Shawarma is a dish in Middle Eastern cuisine consisting of meat cut into slices, stacked in a cone-like shape, and roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie or spit.There are many variations of the Shawarma and this recipe is inspired by the famous Shawarma served at Damascus Cafe in Karachi. Damascus used to be our favourite hangout place with friends and family, Their Shawarmas were really delicious and flavourful. I have made most of the items from scratch for the Shawarma recipe. You may even use the ready made pita bread/hummus if you are time poor. You may also create a Shawarma Platter with these items but I personally like to prepare the authentic Shawarma roll!
1kgChicken Thighs (Boneless)(around 6-8 medium steaks)
2Onions (Big)For securing the Chicken Steaks on the Skewer
Marinade
1tbspGinger & Garlic paste
2tbspLemon juice
3tbspOlive OilCan use normal Oil as well
1tspPaprika Powder
1/2tspRed Chilli Powder
1/2tspBlack Pepper Powder
1tspRoasted Cumin Powder
1/4cupYogurt
SaltAccording to taste
Pita Bread (You may use ready made ones if you don't want to prepare at home)
3cupsFlour (Maida)
2tbspYeastOne sachet equivalent
1tspSugar
3tbspOil
SaltAccording to taste
1cupWater (luke warm)
Garlic Shawarma Sauce
1cupYogurt
3tbspMayonnaise
1tspChopped Garlic
3tbspSesame seed
1tbspWhite Vinegar
1tspLemon Juice
SaltAccording to tast
Salad for Shawarma
Ice Berg Lettuce (Finely Sliced)As required
Tomatoes (Thinly Sliced)As required
Onions (Thinly Sliced)As required
Cucumbers (Thinly Sliced soaked in Vinegar for about 1 hour)As required
Hummus
1cupChickpeas (Boiled)
1tbspLemon juice
2clovesGarlic
1/4cup Olive Oil
4tbspTahini
Salt According to taste
Instructions
Preparation of the Chicken Shawarma
Combine all the marinade ingredients together and add the Chicken thigh steaks to it
Let the Chicken marinate for 3 hours or overnight preferably
Now take 2 skewers and punch it into a half cut onion
The skewers should be able to stand tall
Now stack up the Chicken steaks and then put the other half of the onion to secure the top end of the skewer
Place the marinated chicken stack on a baking tray and place it in a preheated oven. Temperature of the oven should be 425°F/215°C. Bake it in the oven until the chicken is browned and crisp on the edges, for about 40-45 minutes.
Now remove the Chicken Shawarma from the oven and keep aside
Preparation of the Pita Bread
Add yeast and sugar to the luke warm water, cover and keep it aside for 15 minutes
Take another bowl and combine the flour and salt together
Add in the yeast mixture, mix well and knead nicely, you may add some more water gradually if required
In the end add in the oil and knead for a while so all the dough comes together to form a nice ball, cover in keep it covered in a warm place for 1 1/2 hour
After 1 1/2 hour , punch down the dough, divide them into equal sized balls
Now roll each ball into medium sized rotis
Heat a pan on medium flame and cook the rotis without any oil
Flip them twice to thrice until golden spots are formed on each side
Pita bread is ready to be served
Preparation of the Garlic Shawarma Sauce
Blend all the ingredients together and keep aside
Preparation of the Hummus
Blend all the ingredients together and drizzle some oil over it
Assembly of the Shawarma (Watch the video below)
Video
Keyword Chicken Shawarma, Damascus Shawarma, Homemade Shawarma, Indian Street Food, Pakistani Street Food, Street Style Shawarma