Yesterday the Mr. and I felt like shoarma. This dish from the Middle-Eastern kitchen, which can also have the name ‘döner kebab’, ‘shawarma’, ‘çevirme’ (Turkish) or Gyros (Greek), is basically marinated meat (lamb, chicken, turkey or beef); roasted or fried and then cut in smaller pieces, used inside a pita, served often with garlic sauce and butter lettuce. In the Netherlands people also use pork, but of course in the Middle-East where most people don’t eat pork it’s most of the time lamb or chicken. We made chicken shoarma yesterday and today I will share the recipe with you!

Garlic is key when speaking about shoarma.

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 chicken fillets, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 teaspoons Shoarma mixture*
4 hands full of butter lettuce or romain lettuce
8 pita bread rolls

for the garlic sauce:
5 tablespoons sour cream
8 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
hand full of chives, finely chopped
pepper and salt

*Shoarma mixture (make more and keep in a jar)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, roasted and grounded
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, roasted and grounded
2 cloves, grounded
1,5 teaspoons cumin seeds, roasted and grounded
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, grounded
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne or chili powder
2 teaspoons of sea salt

Method

Mix all the spices together in a mortar. Keep about 4 teaspoons for the shoarma and the rest in a jar for another time.

Cut the chicken fillets into pieces and sprinkle with the dry spices and some olive oil on the chicken. Mix well so the meat is evenly coated. Leave marinated for at least 15 minutes but even better 1 hour.

Make the garlic sauce by mixing the mayonnaise together with the sour cream, crushed garlic, chives and pepper and salt.

Fry the chicken over medium heat until golden brown and done.

Heat in the meanwhile your pitas in the oven, or in a grill/toaster.

Cut the pitas op and divide with the chicken pieces, lettuce, (optional dome carrot or cucumber, onions).

Eat with lots and lots of garlic sauce!

Bon Appétit.