Sunday, March 13, 2011

Chicken Shawarma


 I can still remember the very first time I had these shawarma.  First things are always special isn'it. It was the very first Eid fair which I attended in UK with my husband.  Since my husband was helping someone in the stall, me and his friend's wife were going through all the shops.  At one point we got very tired and hungry.  Athough there was plenty of food shops, in each and every shop, there was a very long queue.
Finally my friend managed to get these shawarmas for us.  You know sometimes people used to when your hungry, the taste of the food gets doubled. Why I'm saying this is, it was the best of all shawarmas I ever had.  I don't know weather it tasted so good since I was hungry or it tasted really very good and made me eat a lot.  Whatever it is the next five years when I was in UK , I looked for some shawarma like that and nothing didn't much that.  I think by now you should have realized I'm how fond of these shawarma.

  Right I talked all my old stories about shawarma and I didn't mention what actually a shawarma is.  If you haven't come across this word  Shawarma in your life, here is the explanation for that.   Shawarma is a type of sandwich made with meat and salad.  The special element in this sandwich is the meat, the way how it is prepared. Seasoned meat and fat layers are stacked and keep turning around the heat, which is then sliced from the outer and made as stuffing for sandwich along with salad. You can get a clear view from the wikipedia link here.  I think I have used too much of the word shawarma in this post, so let's stop here and go to the recipe.
Recipe adapted from Titli's Busy Kitchen

Preparation Time:45 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Chicken- 500 g
Oil - 3 tbsp
Pitta bread or Naan- 4
Marination for chicken:
Yogurt- 3 tbsp
Lemon juice- 2 tbsp
Parsley- 1 tbsp chopped
Ground nutmeg- 1/4 tsp
Paprika- 1/4 tsp
Ground ginger- 1/4 tsp
Ground cloves- 1/4 tsp
Ground cardamom- 1/4 tsp
Ground cinnamon- 1/4 tsp
All spice- 1/4 tsp
Garlic- 2 cloves grated
Salt to taste

For the tahini sauce:
Tahini- 3 tbsp
Yogurt- 1 1/2 tbsp
Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves- 2 grated
Salt to taste

For the filling:
Lettuce- few leaves
Cucumber-  1/2 of 1 medium sized cucumber( sliced)
Tomato- 1 medium sized( sliced)
Black olives- 5 to 6
Feta cheese- 2 tbsp
Red onion- 1 medium sized( sliced)

Method:
Marinate your meat:
To get really thin slices of the meat, take the frozen chicken and leave it outside for about 1/2 an hour .  The meat should be in the half defrosted stage, at this stage using a sharp knife  thinly slice the chicken.  Marinate the chicken with all the marinade ingredients and leave it for minimum 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Cook the chicken:
Take the oil in a wide open pan, add all the chicken pieces and cook until it looks dry.
Prepare the sauce:
Add  all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix it well.
Assemble the shawarma:
Take the pitta bread, lay it flat.  Spread the sauce in the pitta bread, arrange some chicken pieces on top it then some filling with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, olives, onions and feta cheese.  Wrap the pitta bread and serve immediately.


Note:
Instead of chicken you can also use beef or lamb.  The filling ingredients is also your choice, you can also use red cabbage, pickles etc...

This recipe goes to Souper Sunday




100 comments:

Oriyarasoi said...

This is the first time i have heard of Shawarma...I swear it sounds divine!!!!

Your clicks and the presentation make it all the more appealing!!

Sushma Mallya said...

wow They look so mouthwatering even I do these shawarma wrap but a bit differnt way , would love to try ur recipe:)

schmetterlingwords said...

Shawarma looks very inviting.. Has come out perfect!! I came to know this first as Döner kebap. My all time favourite :-)

Coraine said...

whoah! this made me drool =)~~~~
nice pictures too!!

Ila said...

yummy shawarma :) new to me :) but yummy and delicious :)

sojo said...

