On the heat. Medium — the yoghurt cools it right down

Ingredients

• 8 lamb sheesh kebab skewers
• 1 tbsp oil, for brushing
• — TO SERVE
• 8 roti or naan, warmed
• 2 red onions, sliced paper thin
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• Juice of 1 lemon
• — MINT YOGHURT
• 250 ml thick yoghurt
• 1 handful mint, chopped fine
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Pinch salt

Method

1. Take the skewers out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead. Fridge-cold keema is what makes kebabs slide off the skewer.
2. Onions sliced as thin as you can manage, tossed with the lemon juice and chaat masala. Leave them to soften while you cook.
3. Yoghurt, mint, garlic and salt stirred together. Do not make this in advance — the garlic gets aggressive after an hour.
4. Coals hot and direct, or a griddle pan at full heat. Brush the kebabs lightly with oil.
5. Four minutes on the first side. Do not touch them, do not roll them, do not check. They need to form a crust before they will release.
6. Turn once. Three minutes on the second side. That is the whole cook.
7. Rest two minutes on a warm plate, still on the skewer. Then slide them off with a piece of roti held against the meat — never with a fork.
8. Roti, kebab, onions, yoghurt. Roll and eat standing up.

Cook's note. Turning once. Every instinct says to keep rolling them for an even colour. Resist it — each turn tears the crust that is holding the keema together, and the fourth time you turn it the kebab ends up in the fire.

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