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Sure, 90 percent of takeaways are delicious. But ever wondered how to make them taste extra delicious? In our series, Takeaway Hacks, London chefs reveal their tips and tricks for sprucing up what the delivery person drops off. Last week we did fish and chips, before that burgers and curries, before that, pizza. This week? Kebabs.
1. Selin Kiazim, Oklava
‘I prepare lots of lemon wedges and squeeze them all over my kebab. The acidity works perfectly with the smoky, fatty meats and all the juiciness soaks into the bread. Or sometimes I’ll drizzle over some pomegranate molasses to make it extra special.’
2. Kian Samyani, Berenjak
‘I love to save a little doner or shawarma meat and use it to make a toastie the next day with lots of cheese and chopped up onions.’
3. Ed Brunet, Le Bab
‘I have maybe 15 or 20 types of chilli/hot sauces and spicy condiments at home to add to takeaways: all the usual suspects like Chinese chilli oil, Tabasco, sriracha, shichimi togarashi, plus some more esoteric ones like a pineapple chilli jam and proper blow-your-head-off stuff. A good selection means all bases are covered whatever I order...’
4. Neil Campbell, Rovi
‘If I'm going to bring back a kebab to the house, my favourite would be souvlaki chicken or lamb. My hack is to season the meat with a good squeeze of lemon juice and make a really simple garlicky tahini sauce. I also reach for a Belazu condiment. My favourite at the moment is apricot harissa paste or chermoula.’
5. James Cochran, 12:51
‘Order a proper chicken shish kebab and when you’re waiting for it to arrive, make up a packet béarnaise sauce. Pour it all over the kebab when it’s all nice and hot. Game changer.’
6. Ani Arora, Hankies
‘Make a fresh green salad to go with it and add some sliced bombay onions and a relish of white radish, cherry tomatoes, green chilli, parsley, lemon and sea salt.’
7. Thomasina Miers, Wahaca
‘You can add a deliciously spicy perk to the standard aioli on a kebab by adding roast serrano or jalapeño aioli and a squeeze of lime.’
8. James Walters, Arabica
‘A killer kebab relies on four elements: freshly baked pita, quality meat, crunchy fresh salads and the sauces. A garlicky, citrus-fuelled whipped tahini and amba sauce (a tangy mango pickle of Iraqi origin) are my go-to sauces to elevate a takeaway kebab: they transform it.’
9. Robin Gill, The Dairy
‘My hack? Extra pickles and red cabbage that I have in my store cupboard, plus Lazy Chilli for extra spice.’
Explore our list of takeaways for delivery in London.
Find out how to make Padella’s pici cacio e pepe, Gloria’s lemon meringue pie and Eggslut’s Fairfax sandwich.