Shawerma.... my favourite... I have to order in a shawerma atleast once in two weeks..and the rest of the time, I buy the frozen filling and make it at home... ur pictures are making me want to order now....lovely lovely!!!!

Sravs said...

Perfect shawarma looks so absolutely delicious !!!

Soumya Vineeth said...

Ohh, I cant stop myself from bookmarking this lovely recipe, So fond of shawarmas!

Hamaree Rasoi said...

I seems Shawarma roll really left a lasting impression on you :-) I love your coaster sets. So bright and colorful. And roll looks equally tempting

Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi

Vimitha Durai said...

The flavor sounds awesome... Would have been delicious... Super clicks...

Hema Mahen said...

Looks awesome and beautiful pictures....

Pushpa said...

Yummy and refreshing chicken sandwich.

KrithisKitchen said...

Shawarmas are new to me... But yours is so good and inviting..

http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com

Suja Manoj said...

Chicken shawarma looks absolutely tempting..wonderful recipe dear.

Lauren Hairston said...

Yummy! Chicken Shawarma is one of my favorite eating-out meals, but I've never tried it at home. Thanks for the recipe!

Becky said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog. Your sandwich sounds so flavorful with all of those spices, and your pics are beautiful!

Binys Recipes said...

anyone will want to have it right way..pics are gr8

divya said...

look absolutely yummy and delicious!

Edible Art said...

oh m gosh! what a beautiful picture!
and the food looks great!

i want one for lunch now~~~~ !

Cooking Gallery said...

What beautiful photography...! This looks almost like Döner Kebab :)!

Medifast Coupon Code 2011 said...

Yummy, this really looks good and can't wait to try.

? said...

Looks very appetizing Ayeesha!
Love the tiles, the bowl is resting on too.
It will go well for a snapshot of raita dishes or something white!:-)

Anonymous said...

I love chicken shawarmas! A Greek restaurant near my office serves them, but it would be great to make it at home!

Vidhya said...

Shawarma looks awesome.Loved your presentation too.

Plateful said...

Absolutely gorgeous, Ayeesha! You rock girl!! The colors, styling and photography is beyond compare. Not to mention that the dish is one of our favorites for lunch, dinner or whenever we feel peckish!

Priya Suresh said...

Woww wat a wonderful and inviting chicken shawarma, truly irresistible..

muppy said...

I have never heard this word before, sounds interesting and looks delicious :)

Shobha said...

Wow!
Nice to see shawarma recipe.
I remember having eaten this in UK ages ago when my husband was doing his MBA there. Late in the night when he was tired of studying and felt hungry, we used to go and eat shawarma.
Thanks for sharing.

Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) said...

nowadays meditterean food is my fam fav...love shawarma with muhamarra,pita bread,and fattosh salad...yum yum...lovely presentation...

Deb in Hawaii said...

This looks like a very flavorful and wonderful sandwich--no wonder it's a favorite. Thanks for sharing it at Souper Sundays. ;-)

Reshmi Mahesh said...

This looks super delicious...missing the shawarma that we used to get in mangalore...
Nice pics too dear..


FunWidFud

Reshmi Mahesh said...

There is a award for you at my blog...pls collect it..

FunWidFud

cik cek said...

Emmm...Chicken Shawarma...boleh kak cek tau ngape nama nya Chicken Shawarma...unik nama tu...makan ni mesti kenyang....alhamdulillah...

Seema said...

Ayeesha,

Even I feel that food seems to be tastier than it actually is when you're too hungry. I too like Shawarma! Nice presentation as usual...

Regards,
Seema
amchi-bong-konnexion.blogspot.com
seemabbas.blogspot.com

Rekha shoban said...

colourful one...nice click!

Monet said...

Like you, I adore shawarma! This sounds so good right now. Thanks for sharing your creativity in the kitchen! Your words, recipes and photos bring a big smile to my face. Have a great Monday!

Shanavi said...

looks delectable and wish to grab the bowl

Anonymous said...

great pics, as always...and shawerma is one of the yummiest food ever

Min {Honest Vanilla} said...

