Perhaps one of the most popular and simple in cooking is shawarma (aka shawarma). At home, this hearty and aromatic snack can be made quickly. And there are countless cooking options and recipes! And now it is worth considering the most famous.
Traditional arabic sauce
Before proceeding to the story about the cooking process, you need to consider a few recipes for shawarma sauce. Everyone knows that this is a snack that came to us from the East. So, first of all, we will focus on the preparation of traditional Arabic sauce. You will need:
- low fat sour cream - 1 cup;
- finely chopped green onions - 50 grams;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- curry - 1/3 teaspoon;
- a small pickled cucumber - 1 piece;
- vegetable oil - 3 tbsp.
All that needs to be done is to crush the garlic thoroughly, chop the cucumber into small cubes, and then mix all the ingredients listed in a separate container. Then let it brew (30 minutes is enough), and you can use it.
Turkish tomato sauce
It is definitely worth trying to cook it too. The recipe for shawarma sauce involves the use of such products:
- onions - 2 pieces;
- tomato paste - W tablespoon;
- bell peppers - 1 piece;
- olive oil - 2 tbsp;
- fresh cilantro and dill - half the bunch;
- red and black ground pepper - 0.5 tsp each;
- ground coriander - 1 tsp
Cooking spicy sauce does not take much time. First you need to peel and wash the onion, then randomly chop it and put in a blender bowl. Do the same with bell pepper. It is important to clean it from the stalk, core and all seeds. Only pulp is needed.
Also in the blender you need to add randomly chopped cilantro and dill, as well as all other ingredients. Then turn it on at full power and wait a bit - you should get a homogeneous aromatic mass. You can try it on salt. Is it all right? Then you can pour the sauce into a container and leave to infuse. No? Then you need to add salt and beat a little with a blender.
Classic Ingredients
And now you can talk about how to prepare a shawarma at home. For two servings you will need these products:
- thin fresh pita bread - 2 pieces;
- fresh cabbage - 150 grams;
- chicken fillet - 1 piece;
- cucumbers (fresh or pickled) - 2 pieces;
- Korean carrot - 150 grams;
- tomato - 1 piece.
These ingredients consist of a traditional shawarma. The recipe with chicken is universal - such a dish will appeal to anyone. Many still add grated hard cheese, although oriental culinary specialists do not think this is appropriate. However, this is a matter of taste. If you want, you can also use cheese pita: shawarma will turn out more aromatic.
Cooking process
First you need to marinate the chicken. To do this, you will need:
- salt - 2 pinches;
- ground red pepper - 1 tsp;
- paprika - 2 tsp;
- granulated garlic - 2 tbsp .;
- cayenne pepper - 1 tsp;
- seasoning for chicken - 2 tsp;
- vegetable oil - 50 ml.
Fillet should be cut into 4 slices. Each of them salt, sprinkle with garlic, paprika, pepper and seasoning. Put the pieces in a separate container, season with vegetable oil and mix well. Leave on for at least 15 minutes.
While the bird is pickling, you can start preparing other ingredients: cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into rings, chop the cabbage finely.
Then you need to fry the chicken. Grill the pan (the usual one is suitable) pour oil, put the pickled slices. Fry until brown on both sides, lay on foil and roll. Give her 5 minutes to make her juicier. At this time, you need to wet the pan with a napkin and remove the remaining fillets from it.
Shaping and wrapping
Then everything is simple. Grease a sheet of pita bread with sauce, and then layers - filling: chopped chicken, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots. Top with sauce again for juiciness. If you decide to add cheese, it should be the last.
How to spread the filling? You need to retreat from the right edge of the space a little wider than the filling will take. Leave it free - this part will cover an area filled with ingredients. The filling should take about 1/7 of the pita bread. The upper and lower edges also need to be left free (enough for 4 cm).
It remains only to wrap almost finished shawarma in pita bread. Cover the filling with the right, top and bottom edges. And then just roll it tightly into a roll. The filling will not fall out, because from all three edges it will be covered with pita bread. If there is a fear that when frying it will unfold, then you can gently fix the seam with two toothpicks.
Then it remains only to send to the pan, to a slow fire, under the lid. Enough for 2-3 minutes on each side. A delicious shawarma will completely warm up and will not burn.
