An incredibly tasty and nutritious dish from the Far East is shawarma; the recipe for its preparation is quite easy to reproduce at home. You need to take pita bread, pita bread, meat, various vegetables and sauce. This simple dish turns out incredibly tasty and aromatic. It can be prepared from any type of meat, but the best option is turkey or chicken thigh meat. Less commonly, lamb or a thin edge of veal is used to prepare shawarma.
If you are thinking about how to cook shawarma, then you will need a minimum of ingredients. Firstly, you need fresh products: vegetables, meat, spices, vegetable oil, sauces. Secondly, you will need a grill pan if you want to fry the shawarma after cooking. In this case, the crust will be crispy. The dish should be eaten immediately after preparation. In addition, shawarma can be twisted for picnics or for work.
How to cook tasty and healthy shawarma?
Contrary to prevailing stereotypes, shawarma is not a harmful fatty food, but a savory and satisfying dish that can replace a full meal. But it’s still better to cook it yourself, rather than order it in a cafe or restaurant. After all, you need to be completely confident in the quality of the products.
How to cook tasty and healthy shawarma
Basic secrets on how to cook shawarma at home:
- Lavash must be fresh. An overdried base will crumble and break. The pita bread should be moistened with water, and then greased with sauce, stepping back a little from the edge;
- Juicy and fresh meat. Breast and lean cuts should not be used. Before frying, the meat is marinated in a large amount of spices. Some chefs recommend baking the meat first and then frying it in vegetable oil. You can use a regular frying pan or grill;
- Filling. Here freedom of choice is not limited! You can use cheese, mushrooms, fresh and pickled vegetables, and any greens. Currently, French fries are often added to shawarma, but this additive increases the glycemic index and reduces nutritional value. In addition, potatoes become soggy and, when stored for a long time, spoil the taste of the finished dish;
- Spices make the taste more piquant and spicy. The classic version uses coriander, a mixture of peppers, turmeric, curry, and paprika. Any spices and seasonings can be used. For example, the Turkish version of the dish combines black coffee and cinnamon;
- Nuts and dried fruits. This component is optional. As a rule, peanuts, cashews, and legumes are added;
- The right sauce. It is prepared using homemade egg mayonnaise with the addition of sour cream and light yogurt. All ingredients are taken in equal proportions. Then garlic, various spices, and salt are added to them. The dressing should be thick and not runny.
How to make lavash at home
The recipe for traditional preparation of lavash at home without yeast cannot be made without a tanir - a round Armenian stove, but it can also be prepared in a frying pan, where it also turns out to be very fragrant and tasty.
Ingredients:
- Wheat flour - 4 cups
- clean water - 2 glasses
- salt - 2 teaspoons.
Cooking method:
In this recipe, we need a deep bowl into which we pour two glasses of water and add salt, then mix it thoroughly until completely dissolved. Next, slowly add the sifted flour and constantly stir with a fork, and as soon as the dough becomes thicker, we begin to knead it with our hands. As a result, it should turn out thick and sticky to your hands. Let the dough rest for 30-40 minutes.
Pour flour onto the work surface and transfer the dough onto it, begin to knead it until it begins to stick to your hands.
We divide the dough into small parts and now begin to use a rolling pin to make very thin cakes, their thickness should not exceed 5 mm.
Place a dry, wide frying pan over medium heat and when it is hot, place a flatbread sprinkled with flour on it. Fry until lightly browned on both sides, just do not overcook, otherwise it will turn out dry.
To prevent the cake from puffing up while cooking in a frying pan, it must be held with a towel at those moments when bubbles appear.
As soon as the first pita bread is ready, place it on a flat plate and begin preparing the next one.
We leave the pita bread to cool, and then you can serve it instead of bread at the table, or use it to prepare some snacks.
Classic shawarma: recipe at home
Classic shawarma is an excellent dish that allows you to have a satisfying snack. It is better to cook it from turkey or chicken thigh. Both types of meat are dietary products that perfectly satiate, but do not overload the stomach.
