Directions

• Start with preparing the hummus, it tastes better the longer it rests (2 hours are perfect but less will also suffice): strain the chickpeas (but collect the liquid) and blend them with 2 tablespoons of tahini, the juice of 1 lemon, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of curcuma, a bit of salt, 2–3 tablespoons of oil and a little bit of the chickpea liquid. While blending, add chickpea liquid until the hummus becomes smooth and creamy and salt it to taste. Cover the hummus and put it in the fridge to rest. If at hand, decorate with some fresh parsley.
• Take the yoghurt and stir it with a tablespoon of chopped mint leaves (tip: in case you don’t have any fresh mint at hand, you can also use mint tea leaves) and also put it to the fridge to rest.
• Prepare the seasoning for the chicken by adding 1 large tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of allspice, 2 pressed garlic cloves and the juice of ½ lemon to a bowl. Chop the fresh coriander and add a large tablespoon of it to the bowl. Add 150 ml of hot water (which also helps to liquify the honey), stir the seasoning a bit and salt to taste.
• Cut the chicken to 3–5 cm pieces and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 200 °C while washing and cutting the potatoes in little squares of 5–8 mm. Put them in a bowl, add some salt and oil and stir until all potatoes are lightly wetted with oil and spread them on a baking tray.
• Before adding any oil or fat, roast the cashew nuts in a hot pan, until they are lightly browned. Put them aside and fry the chicken with oil and a bit of salt and pepper in the pan on high heat for 1–2 minutes per side until the pieces are slightly browned.
• While frying the chicken, put the potatoes in the oven and let them roast for 20–25 minutes until they have developed a nice tan.
• After frying the chicken briefly, add the seasoning and the roasted cashew nuts to the pan and let the chicken cook on low heat for another 15–20 minutes.
• Cut the vegetables for a salad and prepare a seasoning from ½ tablespoon of honey, the juice of ½ lemon and balsamic vinegar, add salt and pepper to taste.
• Two minutes before the potatoes are ready, put some pita bread in the oven to roast (tip: in case your supermarket does not sell proper pita bread, most Arabic diners and falafel places will offer you these) and serve hot.
• Serve with a fruity white wine with slight citrus notes, e.g. Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, but a cold, dry rosé wine also goes along very well on summer days. If you prefer non-alcoholic options, hot or chilled peppermint tea serves just fine.
• Music recommendation: Farid Farjad – Anroozha Vol. 1. While the recipe is supposedly influenced by the Arabic kitchen (whereas the artist has Iranian roots), his timeless piano-violin arrangements appear to reminisce wistfulness just as much as buoyancy.