I recently started a new job after being unemployed for almost 2 months and nothing gets you acquainted with the essence of boredom like having absolutely nothing to do. I rewatched all the matrix movies (the first one is the only solidly good one), replayed cyberpunk 2077 and read a decent amount of the source text, read the first omnibus of The Boys comic and watched most of the show, and got back into the writing of Phillip K Dick.

It started when I was replaying Cyberpunk 2077, I noticed that in the newest update there was a reference to PKD’s book Ubik. I hadn’t read Ubik but I’ve always been interested in PKD’s storylines that mirror his own experience with psychosis. The way he writes about characters who doubt and investigate their own reality has always resonated with me. Growing up in a family with a history of psychosis, this was something I’ve spent a lot of my life thinking about.

Having read his short stories and a number of his books (now including Ubik, shoutout unemployment), I feel comfortable sharing a few themes I’ve noticed in his writing:

1. It’s important to investigate your own reality
2. People in power should not be blindly trusted.
3. Young women are very attracted to older men with serious addiction struggles despite how these men act or present themselves because they’re stand-ins for Phillip K Dick. I know (allegedly) PKD spent a decent amount of time as an older man hanging out with teenagers and doing drugs but you’d think he wouldn’t put so much of it into his books. It’s honestly a lot. I’m currently listening to the audiobook of Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said and, Jesus Christ, I’m worried I’m going to crash my car with how much I’m involuntarily rolling my eyes.

Anyway, this recipe is inspired by Turkish celebrity chef Rafika Birgul’s chicken kebab recipe from her phenomenal youtube channel Refika’s Kitchen. The biggest differences with my version are mainly around making things easier: the use of harissa instead of mincing and then rehydrating dried peppers (Harissa is a pepper-paste made from rehydrated peppers) and turning them into Kofta instead of cooking them on Koobideh skewers.

For the peppers, using whatever you have on hand should work fine; I’ve tried this recipe with a range of peppers (Jalapenos, Anaheims, poblanos, serranos, etc) and it’s always great. This time I used some locally grown peppers, which were an orange Sweet Italian and a couple red Heatless Habaneros, as well as a store bought jalapeno and a serrano for some heat.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Chicken
• 150 g Peppers, finely chopped (Of your preference – see above for more info)
• 1/4 Cup Parsley or Cilantro, minced
• 3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 2-3 TBSP Harissa (I like the DEA brand)
• Big Pinch of Salt
• Pinch of MSG or Sazon
• 1 Lemon (For serving)
• 1/2 Small White Onion, sliced (For Serving)

Recipe

• Set oven to 475 Fahrenheit (245 C) and lightly oil a oven safe pan or tray.
• Finely chop peppers of your choice, mince garlic and parsley/cilantro, and place in a large mixing bowl.
• Mix the chicken, peppers, garlic, parsley/cilantro, harissa, salt, and MSG/Sazon together until ingredients are evenly distributed.
• Lightly wet your hands and form the meat and veggie mixture into kofta, sized to your preference.
• Place kofta onto the lightly oiled tray/pan and place in oven.
• Set timer for 45 minutes.
• While the kofta cook, slice the onion and lemon for serving.
• Check kofta after 45 minutes and, if the color is where you want it, serve with raw onion and lemon wedges.