These chunky kebabs benefit from being marinated for 4 hours. The flavours can easily be changed by using different curry pastes or curry powders.

Ingredients

boneless chicken thighs

• 1 cup thick plain unsweetened yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons curry powder or curry paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
• about 20 fresh or dry bay leaves
• 1 egg
• cashew nut and pilaf rice salad (see recipe on our website
• fresh tomato salsa, optional

Method

1. Cut the chicken thighs into quarters and place in a bowl with the yoghurt, curry powder or curry paste, and coriander and cumin, if using. Stir to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Thread the chicken pieces evenly onto 6 metal skewers, placing a bay leaf at regular internals. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the yoghurt mix.
3. Barbecue the kebabs over a moderately hot grill or hot-plate, turning occasionally until almost cooked - about 10 minutes.
4. Beat the egg with the reserved yoghurt mix and brush this onto the kebabs 2-3 times and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes, or until the kebabs are well done.
5. Serve with cashew nut and pilaf rice salad and fresh tomato salsa, if wished.
6. Tomato salsa
7. For an easy salsa, chop 2 large juicy tomatoes finely. Mix in 1-2 tablespoons of chopped onion (spring, red or brown), about 1 teaspoon of minced ginger and a dash of oil and vinegar.

Cooks Tips

- The flavour of bay leaves improves on drying, softening any bitter notes in the fresh leaves. Dry bay leaves should have a deep green colour and not be khaki - these are old and relatively flavourless and need to be binned. For the kids: - Alternate the chicken on the skewers with chunkily cut vegetables, like courgette and tomato, and brush excess marinade off the chicken before cooking. Omit the egg and marinade step. - Don't forget the crispy poppadoms - kids love them. Variations: - For a sweeter, more fragrant curry mix, add ½-1 teaspoon ground cardamom with the curry powder or curry paste, or use a Thai curry paste. - In place of bay leaves, use wedges of red onion.