CHICKEN SHAWARMA

1 Chicken Breast

1 Teaspoon Seven Spice Mix

1 Teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes

Juice of Half a Lemon

*Seven spice mixture includes some cloves, some black pepper corns, two cinnamon sticks, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, a couple of dried button red chillies, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf) and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, all roasted slightly on a dry pan and then ground to a powder.

Marinade a chicken breast with a teaspoon of the seven spice mixture* and chilli flakes and a healthy splash of lemon juice too. In a pan heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and then introduce the chicken to the pan. Cook the chicken till its base starts to whiten a bit. This may take about three minutes. Then flip it and let it continue to cook on the other side too till it is uniformly cooked throughout. Finally when the chicken is cooked add about five tablespoons of water to the pan and let it braise on low heat with the lid on for about five minutes. Then simply shred the meat with the help of a fork or finely slice it.

For the labneh/yogurt: To a couple of tablespoons of yogurt add a tablespoon of cottage cheese, a splash of lemon juice and a teaspoon of pepper and mix it well. Get rid of all the lumps till you end up with a really smooth mixture.

For the Tabouleh/salad: Chop a cucumber and a tomato into small cubes. Add to it a healthy swirl of olive oil and a splash of lemon juice and mix well. Once that is done add a pinch of pepper and a reasonable amount of chopped mint leaves.

Humus: Boil about a cup full of chickpeas in water till they are cooked well. Transfer them to a blender and blend till they form a paste. While the blender is running add some olive oil and the juice of a lemon to help it turn into a smooth paste. When the desired consistency is reached, season with salt and pepper.

Pita bread is usually always used. Toast the pita on a dry pan or even in a toaster till they colour ever so slightly on both sides. They will puff up a bit. This actually works well because they form pockets which can then be stuffed with the chicken and the rest of the accompaniments. Otherwise just put all of it on top of the pita and serve.