If you don’t want to make homemade mayonnaise, then you can easily buy it from a trusted manufacturer that you trust. Many housewives like to add ketchup. But it's better to use more tomatoes. To prevent tomatoes from giving juice, they should not only be peeled, but also the liquid part should be removed along with the seeds. We make the base from Armenian thin lavash, which is sold in any supermarket.
Ingredients:
- Lavash – 1 piece;
- Ripe tomato – ½ piece;
- Cucumber – ½ piece;
- White cabbage or Chinese cabbage - 5 tablespoons, finely chopped;
- Mayonnaise – 1 tablespoon;
- Thick sour cream – 1 tablespoon;
- Yogurt – 1 tablespoon;
- Garlic – 1 clove;
- Salt, ground black pepper - to taste;
- Chicken thigh meat – 150 grams;
- Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons.
Classic shawarma: recipe at home
Cooking method:
- We wash the meat, peel it from films, cut it into large pieces;
- We wash the vegetables, chop the cabbage into thin strips, peel the cucumber, remove the ends and cut into thin strips. Peel the tomato, remove the liquid part along with the seeds, cut into half rings;
- To prepare the sauce, mix mayonnaise, sour cream and yogurt in a bowl. Add the garlic that has been passed through a press, add salt and pepper. Mix the dressing. If you like ketchup, then you should also add it to the dressing;
- Salt and pepper the chicken pieces and fry in a frying pan in heated vegetable oil until cooked;
- Lay out the pita bread on a flat, straight surface, grease it with sauce, stepping back a couple of centimeters from the edge. Place cabbage in the center, then cucumbers and tomatoes. Place pieces of fried meat on the vegetables. To make the dish juicy, cover the meat with the remaining sauce;
- We fold the base into an envelope. It is important that the edges are closed and food does not fall out of them. The shawarma should be rolled up as tightly as possible;
- Fry the shawarma in a dry frying pan until golden brown on both sides.
Homemade chicken shawarma recipe
Still not sure whether to buy this dish in street stalls? Finally, cast aside all your doubts and start preparing it yourself! Its preparation is not a complicated process at all, and the result will certainly please you and your family!
Ingredients:
- Chicken fillet – 500 gr
- Armenian lavash – 3 pcs
- young cabbage - 200 gr
- tomatoes - 2 pcs.
- sweet pepper - 1 piece
- fresh cucumbers - 2 pcs.
- garlic - 2 cloves
- sunflower oil - 3 tbsp. spoons
- parsley - 1/3 bunch
- mayonnaise - 100 milliliters
- ground cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
- salt and ground pepper - to taste.
Cooking method:
First you need to prepare all the necessary products. After which we thoroughly rinse the meat and all the vegetables under running water, dry it and proceed.
For the marinade, we need to take a deep bowl and combine sunflower oil, ground pepper, salt, cinnamon in it and stir.
Cut the chicken fillet into strips and place in the marinade for a couple of hours.
After two hours, remove the chopped fillet from the marinade and fry in a frying pan in vegetable oil until crispy and golden brown.
Now cut all the vegetables into strips and chop the parsley.
We peel the garlic and pass it through a press, and then combine it with mayonnaise and grease the entire pita bread with the resulting mixture.
And we begin to lay out the filling of meat and vegetables.
Afterwards, wrap the pita bread in a tube. If the tube turns out to be long, then you can cut it in half and fry it in a frying pan or put it in the oven for a short time.
This completes the preparation of shawarma. Eat with pleasure!
Homemade vegan shawarma: recipe with photos step by step
Of course, shawarma is, first of all, a dish with a lot of meat content. The meat component is the main one in it. Therefore, it is impossible to call a vegetarian analogue a full-fledged shawarma. But the idea of vegetarianism is close to many people. Sometimes you just want to have fasting days and give up meat. A vegan product is ideal for the garden when you have a lot of vegetables on hand.
It is important to understand that vegetarianism has many directions. For example, lacto-vegans can eat not only plant-based but also dairy products. In this case, you can add cheese and sour cream to the shawarma. A dish made from just vegetables is tasty, but not nutritious. This shawarma will make you want to eat again within 30-60 minutes. To ensure that the product provides a feeling of fullness, but does not overload the stomach, legumes should be added. For example, roasted peanuts or boiled (canned) chickpeas.