Mmmm sounds absolutely delicious! I've no idea (or ever came across) a Shawarma until now, thanks for sharing :)

Trying To Be Muslim.. said...

Alaikumussalamwbh...sis... syukran wa jazakillah for visiting my small kitchen..

Mm..here in Doha....shawarma is a must....but yours...looks better....:) mm yummy...

I follow you in return...

Trying To Be Muslim.. said...

Assalamualaikumwbh sis....I think I have commented just now...mmm maybe the serve was not doing ok....

MM your shawarma looks yummy better than what we have here in Doha, qatar...:)

I follow u in return ya....jazakillah!

Indian Khana said...

Looks so yum n nice pic dear

Priya dharshini said...

Luv the shwarma recipe with crunchy chicken and fresh greens...Luks delicious..

Archana said...

i have seen this many times but frankly never wanted to try it out. Will try next time.

Pavani said...

yummy n grt clicks

Prathima Rao said...

Beautifully laid out ayeesha!! Can v use veg in place of chicken?
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner

eina said...

shawarma..it's new to me..nice to know u my dear..follow u too...feel free to visit mine again ok!!!

Ambreen (Simply Sweet n Savory) said...

Wonderful presentation,Ayeesha! Your photography is spectacular. Looks absolutely delicious!

Suman Singh said...

I wasn't famililar with this dish but it looks delicious..tempting pictures too.

Krishnaveni said...

another beautiful dish from you, looks great

Farah said...

Salam Dear ...

its so nice to found you in this blogging world and your shewerma sound delicious... my kids are mad about it... hopefully comimg weekend I will try it...
Thanks a lot for your nice comments... I am going to follow you ...
http://craftaworld.blogspot.com/
Love
Farah

Sarah Naveen said...

Beautfiful clciks..looks so perfect n yumm!!

lena said...

glancing at the ingredients looks so flavourful, no wonder you keep eating that! and from the picture, it really looks delicious!!

Kak Nik Ja said...

assalam...how r u?? thank a million much for dropping to my blog...the shawarma, looks so beautifully tasty...the recipe sounds like kebab, but wonder how it taste??

Unknown said...

Oh I love shawarma..It looks very delicious! Really tempting clicks.. I have this in my drafts..

Hanaâ said...

That looks very tasty. I've had shawarma or shoarma before (in restaurants) but can't say I've run into a restaurant that makes it really well. So homemade might be the way to go on this one. Do you happen to have any good recipes for homemade pita bread? Thanks!

Nadji said...

Ton shawarma est des plus délicieux.
Bravo pour cette recette. J'aime beaucoup.
Bonne semaine et à très bientôt.

JishasKitchen said...

wow..that looks awesome...very very delicious..!!

Unknown said...

Absolutely delcious shawarma, pretty photos and great looking blog!! keep going....

Pavithra Elangovan said...

MMMM absolutely love love love it.. beautiful pictures .

HGourmet Foodie said...

what an awesome food presentation!!! i am drooling all over the key board:).love it!!!

Victoria said...

I love shawarma! Chicken is my favorite too. At Zankou Chicken in LA they serve their amazing garlic sauce in their shawarma sandwiches... Heaven! :)

Lorraine said...

I have never had shawarma, but I can see why you love it. It sounds delicious. The chicken with the flavorings you have used and the tahini and veggies make me really want to try this:)

Anonymous said...

Lovely shawarma there and neat pics too. Well done. Being in the Middle East, whenever the lazy-bug hits us, just down the block is a shawarma stall and we have a couple of em and burp.

tasteofbeirut said...

This shawarma looks so appetizing I could eat one right this minute! Love it and my kids adore it especially when in Beirut.

Maria said...

That sounds incredibly flavoursome and fragrant, delicious dish!

retete- ina said...

absolutely delicious,
beautiful presentation!

Seri Kandi Tanah Jauhar said...

yummy! da bommmm! i likeeeee!

Zareena said...

Ayeesha, Excellent presentation. These clicks are feast to our eyes. Very colourful and yummmmmm

Anonymous said...

