Shashlik

Method

1. Trim the 200 g of lamb shoulder of sinew and cut into even 3 cm cubes, keeping a little fat on each; cut the 25 g of lamb tail fat into smaller 2 cm cubes and set aside separately. Even cubes are what makes the skewer cook at one rate.
2. Halve the 1 onion. Coarsely grate one half straight over the meat in a bowl and squeeze it through your fingers so the juice coats every cube. Add 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp of cold water, 1 tsp of sunflower oil, 0.5 tsp of ground coriander, 0.5 tsp of sweet paprika, 0.25 tsp of black pepper and the crumbled bay leaf. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight — do not salt yet, salt now would draw out the juices.
3. Slice the reserved onion half into thin rings and soak them in cold water for 15 minutes to take out the harshness, then drain and pat dry. Light a chimney of charcoal and let it burn down for 25-30 minutes until the coals are covered in grey ash with no flame — shashlik is cooked over heat, never over fire.