Ingredients:
- Ready chickpeas – ¼ cup;
- Armenian thin lavash – 1 piece;
- Adyghe cheese – 150 grams. You can use suluguni or do without cheese altogether;
- Medium tomato – ½ piece;
- Cucumber – 1 small;
- Fresh cabbage – 70 grams;
- Garlic – 2 cloves;
- Sour cream – 2 tablespoons;
- Yogurt – 2 tablespoons;
- Mayonnaise – 2 tablespoons;
- Curry – 1 teaspoon;
- Salt, sugar, black pepper - to taste;
- Vegetable oil for frying.
Homemade vegan shawarma: recipe with photos step by step
Cooking method:
- In a bowl, mix yogurt, sour cream and mayonnaise, add garlic, salt, sugar, black pepper passed through a press. Stir the dressing until smooth;
- The chickpeas should be boiled until tender. First, it is soaked for 12-16 hours, and then boiled for about 2 hours. Therefore, it is better to do the procedure in advance or use a canned product. Shawarma can also be made when chickpeas are left over when preparing other dishes. Along with main dishes, it can also be added to snacks;
- Wash the vegetables. Shred the cabbage into small strips. Peel the tomatoes and cut them into rings or half rings. All liquid part with seeds should be removed. Otherwise, the finished shawarma will quickly become limp from excess moisture. Cut the cucumber into long strips. You can peel it;
- If we use cheese, cut it into large pieces and roll it in curry. Fry the cheese in vegetable oil on each side. Adyghe cheese does not melt and does not stick. Therefore, there will be no problems with frying;
- Lay out the pita bread on the table, sprinkle it with a small amount of water, and then grease it with sauce, moving away from the edge;
- Place shredded cabbage in the middle, then cheese, cucumber, tomato and chickpeas. If desired, the cheese can be added last. Brush the filling with the remaining sauce;
- Roll the shawarma tightly into an envelope and fry in a dry frying pan on each side until browned;
- It is better to serve vegan shawarma on a lettuce leaf.
As for vegetables, you can use any of them. Shawarma with beets, carrots, hard pears and feta cheese turns out to be very tasty and unusual. This combination is for true gourmets!
Video on how to cook shawarma
And at the end of the article, let me share this video with you. I was reviewing it now and felt all the aromas of what was happening in the kitchen and the taste. He's amazing! Moderately spicy, piquant, with unmatched chicken taste. Everything is perceived as a single whole, nothing stands out or “screams.”
And all this thanks to the sauce. It connects everything with some kind of invisible thread, making the taste both bright and laconic.
As I said above, I prepared two shawarmas for each eater. Personally, one was enough for me to fill up. But is it really possible to refuse a supplement when it is available? Moreover, it is so delicious and crispy.
I would also like to note that if suddenly you don’t eat everything at once. What to do? Place the cooled shawarma in a sealed container and put it in the refrigerator. For your next meal, heat it in a frying pan, or use a regular one. But also without oil. The crunchiness will remain, as will the incomparable taste.
Of course, the most wonderful shawarma is freshly prepared. But if you want to prolong the pleasure, then you can make a reserve. If you tighten it well and correctly, then nothing will come apart or tear. So cook, enjoy the taste and eat with great satisfaction.
And I want to wish you bon appetit!
Author of the publication
offline 19 hours
Homemade fish shawarma: recipe with photos step by step
Not everyone loves meat. There are also fish lovers. Therefore, there is a very tasty salmon-based recipe for them. In general, you can take any fatty red fish. It is tender and juicy. Therefore, the dish will turn out perfect. It is better to fry the fish fillet in vegetable oil to obtain a crispy crust, which will make the dish more piquant. But you can use a lightly salted product.
The classic sauce is suitable, as indicated in the recipes above. But you can use greens and fresh yogurt. The dressing will be very tasty, healthy and low-calorie. Therefore, fish shawarma is an excellent option for those who do not want to give up animal protein, but are watching their weight and health.
