Brochettes de Poulet

The first thing you smell is coriander hitting hot charcoal, then garlic, then the sweet red breath of paprika. Brochettes de poulet are the lighter skewer of the Moroccan grill, the one you order when the stall is crowded and everyone is eating with bread in hand. They don't ask for ceremony. They ask for a hot fire, honest spice, and chicken cut small enough that the marinade can hold it.

Cut the pieces even, then give them time in grated onion, garlic, fresh coriander, parsley, cumin, paprika, ginger, and a little ras el hanout if your blend is alive. That is the rule that decides the dish: the grill must be hot before the chicken touches it, so the outside browns fast while the inside stays juicy. A lukewarm grill dries chicken before it gives you those dark, fragrant edges.

Serve the skewers straight from the fire with khobz, olives, and a chopped tomato salad if the tomatoes are in their good season. Pull one more chair close. Une table, c'est une porte qu'on laisse ouverte, a table is a door you leave open, and brochettes are made for hands reaching across the plate.