Sami Tamimi’s fattet musakhan with cucumber and avocado salad. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Sami Tamimi’s fattet musakhan with cucumber and avocado salad. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian Food Sumac roast chicken and bread bake: Sami Tamimi’s fattet musakhan with cucumber avocado salad – recipe A rich Levantine fusion dish of sumac-spiced roast chicken, onion and flatbread with tahini yoghurt, and a simple, textured salad
Prefer the Guardian on Google Fattet musakhan , a celebration of two beloved Palestinian dishes, takes centre stage here, bringing together crisp bread, creamy yoghurt, sumac-spiced onions, tender chicken and fragrant olive oil in one rich and comforting dish. Alongside, the salad brings a welcome freshness, with crisp cucumber, creamy avocado and bright acidity cutting through the richness of the chicken. Together, they make a beautifully balanced meal, bringing the generous, communal spirit of Palestinian cooking to the table.
Fattet musakhan is a fusion of two dishes – sumac chicken, and crisp flatbread with tahini and yoghurt – brought together into one generous meal.
4 pitta (160g), cut into 5cm chunks 75ml olive oil , plus extra for serving Salt and black pepper 1½ tsp ground cumin 1½ tbsp sumac , plus extra for sprinkling ¼ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground allspice 800g boneless skinless chicken thighs 2 tbsp lemon juice 30g pine nuts 1 large red onion , peeled and thinly sliced (250g net) 5g flat-leaf parsley , roughly chopped For the yoghurt sauce 400g greek-style yoghurt , to serve 40g tahini 1 garlic clove peeled and crushed 2 tsp lemon zest 2 tbsp lemon juice ¾ tsp salt
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Put the pitta on a tray lined with greaseproof paper, add a tablespoon of olive oil and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, and mix well. Spread the bread out in one even layer and roast for 10 minutes, turning once halfway, then remove and leave to cool. Turn up the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7.
Put all the spices in a small bowl and mix well. Put the chicken in a large bowl with two tablespoons of oil, half the spice mix, the lemon juice, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well, then spread out on a second paper-lined baking tray. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside – keep any juices that have collected in the tray (pour these over the finished dish). When the chicken has cooled slightly, shred the meat into long strips and return to the tray.
Meanwhile, put the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan on a medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, for two to three minutes, until golden. Transfer to a bowl lined with kitchen paper, leaving the oil in the pan.
Put the onion and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt in the hot oil left in the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes on a medium heat, until the onions are completely soft and pale golden (but not caramelised). Mix in the remaining spice mix and some black pepper, until the onions are completely coated.
To make the yoghurt sauce, mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
To assemble the dish, arrange the pitta in one layer on a large platter or in a deep bowl. Spoon half the yoghurt sauce on top, scatter over half the chicken pieces, followed by half the onions. Repeat with the remaining yoghurt, chicken and onion, then pour all the tray juices arou…