Talk about pictures...yours a really clear and your shawarma...quite appetizing.

Thanks for the support.

Luciana said...

Questa ricetta è ottima, con tutte queste spezie sarebbe un peccato non provarla!!! bacioni

Katerina said...

From your description it seems that shawarma resembles our gyro meat. It looks delicious!

vandana rajesh said...

Shawarma is a very popular dish back in Kerala where half the population comes back on leave from Dubai and other Arab countries. I had it a few times during the last vacation and it was just yumm...Thks for sharing the recipe...the pics looks so inviting.

Mary Bergfeld said...

These sound remarkably good and fragrant. I'll wager they are also delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Unknown said...

I am more a lamb or mutton shawarma type of person...but i will take chicken one anytime....looks delicious and yumm!
Smitha
Smitha's Spicy Flavors

lena said...

hi again, coming back to let you know hat i just passed you an award, pick it up whenever you can!

Dimah said...

Yum! Great recipe!

Rachu said...

Wow.. truly amazing pics.. trust me i have never seen this beautiful shawarma even in a restaurant..
ammaandbaby.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Lovely shawarma...looks delicious...i like!..:)

Anonymous said...

now this is the one I love to make, had shwarma at lebanon restaurant, loved it, bookmarked it
pics are highly appealing

Awayofmind Bakery House said...

This is so beautifully done, love the colours and the food looks inviting!

Awayofmind Bakery House said...

Hi, I would like to inform you that I have pass an award to you, please drop by my blog to pick up when you are free. Cheer!

Richa Priyanka said...

Pl collect your award from my blog!

garlutti said...

HI...I like this recipe for chicken Shawarma ,and ingredient ,Have a nice day MARIMI

Neenu M N said...

wow..my husband's fav..he ;loves all the medittaranean fud..

Unknown said...

Fabulous recipes..Yum!! would love to give a try!

Paola said...

Ciao, ho appena scoperto il tuo blog, ...è favoloso! Complimenti per le foto, sono tutte fantastiche. Passerò spesso a trovarti!
A presto
Paola

Preety said...

looks perfect

hanushi said...

This is also the first time I heard of Shawarma. Looks so healthy and appealing! :)

Viv said...

ohh so its like another name for gyros or kebabs?! it looks absolutely mouthwatering...!!
i think i had a similar experience as you...i thought i had the best falelfal in europe but now thinking back, i think i might just have been VERY hungry back then lol.

Blackswan said...

90 comments? Wow, I'm impressed! Thks for dropping by Luxury Indulgence & I'm following u too! Looking fwd to more sharing :)

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

Wow that is absolutely gorgeous to eat!

ann low said...

Never heard of Shawarma before but this looks so delicious, would love to try it some day.

Plateful said...

Hey sweetie, please check my blog- I have some awards waiting for you! :)

Jean said...

thank you for visiting my blog. this is the first time i've heard of a shawarma...and you've already gotten me hooked onto it! :)

Vikis Kitchen said...

Shawarma.....wonderful recipe dear.I understand what you say. Here we get it as street food in Manhattan, NY. I go there for this halal shop food alone:) (Street foods are much welcomed here, as we can get international food in one sitting...even the MNC heads stand in long queues).They serve the meat shavings over rice or bread....yours look classic. Bookmarking it.

Suhaina said...

This is my favorite. I too make it quite often with slight changes. Amazing clicks.

Amy said...

My husband almost always orders a chicken shawarma wrap when we eat out at this one falafel bar near us. I know he loves it, so now I can try to replicate it at home.

sitiezahim said...

i always found this at turkish restaurant..hehehe..yours look very delicious!!

the Junkie book said...

yay shawarma...love it. incidental interesting shawarma story...your senses led you right, ayeesha, to this wonderful delite.

thank you for sharing!

i've linked my post to your event first time...i don even know wht tht means but i welcome myself to the linkers world ;P

why don you share each post on foodbuzz...people shd know abt your delites there too!

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