If you’ve ever watched the post-credits scene of Marvel’s The Avengers, you would know that even the world’s greatest superheroes need to relax with a shawarma.
This tasty dish is claimed to have first emerged from the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century. Shawarma comes from the Turkish word ‘çevirme’, which means ‘turning’. It is made with juicy, shredded pieces of rotisserie meat, which is placed on a skewer and grilled till it is ready to be scraped and spread out on a soft flatbread called lavash or saj.
The meat is then topped off with pickles or pickled vegetables and sauces like garlic sauce or toum and the famed tahina. Most restaurants also accompany this mouth-watering wrap with a side of fries, a salad or even falafel.
Today, shawarma is a staple dish in the Middle East and beyond. You would find a shawarma stall all over the world. However, it may be unmatched to what is served in the UAE and we can account for that!
That being said, are you hungry for shawarma already?
Food by Gulf News ran an Insta poll on the account of it being Shawarma Day, and we did get more than a few responses on where you need to try this dish in the UAE:
1. Laffah – Sharjah and Dubai
2. Operation Falafel - Dubai
3. Aroos Damascus – Sharjah and Dubai
4. Allo Beirut - Dubai
5. Bilad Al Shams - Dubai
But here’s what we suggest, you don’t need a reason to eat shawarma. You can eat it at any time… or even better, make it home with a quick recipe from Chef Muhammet Ors of Turkish restaurant Babaji:
Chicken shawarma wrap
Ingredients
1 boneless whole chicken
1 white onion, juiced
2 cloves garlic, mashed
2 tbsp yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
5 gms sweet paprika powder
4 gms oregano
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
5 gms table salt
For the wrap
1 tortilla bread or lavash
200 gms cooked chicken
60 gms Romanian lettuce
50 gms sliced tomato
30 gms cucumber pickle
40 gms sliced onion
10 gms ketchup
10 gms mayonnaise
Method
Mix all together and let it marinate for a minimum of 1 hour.
Arrange it in stacks on a rotating kebab skewer and let it cook. Make sure to keep turning.
Once ready, slice off the meat and spread it out on the bread.
Top it with sauces and vegetables.
Roll the bread into a wrap and toast it a little.
Serve and enjoy!
