Shawarma is a Middle Eastern meat recipe where chicken, lamb, beef or veal (or a combination of these meats) are grilled on a skewer for up to a full day. This meat is usually placed inside unleavened buns with hummus, tahini, pickled cabbage, or other side dishes. While it is not possible to use a skewer in your kitchen, you can still make shawarma in the oven, on the stove or on the grill. With a little preparation you will be able to bring home unmistakable tastes that are only found on the streets of Iraq, Israel or Turkey.
Ingrediants
Chicken Shawarma
- Half a teaspoon of garlic powder
- Half a teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of cardamom
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1, 4 kg of boneless and skinned chicken thighs or breast, cut into strips
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Lamb Shawarma
- 4 shoulder cutlets with bones
- 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
- 1, 5 cups of dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 diced carrot
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses
- 1, 5 teaspoons of lemon juice
- 30 ml of unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Tahini sauce
- 2 medium cloves of garlic, ground
- 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
- Half a cup of whole Greek yogurt
- Half a cup of tahini
- 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
Pickled Cabbages
- 1, 5 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups of finely sliced red cabbage
- Half a teaspoon of pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon of sherry vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon of sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
To Serve With
Unleavened buns of 15 or 20 cm type yufka, markouk, pita or flour tortillas
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Making the Salsa
Step 1. Make the tahini sauce
To make the tahini sauce you simply add the garlic to the lemon juice in a medium bowl and let them rest for 5 minutes. Then add the tahini, olive oil, yogurt and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Stir until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture. If the dough is too thick, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and mix to make it more liquid.
- To save time, you can make the sauce while cooking the meat.
- Or you can make the sauce two days in advance and store it in the fridge.
Part 2 of 4: Prepare the Cabbage
Step 1. Prepare the pickled cabbage
Pickled cabbage is another important ingredient in making a tasty shawarma. For the preparation you need to heat a little oil in a 25 cm pan over medium heat. Add the cabbage and cook for about 8-10 minutes, until tender. You can stir occasionally to promote even cooking. Turn off the stove and add the molasses, vinegar, and sugar. Then add more vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
To save time, you can prepare the cabbage during the cooking period of the meat. Or, you can think about it 2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge
Step 2. Prepare the unleavened focaccia
For the shawarma you can use yufka, marfouk or even flour tortillas. If you buy ready-made bread or have prepared it in advance, heat it in a pot on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. You should do this right after the meat is ready, so you will serve a great shawarma inside a nice hot focaccia.
Note that after you add the tahini sauce and the cabbage to the shawarma, you can cook it in a pan for about 3 minutes to brown it and to mix the ingredients well
Part 3 of 4: Chicken Shawarma
Step 1. Mix all the spices in a bowl
To mix garlic powder, paprika, nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon, use a medium plastic bowl. Mix well for 30 seconds.
Step 2. Add the chicken strips to the dough after sprinkling them with olive oil
Arrange the thinly sliced chicken inside the bowl with the spices and stir until completely coated on both sides. Then, add some olive oil and keep stirring.
Step 3. Prepare the grill
Heat the grill and grease a large piece of aluminum foil. Put it on the hot grill.
Step 4. Place the spiced chicken on the aluminum foil
Flip the chicken until completely cooked. It should cook about 8 minutes per side, depending on the size of the strips. If you have a small grill, you will need to cook the chicken at two different times.
Step 5. Remove the chicken from the grill and arrange it on a platter
Do this before combining the other ingredients of the shawarma.
Step 6. Wrap the chicken and other ingredients in bread
You can add lettuce, onion, tahini sauce, pickled cabbage, hummus, or any ingredient of your choice. Start putting the chicken into the bread followed by the other ingredients and finally pour the tahini sauce on top. Roll the bread up as if it were a burrito, leaving a space of about 3 cm between the ingredients and the edges of the bread to prevent them from falling out. After you are done with this step, your chicken shawarma is ready to eat!
Part 4 of 4: Lamb Shawarma
Step 1. Heat the oven to 180 ºC
Make sure the pan is in the center of the oven so that the lamb can cook optimally.
Step 2. Tap the pieces of meat to dry them
Before cooking, with a paper towel, try to remove the moist from the meat gently.
Step 3. Prepare the pan
Heat the oil in a 12-inch deep skillet over medium-high heat.
Step 4. Cook the lamb chops in 2 rounds
Place the meat in the pan and wait for it to brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn it over to the other side and continue cooking until it browns nicely on both sides. For the second round of cooking, we recommend adding a little oil.
- When done, transfer the meat to a 20x30cm roasting pan and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remember not to cook the meat completely, you just have to brown it; you will complete cooking in the oven. If you overcook the meat in a pan, it will become dry and tough.
Step 5. Add a cup of wine to the pan
Cook over low heat and remove any lumps of wine that will form. Then add the meat and move the pan to spread the wine well.
Step 6. Season the lamb chops
Sprinkle cumin, garlic, carrot, onion and the rest of the wine on top. The liquid should coat the meat halfway. If not, add some water to the pan. Stir occasionally, so that the meat takes on the flavor of spices.
After seasoning the lamb cutlets, cover the pan with a double layer of aluminum foil to prepare for the final cooking
Step 7. Braise the lamb in the oven for 1.5-2 hours
After about an hour, check the cooking of the meat with a fork. The lamb is ready when the meat is tender and easily falls off the fork. Remove it from the oven.
Step 8. Move the lamb to a cutting board
Keep the meat wrapped in aluminum foil to keep it warm but not trap the heat. Cut the meat into small pieces; you can do it with your hands or with a fork and knife. Try to get rid of fat and bones.
Step 9. Prepare the stew liquid for the cooking pot
After you take out the lamb, take a colander and strain the liquid for the cooking pot into a medium bowl. You should get about 2 cups of liquid.
- Remove the solid ingredients and cool the liquid until the fat floats to the surface. It should be ready in 15 minutes.
- Then, remove the grease from the surface and throw it away.
- Move the liquid to a saucepan and boil it over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until half is left.
- Add the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, and butter.
Step 10. Coat the lamb with the liquid
Then add the lamb to the liquid and tap it to make sure it is completely covered. Season it with salt and pepper and it's ready!
Step 11. Place the lamb, tahini sauce and cabbage in the unleavened flatbread
Now that the lamb is ready, add it to the bread with the cabbage and pour the tahini sauce over it for a delicious taste. Place the lamb in the focaccia and leave about 2 cm of space to roll it well, making sure to push one end of the bread to fold it after putting the ingredients in it (like burrito). Cook everything in a pan for another 3 minutes. Lamb shawarma is ready!
Advice
- Serving Tips: Spread some tahini sauce on one side of the muffin or tortilla. Fill the bread with chicken, lettuce, and pickled vegetables.
- These ingredients are calculated for 7-8 servings.