Ingredients:
- Salmon – 500 grams;
- Olive oil – 1 tablespoon;
- Salt, black pepper - to taste;
- Red onion – ½ head;
- Cucumber – 1 piece;
- Sugar - a pinch;
- Armenian lavash – 2 sheets;
- Cilantro – ½ bunch;
- Dill – ½ bunch;
- White yogurt – 8 tablespoons;
- Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon.
Homemade fish shawarma: recipe with photos step by step
Cooking method:
- Divide the fish into equal portions. Leave the skin on;
- Mix salt and black pepper. Rub the resulting mixture onto the fish on all sides;
- Sprinkle the fish with lemon juice and olive oil and fry on all sides until crispy. Cook the fish for 8-10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid. The salmon will cook on the residual heat;
- Wash the cilantro and dill, dry and chop. It is better to do this using a blender. Add yogurt to the greens;
- Cut the onion into rings, cut the cucumber into strips, and place in a bowl. Salt, pepper, add a little sugar. If you have wine vinegar, you can add a few drops to marinate the vegetables;
- Lubricate the pita bread with sauce, on which we place the vegetables and then the fish. Cover the top of the fish with dressing and roll up the shawarma;
- Fry the dish in a grill pan and serve.
Shawarma with caramelized beef turns out incredibly tasty. Pork lovers will find many recipes for themselves. The simplest solution in this case is considered to be kebab wrapped with vegetables in pita bread. It turns out nourishing and incredibly tasty! In addition, shish kebab in lavash is more convenient to eat and there is no need to serve bread separately.
Shawarma with pork at home
Shawarma has never been a dietary dish, so the best meat for it would be high-quality, tender and fatty pork. Of course, you can always replace it with any other meat you love or even make it vegetarian by adding beans, eggs or, for example, soy meat. And, most importantly, remember - cook with love and everything will turn out better than you can imagine!
Ingredients for two shawarmas:
• pork fillet – 250 grams; • pickled cucumber – 1 large; • White cabbage; • 1 small onion; • 1\2 small carrots, can be replaced with Korean carrots; • 1 medium tomato: • salt; • lavash – 2 flatbreads; • ketchup, mayonnaise.
How to cook?
Step 1. Wash all the vegetables, peel the onions. The meat also needs to be washed; large pieces of fat should still be cut off.
Step 2. Thinly slice the pieces of meat, rub with salt and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Cut the tomato and pickled cucumber into thin strips, place all the vegetables on separate plates. Cut the onion into thin half rings and pour boiling water in a deep bowl. This will remove excess bitterness and spiciness; after a couple of minutes, the water can be drained. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater or a special grater for Korean carrots. Chop the cabbage with a sharp knife. There should be about a handful per person.
Step 3. Place the cabbage in a deep bowl, lightly sprinkle with oil and sprinkle with salt, leave for 5 minutes. After this, with clean hands, knead it as much as possible. The vegetable will begin to produce juice and soften, this will allow you to get rid of excess volume and make the taste more rich and pleasant. After mashing the cabbage, mix it with the carrots.
Step 4. Heat a deep, heavy-bottomed frying pan and spray it with just a little oil. Place the pork pieces on a hot surface and, stirring occasionally, fry the meat until fully cooked - about 10 minutes. Of course, the thinner you cut the meat initially, the better and faster it will cook.
Step 5. Unroll the pita bread on a work surface. Distribute ketchup and mayonnaise randomly over the entire surface; if desired, you can add mustard, adjika or any other favorite sauce - the main thing is not to overdo it with moisture. For the same reason, there is no need to spread the sauces; leave them in the same condition in which they were applied.
Step 6. Place fried meat on top, distribute vegetables evenly along the center. Then, tightly roll the pita bread, along with all the filling, so that the flatbread is completely covered. We will tell you more about how to wrap shawarma in the appendix.
Step 7. Place the finished shawarma in a very hot oven until it is slightly browned, this will take about 7-10 minutes.
You can serve the shawarma whole or cut into two halves. Bon appetit!
You may also like:
Marshmallows at home: recipe with photos
What can you cook dinner quickly and tasty?
Simple recipes for delicious cakes
Do you like our articles? Subscribe and look for delicious and healthy ideas on chefmarket.ru
