Mini Kabob is a tiny family run Armenian restaurant in Glendale, California. The Martirosyan family came from Armenia with authentic recipes and Egyptian influences from their great grandparents’ heritage. The dishes have a special, homely feel with everything being made from scratch in-house.
There are three employees: Armen; his father, Ovakim; and his mother, Alvard. They cook jalapeños and tomatoes on a rotating grill over hot coals imparting a smoky mellow flavour. Kebabs get charred on grills and smooth creamy hummus is dolloped on to takeaway dishes. I love their account on Instagram and have been following them for many years. Each time I scroll on to one of their videos, plating up smoking hot chicken shish kebabs or hand-shaping falafel, I’m just stopped in my tracks. Their billowy white toum looks incredible. It is a white garlic sauce that is so good with grilled meats.
I love the simplicity of the perfectly cooked meats, blistered tomato and sumac onions on a bed of rice with a side of hummus. It is food I could eat every day.
So I wanted to re-create one of their combination platters at home, including the fried potato slices (mine are oven baked). Some good quality oven chips would be great too.
I’m using chicken thighs, which I marinate for a least an hour – overnight would be even better. This is how I plan on eating all summer long. Throw some vegetables and meat on the barbecue and have a big tub of hummus in the fridge that we can dip into. I’ve picked up some great tips from my Palestinian friends about how to make perfect, smooth, creamy hummus.
Removing skins from chickpeas is a good idea unless you have a super strong blender. Use more tahini than you would expect and season generously with lots of lemon juice, salt and a pinch of cumin. Use ice instead of water and don’t be too heavy handed with garlic as you’ll be serving it with some garlic-marinated meats, or making some of the addictive toum. It’s such a perfect combination for carefree summer dining.
Recipe: Armenian chicken with sumac onions
Lilly’s kitchen tips:
- I buy sumac from Izz Cafe, a Palestinian restaurant in Cork, and they also sell online. Larger supermarkets or your local Asian supermarket may have some.
- The chicken can be frozen in the marinade in sealable bags or plastic containers. Perfect for defrosting and cooking on the barbecue. It’s worth making a few batches all at once.
- Use orange juice and mint for a delicious summery twist on this recipe.
