How to liven up a chicken dinner: try this Yotam Ottolenghi-inspired dish

Curried yellow rice, or couscous salads, always remind me of family gatherings in the 1990s. There would always be a neon yellow bowl, studded with raisins and a symbolic dusting of dried parsley over the top taking centre stage on the buffet table.

This recipe is a nod to that but fresher, with bright lemon and herbs. Mograbiah, or giant couscous, is available in specialty shops and in health shops. Like regular couscous, it’s made from semolina, but is in larger pearls with a pleasing texture. It’s almost like pasta and you can in fact use Italian fregola here, a type of pasta from Sardinia. It is similar to North African berkoukes and Israeli couscous.

Like most people, I first came across it in the pages of Yotam Ottolenghi’s first cookbook. It was full of exciting flavours and ideas for food combinations that are now so familiar to us. Similarly, tahini would not have been on my radar until it was listed as a pantry essential in that first Ottolenghi book.

For years, I never thought twice about Nigella Lawson’s suggestion to use peanut butter in hummus if you can’t source tahini. Now, I’m aghast at the thought. They are two very different ingredients. Tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds, gives a sweet, nutty flavour and smooth creaminess. Dark tahini is suitable for richer recipes and can be used in smaller amounts. The lighter tahini is the one I use most. My sister recently brought me some carob-sweetened tahini from Lebanon and dried, rolled fruit leather to dip in it. It’s such a delicious treat and so good with coffee.

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I’m always in awe at tahini’s versatility. In this recipe it gives the chicken a delicious crust and imparts beautiful flavour. A recipe to cook now and save for summer.

Recipe: Tahini-crusted chicken skewers with giant couscous

Lilly’s Kitchen Tips

1. If I don’t have tahini then soak sesame seeds in lemon juice then blitz them and add to chickpeas to make hummus.
2. When your tahini jar is almost empty add some yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and salt then mix for an instant sauce to adorn roast vegetables.
3. Swirl tahini through yogurt and drizzle with honey for a protein-packed breakfast.