Tower-Roast Chicken Shawarma with Toum

Method

1. Butterfly the thickest parts of the thighs with a knife so they are an even thickness. In a bowl, mix the vinegar, lemon juice, grated garlic, olive oil, all the ground spices and the salt; add the chicken, massage well, seal and refrigerate for 12 h (at least 4 hours). The acid tenderises the meat and the spices soak right in.

   Add in this stepBoneless, skinless chicken thighs 400 gWhite wine vinegar 1½ tbspLemon (for the marinade) ½Garlic cloves (for the marinade) 4Light olive oil 2 tbspGround allspice ¾ tspGround cinnamon ½ tspGround cardamom ¼ tspGround cumin 1 tspGround white pepper ½ tspGround nutmeg 1 pinchPaprika 1 tspSalt (for the marinade) 1 tsp

2. For the toum, halve the garlic and pull out any green sprouts (they make it bitter and harsh), then blitz with the salt in a food processor to a fine paste. With the motor running, pour in the oil in the thinnest possible thread, adding a spoonful of lemon juice or ice water alternately after every quarter of the oil. Taking 8 min over it gives a thick, fluffy white sauce like mayonnaise; pour too fast and it splits. This is a one-batch amount: refrigerate what you don't use.

   Add in this stepGarlic cloves (for the toum, one batch) 6Salt (for the toum) 1 tspLemon juice (for the toum) 2 tbspIce-cold water (for the toum) 2 tbspNeutral oil such as canola (for the toum) 200 ml

3. Take the chicken out 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 220°C for 15 min and line a rimmed tray with foil.

   oven

4. Halve the onion and set it cut-side down in the middle of the tray, then push 2 long skewers into it vertically, 2 cm apart. Thread the thighs on one by one, opened flat, pressing each down firmly to build a tight tower. Roast in the oven at 220°C for 35 min, spooning the tray juices over the outside twice along the way. It is ready when the outside is deeply charred and a thermometer in the centre of the tower reads at least 75 °C.

   Add in this stepOnion (as the skewer base) ½

   oven

5. Meanwhile, thinly slice the red onion and toss it with the sumac and chopped parsley for a Lebanese onion salad.

   Add in this stepRed onion ½Sumac 1 tspFlat-leaf parsley 15 g

6. Rest the tower for 5 min, then, keeping it upright, shave thin vertical slices off the outside with a sharp knife, just like a shawarma shop. Heat a 24 cm frying pan over medium-high heat, add the slices with the tray juices and fry for 2 min, until the edges crisp.

   medium-high heat

7. Spread the bread thinly with toum, add the chicken, pickles, onion salad and tomato and roll up tightly. Heat a dry pan over medium heat, put the wraps in seam-side down and toast for 1 min per side until crisp. Serve the remaining toum on the side for dipping.

   Add in this stepThin pita or Lebanese flatbread (large) 2Pickled cucumbers 4Tomato 1

   medium heat