Shish tawouk, Syrian grilled chicken kebabs

Juice lemons for about 3 tablespoons of juice. Put the garlic and lemon juice in a blender or jug and blend to a fine paste.

Add the yogurt, then the olive oil, then the tomato paste, then the red pepper paste.

Add the salt, white pepper, paprika, oregano, coriander, ginger and cardamom, then the white vinegar. Blend thoroughly until smooth and set aside.

Slice the chicken breast into 1 inch wide strips and cut those the other way into roughly 1 inch cubes.

Put the chicken in a large bowl, pour over all the marinade and mix to a thick, generous coating.

Rest a minimum of one hour; three to twelve hours is better.

Fire up the grill. Cut the peppers into big chunks about 1 inch and the onion into pieces of two to three layers.

Thread each skewer onion, pepper, then two pieces of chicken, three times over, and cap the ends with onion and pepper. Do not compress the chicken or it will not cook well.

Cook over white hot coals, not over flames. Remove the grate and cook the skewers directly over the fire. An oven broiler gives a similar charred effect.

Cook about 10 minutes in total, rotating every 2 minutes and shuffling them away from hot spots, until they reach 72 degrees celsius.

Set a skewer on thin pita bread and pull the skewer out to release the chicken. Add garlic sauce and a handful of chopped lettuce, roll up and slice.