Shawarma is an incredibly tasty, fragrant and satisfying oriental dish, which in our country is a widespread and many favorite snack. Many people adore her, and some of them sooner or later have the idea to cook this delicacy on their own. However, this is not so difficult. Therefore, now we will focus on how to make shawarma and what is needed for this.
Ingredients
To prepare this dish according to the classic recipe, you will need:
- One thin soft pita bread.
- Chicken fillet - 180 g.
- White cabbage - 100 g.
- One cucumber. Either fresh or canned - depends on preferences.
- A small tomato.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Mayonnaise and ketchup for sauce.
- Vegetable oil for frying chicken.
If there is enough time, then the fillet can be pre-marinated. It will turn out more tender and tasty. For the marinade you will need:
- Milk - 70 ml.
- Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. l
- Paprika and curry - 0.5 tsp each.
- A pinch of cinnamon (on the tip of a knife).
- A teaspoon of wine vinegar.
- Ground pepper and salt.
All of the above should be thoroughly mixed in a separate bowl. Dice the chicken and put it there for half an hour. Culinary experts say that this time is enough to soak it with marinade, which will give it a special aroma and juiciness.
Cooking
Now directly on how to make shawarma. If all the ingredients are available, you can start cooking. The actions are as follows:
- Cut fresh cabbage into thin strips. Sprinkle with salt, mix.
- Chop the cucumber with cubes.
- Divide the tomato into halves, each of which will need to be cut medium-sized. Get the quarters of the rings.
- Make a sauce - mix mayonnaise with ketchup, pepper. For more spiciness and piquancy, you can add adjika or mustard.
- Fry fillet chopped in cubes in vegetable oil. When it is ready, put it on a paper towel so that it absorbs fat.
The most important step is putting the filling. It should be distributed about 1/6 of the pita with a slight indentation to the edge, so that it is convenient to wrap. Previously, the filling area should be greased with sauce. First, vegetables are distributed on the surface, and then chicken.
So that folding pita bread does not cause problems, indents should be done from all three edges - lateral, lower and upper. Then it may even turn out to “close” the shawarma - top and bottom like an envelope, covering the filling with indentation.
That's all. It remains only to fry the shawarma on both sides until brown in a dry frying pan.
Garlic Sause
You can actually season shawarma with anything. There are many varieties of sauces. Most prefer garlic, as it is very tasty and rich. To cook it, you need the following products:
- Sour cream - 100 g.
- Kefir - 4 tbsp. l
- A pinch of salt.
- 4 garlic cloves.
- Curry - 1 tsp
- A mixture of peppers.
Garlic must be crushed, mixed with bulk additives and grind with a culinary pestle. Add kefir, continue the process. When the ingredients are combined into a single mass, put them in sour cream and mix again. It is advisable to let it brew for at least half an hour.
Spicy tomato sauce
Judging by the reviews, many people who are thinking about how to cook shawarma at home do not like to use artificial additives. They even prefer to cook mayonnaise and ketchup on their own. So definitely like a recipe for spicy tomato sauce.
It is simple to prepare it, you just need to mix the tomato puree with homemade adjika, finely chopped cilantro, a small amount of lemon juice and olive oil. Not a single artificial ingredient. A tomato puree is prepared simply. Tomatoes need to be rinsed with boiling water and peeled. Then throw them into a blender and grind at maximum power.
It is worth remembering this recipe. How to make shawarma at home is clear, but without the right sauce it will be completely the wrong dish.
Cucumber sauce
Interested in how to make shawarma tasty and original? You can try cucumber sauce. He will add unusualness to the dish. For him you will need:
- Mayonnaise - 120 g.
- Fresh cucumber.
- Sour cream - 80 g.
- Garlic clove.
- Parsley - 1 tsp.
- Lemon juice - 20 ml.
- Dried paprika - 1 tsp.
Mix sour cream with mayonnaise, salt, add lemon juice and crushed garlic clove. Pour the grated cucumber, previously peeled. Add parsley and paprika, mix.
The sauce is actually very important in how to make shawarma at home. In many ways, it determines the taste of the dish. Oriental culinary experts recommend preparing a sauce of kefir, homemade mayonnaise and sour cream, necessarily with the addition of cilantro, dill, parsley, coriander, garlic and several types of pepper.
Traditional secrets
Talking about how to make shawarma, it is worth paying attention to some tricks that oriental chefs follow in cooking. Here are the most interesting:
- The secret of delicious shawarma is the use of several types of meat at once. Lamb, pork and chicken go well together. Only the meat must first be cut and soaked together in a mixture of oriental spices.
- It is better to grind the garlic for the sauce with spices and herbs, and only then mix with the main ingredients. So it will turn out more aromatic.
- Confused by the pale color of the sauce? Then you can add greens, paprika or a drop of adjika to it.
- You can add special juiciness to meat by sprinkling it when frying with orange juice. If there is fat tail fat, then it is worth using it.
- If you do not like white cabbage, then you can use Beijing instead. Or replace it with a fresh salad.
- Want to make shawarma especially interesting to taste? Then you can add pickled onion rings to it. To do this, half an hour, fill it with two tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle with vinegar.
If you want to know how to make shawarma, the recommendations listed above will not hurt. By the way, even Arab culinary specialists do not recognize anything other than spices and meat, but judging by the reviews, mushrooms, bell peppers and cheese will give this dish a delicate taste. Still, everyone has different preferences, and these additives are appropriate.
Useful Tips
Well, how to make shawarma - clearly. In the end, it is worth listing a few useful recommendations that will help make this dish even more delicious:
- Korean carrots will help to add piquancy to the dish. The main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise you can kill the main taste. Enough one tablespoon.
- Shawarma from cheese pita bread is especially aromatic.
- If there is no grill pan and you have to cook on a regular one, then you need to put a minimum fire. To warm the entire filling, it is recommended to cover with a lid on top to create the appropriate temperature regime.
- Pita bread should only be used fresh. The dried lavash crumbles during folding.
These are the basics that you need to remember if you want to know how to make homemade shawarma. The recipe is simple, and everyone can do it - just follow the instructions.