Homemade Arabic Chicken Shawarma

Love Shawarma, but worried about how healthy or unhealthy it maybe to try one from out? Why not make it at home? 😀

Being born and brought up in Saudi, Shawarma is one thing I’ve literally grown up on. Having tried different kinds of them, this recipe is a combination of my favorite elements that make up a good shawarma. 🙂

Shawarma is made by placing strips of meat or marinated chicken on a stick; an onion or tomato is placed at the top of the stack for flavoring. The meat is roasted slowly on all sides as the spit rotates in front of, or over, a flame for hours (see rotisserie). Traditionally a wood fire was used, now a gas flame is common.

To replicate this, I’ve used already cooked chicken, shredded, and stir-fried to get the slightly crisp textured chicken.

(Shred the chicken from any leftover chicken curry, or cook chicken in some basic spices.)

Since I’ve been planning to try this for a while, I had pickled some cucumber and beets last week, to use in this recipe.

Arabic Pickle Recipe:
Chop cucumber and beets. Drop into a glass jar. Add crushed garlic, salt and vinegar. Fill with water. Shake well. Use after a minimum of 3 days.

To mimic the garlic sauce used, I’ve made it the cheat’s way 😉 using mayonnaise and garlic powder. 😀 😀

Ingredients:
Serves: 2

Pita bread – 2
Shredded-Cooked Chicken – 1 cup
Red chilli paste – 1 tsp
Lime squeeze – few drops
French fries – 1-2 handful
Mayonnaise – 6 tsp
Garlic powder – 1/2 tsp
Pickled Cucumber & Beetroot – according to taste
Mint & Coriander leaves – a handful (finely chopped)
Hot sauce/Ketchup – according to taste

Step 1: Prepare your french fries.

Step 2: Mix the chicken with red chilli paste and lime.

Step 3: In a non-stick pan, drizzle some oil, and toss in the chicken. Stir-fry until required texture is attained.

Step 4: Mix mayo and garlic powder, for the garlic sauce. 🙂

Step 5: Assemble the chicken, garlic sauce, french fries, and pickles over the pita bread. Top with some mint & coriander. Add ketchup or hot sauce if required. Roll and enjoy. 🙂