Ingredients
Meat
- 800 glamb leg or boneless chicken thigh, in 3 cm cubes
- 150 glamb fat, in cubes, optional
Marinade
- 150 gplain yoghurt
- 1onion, grated
- 4garlic cloves, crushed
- 2cm ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoonstomato puree
- 1 tablespoonbaharat
- 1 teaspoonground turmeric
- 1 teaspoonpaprika
- 1 teaspoonground cumin
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoonsoil
- 1 teaspoonsalt
Daqqus
- 4tomatoes, grated
- 3garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoontomato puree
- 1 tablespoonoil
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- a squeeze of lemon
To serve
- Arabic flatbread or samoon rolls
- sliced onion and parsley
- pickles
- extra baharat
Directions
- Use thigh rather than breast, which dries out on a grill. Cut everything into cubes of about three centimetres. Thread cubes of lamb fat between the meat if you have them. Making the marinade takes five minutes. Put the yoghurt into a large bowl. Grate the onion straight into it with its juice.
- Add the garlic, the ginger and the tomato puree. Stir in all the ground spices. Add the lemon juice, the oil and the salt. Whisk it into a smooth thick marinade. Taste it and check that it is well seasoned. Put the meat into the marinade and turn it through. Every cube should be thickly coated.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate it. Give lamb at least four hours and preferably overnight. Grate the tomatoes on a box grater into a bowl. Discard the skins left in your hand. Heat the oil in a small pan over a medium heat.
- Fry the garlic for thirty seconds until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown or it turns bitter. Add the grated tomato and the tomato puree. Simmer it for about eight minutes until it thickens. Season it with salt and a squeeze of lemon.
- Let it cool to room temperature before serving. Skewering the meat is done before the coals are ready. Soak wooden skewers in water for thirty minutes. Thread the cubes on without packing them tight.
- Leave a small gap between each piece. Grilling it needs a proper charcoal fire. Let the coals burn down to grey ash. Lay the skewers over the hot coals. Turn them every two minutes as they colour. Lamb needs about ten minutes in total. Check a cube from the middle of a skewer before serving. Chicken must be cooked right through with no pink left.
- Warm the flatbread briefly over the fire. Spoon daqqus generously over the meat. Add sliced raw onion, parsley and pickles. Sprinkle a little extra baharat over the top. Roll it up and wrap the base in paper.
Technique
- Daqqus is the standard Kuwaiti tomato and garlic sauce and appears with grilled meat, rice dishes and fish across the Gulf.
- Its spelling varies widely in English, including daqoos and dakkous.
Substitutions
- Beef sirloin can be used but needs less time on the fire.
- A ready-made Gulf baharat blend saves grinding your own and is what most households use.
Variations
- Chicken tikka is the most commonly sold version in Kuwait.
- Some grills add a dried lime to the marinade for a sour note.
- A hotter version stirs chilli into the daqqus.
History
Kuwaiti street grills borrowed the South Asian name; sold from evening stands with daqqus and pickles.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tikka?
Tikka is a street food from Kuwait: marinated meat cubes grilled on skewers and wrapped in bread with sauce. Kuwaiti street grills borrowed the South Asian name; sold from evening stands with daqqus and pickles.
How long does Tikka take to make?
Tikka takes 20 minutes plus marinating of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Tikka?
Yes, within limits. Beef sirloin can be used but needs less time on the fire. A ready-made Gulf baharat blend saves grinding your own and is what most households use.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tikka?
Use thigh rather than breast, which dries out on a grill. Cut everything into cubes of about three centimetres. Thread cubes of lamb fat between the meat if you have them. Making the marinade takes five minutes. Put the yoghurt into a large bowl. Grate the onion straight into it with its juice.
