How to use sumac in salads and kebabs, and a recipe for a filling autumnal dish

For many of us, something red on our plate signals to our palates either sweetness (as with strawberries or raspberries) or spiciness (usually chillies). But sumac has neither of those flavours: it is tart. Its sourness is different to that of lemon, which some recipes say can be used as a substitute. Sumac is more astringent and tannic. The spice comes from the dark reddish-purple sumac berry, which is dried and then ground to a coarse, gritty powder, and that is usually how it is sold commercially. The spice should be stored in an airtight jar, in a cool, dark place. Sumac is often one of the ingredients in spice blends such as za’atar. It is also a versatile spice and complements meats, fish, vegetables, legumes and dairy products. It often appears in Middle Eastern mezze spreads, sprinkled over salads, hummus and yogurt. Use sumac in kebabs… For kebabs, mix ground lamb (or a mixture of beef and lamb) with minced garlic, onion, parsley, ground cumin and other spices. Shape the mixture into meatballs, then skewer them. Grill the meat until crusty outside and moist within, then sprinkle ground sumac over it. Remove the mixture from the skewers and wrap in soft flatbread, adding chopped fresh tomatoes, herbs, and grilled peppers and onions. …and in a salad For a quick and easy salad, cut tomatoes and cucumbers into chunks and add smaller pieces of red onion. Mix with salt, extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of sumac, and serve with grilled lamb, beef or chicken. In Hong Kong, the weather at this time of year does not really feel or look autumnal: the leaves are not changing colour, and there is no crisp bite in the air. Still, we have slightly cooler days when we crave something more substantial than a green salad with grilled chicken – even if it is still too warm for heavy, slow-cooked braises. For these times, the recipe below works well. Pan-fried chicken livers with sautéed grapes, wilted baby spinach, pearl couscous and sumac This dish is even better if you substitute thin slices (about 5mm thick) of calves’ livers (from humanely reared animals) for the chicken livers. Cut the liver into two-bite strips before proceeding with the recipe. You can omit soaking the calves’ livers in milk; this technique is used with stronger-tasting livers to remove any bitterness. Both the calves’ livers and chicken livers should be cooked to medium, so they are pale pink at the centre. 600 grams chicken livers 400 grams baby spinach 100ml milk, or as needed 100 grams pearl couscous 400 grams seedless grapes, preferably a mix of green and red 100 grams plain flour 1 tsp paprika Cooking oil, as needed 30 grams ghee or clarified butter, or as needed Sumac, to sprinkle Fine sea salt, rough-flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Put the chicken livers on a cutting board. Separate the two lobes of each liver by removing the membrane that connects them. Trim off any exterior fat and blood. Put the livers in a bowl, add enough milk to cover them, then refrigerate for an hour. While the livers are soaking, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the pearl couscous and boil until tender. Drain, rinse with cold water, then drain again. Thoroughly rinse the baby spinach, then drain it and lay it out on tea towels to dry (or, if you have a salad spinner, spin it dry). Cut the grapes in half. Drain the livers. Mix the flour with five grams of fine sea salt, the paprika and half a teaspoon of black pepper. Pour oil to a depth of about 5mm in a skillet and place it over a medium flame. Dredge the livers in the flour mixture and shake off the excess, then place them in the pan. Pan-fry the livers until they are cooked to medium, turning them over once. Cook the livers in batches, then drain on paper towels. Heat 30 grams of ghee or clarified butter in a wok or large skillet set over a high flame. Add the baby spinach and a sprinkling of salt and stir-fry until wilted. Use tongs to remove the spinach from the pan and put the vegetable into a bowl. Add the couscous to the pan, sprinkle with salt and cook over a high flame, stirring often, until heated through. Put the couscous in the bowl with the spinach. Put the grapes in the pan and cook over a high flame until they start to collapse slightly. Put them in a separate bowl. Mix the spinach with the couscous and divide between four plates. Arrange the grapes on the plate, then top with the livers. Sprinkle sumac over the ingredients then add some freshly ground black pepper and rough flaked sea salt. Serve immediately. This content was first published in Post Magazine in 2013 and 2015.

How to use sumac in salads and kebabs, and a recipe for a filling autumnal dish

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Often used in Middle Eastern cuisine, sumac is a versatile sour spice that complements meats, fish, vegetables, legumes and dairy products

Use sumac in kebabs…

Often used in Middle Eastern cuisine, sumac is a versatile sour spice that complements meats, fish, vegetables, legumes and dairy products