Tsire, or Suya, is a mixture of ground nuts and spices that is used to coat meat before cooking. Usually prepared with beef, goat, and lamb/mutton, but often not traditionally with poultry, or fish. However in the current cuisine climate of contemporary food fusions it is possible to see recipes for Tsire chicken skewers or with oven roasted chicken such as here. My Souk Drawer’s West African Tsire Spice packs a reasonable amount of heat but when making the pan gravy this will moderate to a degree.

 

Ingredients;

1/2 small Watermelon (seedless)

Handful of torn Rocket Salad leaves.

Chopped Fresh Mint

Chopped Parsley

1 cup Pickled Small Cocktail Onions

Lemon Juice

Red Wine Vinegar

2 tsp Murray River Salt

1/4 cup Pine Nuts

Crumbled Feta

1 tsp Ground Pepperberry

1 Onion

2 cloves Garlic

400ml Coconut Milk

250ml Chicken Stock

40 gms My Souk Drawer West African Tsire Spice

1.5kg Corn Fed Chicken

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp Butter

White Wine

12 small Brussels Sprouts

Caramelised Balsamic Vinegar

My Souk Drawer Rosemary Salt

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

Method;

Prepare the salad and refrigerate until required. Whisk together salt and equal quantities of lemon juice and vinegar in a large bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Add watermelon, rocket, onions and fresh herbs, and toss to coat, then sprinkle with feta cheese and pepperberry.

Roast pine nuts and serve in a separate bowl for an addition at the table.

Put the onion and garlic into a food processor and process to a smooth paste, adding 2 tablespoons of the coconut milk if necessary. Mix in the Tsire spices.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Prepare the Brussels Sprouts by cutting an X in the trimmed base and adding to boiling water for 5 minutes, before plunging into an ice bath to blanch. When cool cut in half, coat sparingly with olive oil, lay face down on a baking tray/baking paper and drizzle with caramelised balsamic vinegar. Lightly salt with My Souk Drawer’s Rosemary Salt.

Rub the Tsire spice mixture inside and outside the chicken, and place in a deep roasting pan, breast side up. Pour coconut milk and chicken stock around the chicken and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, then basting with the liquid in the pan, turn the chicken so that it is breast side down, cover with foil and cook for a further 1¼ hours. You will need to continue basting the chicken every 20 minutes or so during cooking; if the coconut milk/chicken stock shows signs of drying up, add more.

Bake the Brussels Sprouts during the final 30-40 minutes of cooking the chicken, or until the cut side gets a nice brown appearance. Toss them once when there is about 10 minutes left to also get a little brown on the uncut side. A little more caramelised balsamic can help impart a great, almost nutty flavour balanced by a subtle sweetness.

Towards the end of cooking, remove the foil, turn the chicken, breast side up, and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes, or until it is a nice golden brown and cooked through. Baste the chicken one last time to wash any excess spice into the pan for the gravy.

While the chicken is resting, make the gravy. Place the roasting tin over a low flame, and, using a spoon, carefully remove 90 per cent of the hot fat from the tray by angling it away from yourself and scooping off the fatty layer that settles on top. Then increase the temperature to achieve boiling, and stir in the flour and butter, scraping all the goodness from the bottom of the pan as you go. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes,and until you have a light brown, sandy paste, topping occasionally with white wine until the right consistency is obtained. Taste and season with salt, pepper or sugar if necessary.

Serve with the salad and Brussels Sprouts.

Enjoy!

 

Ingredients: