In Bahrain, tikka means something quite specific. Not the creamy, yogurt marinated tikka of an Indian menu, but small cubes of beef, lamb, chicken or liver rubbed with ground loomi, the dried black lime that perfumes half the island's cooking, then threaded onto skewers and cooked over charcoal until the edges blacken. It is grill house food, cooked to order at smoky counters and on the beach at Karbabad, and it comes with hot bread, raw onion, tomato and lime so you can build each mouthful yourself.

The black lime is the whole point. Ground to a dusky powder it is sour, faintly bitter and almost smoky, and it does for beef what lemon does for fish while also tenderizing it a little. It is also assertive: Bahraini cooks will tell you to eat tikka with bread, because the lime on its own can be fierce. Consider that the most useful advice on this page.

This version uses beef, which grills quickly and stays juicy, and suits an outdoor grill or a ridged grill pan equally. The meat needs an hour in its marinade and about eight minutes over the heat, which is roughly the length of a safety car period and considerably more rewarding.

The black lime marinade and beef

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) beef sirloin, tenderloin or boneless rib eye
• 3 to 4 dried black limes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) neutral oil

Onion and tomato relish

Ingredients

• 1 medium red onion
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 cup (15 g) flat leaf parsley
• 1 green chili
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lime or lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Grilling and serving

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 khubz or soft pita breads
• 2 limes
• a handful fresh mint or watercress

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