Your butcher should be able to sell you the lamb fat. If you cannot get any then use more onions and olive oil, or buy some lamb ribs or chops and cut the fat off to use for this. It’s worth doing as the flavour is amazing.

• Mix the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly with your hands. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.  
• Prepare the barbecue. Heat the coals until they are white-hot and glow red when fanned.
• On flat, wide metal skewers, thread alternate pieces of chicken, lamb fat and onion, if using.
• Pierce half an onion firmly on a fork, flat-side down, brush it lightly with oil and use the onion to oil the barbecue rack just before you place the chicken on the rack. This gives the barbecued food a delicious onion flavour.
• Cook the chicken skewers on the barbecue, turning them to ensure they cook evenly. Once cooked through, serve immediately with pitta, grated tomato with zhoug, and toum (garlic sauce) or tahini dip.

Extracted from The Girl from Tel Aviv 

First published in the JC, May 4 2020