicken kebabs with pita bread.
If you have time, make your own pita bread at home or alternatively, buy from the store. Serve your kebabs and pita bread with a fresh salad and some dipping sauces.
Ingredients chicken kebabs
12 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
2 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
Thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
4 spring onions, sliced
For the glaze
4 tablespoon Korean chilli paste (gochujang) or use a mixture of 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and 1 tablespoon of sriracha chilli sauce
2 tablespoon honey
Juice of a half lime
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon sesame seeds
Method
Toss the chicken in the soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger. Thread each thigh on two long metal skewers, so that each skewer pierces one side of the thigh. Keep threading the chicken, making sure it’s packed onto the skewers tightly. Chill until you’re ready to cook. Mix the ingredients for the glaze.
Light your braai and wait for the coals to turn ashen before you start cooking your chicken. Cook the kebab for 5-8 minutes on each side (depending on the heat). Once nicely charred but not fully cooked through, start painting on the glaze. The honey will catch if cooked for too long – the key to nice sticky chicken is applying the glaze in layers, turning the kebab often.
Once the glaze has been used up and the chicken is cooked through (it’ll take about 20 minutes in total), transfer to a plate and leave to cool for 5 minutes before serving scattered with spring onions.
If you prefer baking your own pita bread at home, keep in mind that while it only takes 20 minutes to prepare them and 5 minutes to cook them, the dough needs to rise for 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of instant dry yeast or active dry yeast
2½ cups of warm water
¼ teaspoon of sugar
6 cups of all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Method
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, water, sugar, and 3 cups of the flour to form a sponge. Let the sponge rest for 10 minutes. Mix in the salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
Add the remaining 3 cups of flour a little at a time until the dough forms a nice ball. Knead on a medium speed for 5 minutes. It should get nice and smooth, shiny, and elastic.
Use the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to oil a large bowl. Roll the dough in the oil, put it in the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for 2 hours.
Preheat an oven to 260°C with a baking stone (if you don’t have one, just put a baking sheet in the middle).
Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll into 20cm rounds. Let the rounds rise for 20 min. Just before cooking, roll each piece out into 20cm circle.
Cook in batches 2 at a time on the baking stone. They should puff up and brown in 3-5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and wrap them in a clean dish towel and put them in a plastic bag to keep them soft and pliable.