Vegetarian Shawarma
Not all people eat meat. But many without him can not even imagine a real shawarma! Well, in the traditional version, it includes meat, but it can be done differently. To prepare three vegetarian snacks you will need:
- thin pita bread - 3 pieces;
- big cucumber;
- champignons - 200 grams;
- large dense tomato;
- Adyghe cheese - 300 grams;
- two leaves of Beijing cabbage;
- a pinch of coriander.
Despite the lack of meat, this shawarma at home will turn out to be very satisfying. The main sources of energy in this case are mushrooms and cheese. By the way, it can be replaced with a seitan, it will also turn out deliciously.
This simple shawarma is prepared according to the above principle. Particular attention should be paid only to cheese. It is necessary to knead it with a fork and fry in a pan slightly greased with vegetable oil, sprinkled with coriander.
Shawarma with minced meat: ingredients
Another well-known version of the dish, which can not be told. At home, a shawarma with minced meat is prepared as simply as the types of dishes already mentioned above, but it takes a little longer. Products need the following:
- thin pita bread - 2 pieces;
- Z00 grams of ground beef;
- two fresh cucumbers;
- one large carrot;
- onion head;
- some vegetable oil.
In addition to the above, you will need a marinade. To prepare it, you need such components:
- pure cold water - 100 ml;
- vinegar - 0.5 tsp;
- vegetable oil - 2 tbsp .;
- soy sauce - 2 tbsp .;
- sugar - 0.5 tsp;
- pepper and salt to taste.
You can make any sauce, but if you focus on the composition of the shawarma, then tomato is best.
Cooking
First you need to cook a juicy crispy onion. It should be cleaned and cut into half rings, and then pickled. You need to put it in a bowl and pour on top a homogeneous mixture of water, vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt. In this mass, onions should be pickled for about half an hour.
Then you need to do carrots - peel, wash and grate with a long straw. She must be sent to pickle onion.
The next step is the preparation of minced meat. It must be fried in a greased pan until cooked.
The last thing to do is chop the cucumbers and make the sauce. Then you can form a shawarma.
Serving it is recommended with some fresh salad. With tomato, for example, seasoned with sour cream. Just none of these ingredients is present in this version of shawarma.
How to wrap a shawarma in round pita bread?
This question is of interest to many culinary specialists. In fact, wrapping shawarma in a round pita bread can be as easy as in a rectangular one. Technique and principle - similar to the formation of a Mexican snack called burrito.
Round pita bread is not only convenient, but also practical. Using it, you can evenly cover the filling with pita. Then, when eaten, the cake will not lose its shape.
So, you need to take a round pita bread and place the filling in its lower third, indenting. Cover the sides with the edges of the tortillas. Then twist the free lower part. And then just roll everything up. You need to move from bottom to top, carefully picking the filling and ramming it lightly.
At the very end, you need to pin down the filling. The edge is tucked so that the seam is in the middle of the pita. If it does not work out, then you can use the previously mentioned life hack with toothpicks.
Fancy Shawarma Options
If you study the various author’s recipes for this dish, you won’t be surprised at the variety. It turns out there are such types of shawarma:
- With pineapple and chicken. Served with hummus.
- With crab sticks, fresh cucumbers and meat.
- With boiled egg or finely chopped omelet.
- With fried potatoes. This version, however, is more like souvlaki.
- With fried fish and onions.
- With rice.
- With duck or turkey.
- With Beijing or cauliflower.
- With barbecue or hunting sausages.
- With the addition of minced meat from apples and cottage cheese.
And in what only people do not pickle meat before cooking! Beer, wine, natural citric acid with mineral water, orange juice, mustard, kefir ... There are many options. Surely many of them differ in their original taste, but now I would like to list more traditional recommendations for the preparation of this oriental dish.
Cooking secrets
In the end, I would like to note several nuances, taking into account which you can make a truly delicious shawarma. The chicken recipe, of course, is universal, but sooner or later you will want something new. So, here are some helpful tips:
- To get a rich and multifaceted taste, you need to make a filling of several types of meat. Prepare minced pork and beef with chicken and lamb, if possible, and then stand it in Arabic spices.
- It is recommended to fry meat in fat tail fat. It will become very tender and piquant.
- It is best to grind the garlic for the sauce along with spices, with the addition of a small amount of vegetable oil.
- The sauce will be more aromatic and festive in appearance if you add cilantro and basil to it.
- It is decided to add cheese, it is worth laying it with the first and last layer. It will melt on both sides and forms an appetizing shell of the filling.
- It is also convenient to cook shawarma in pita (hollow tortilla). You can make such an incision as you want, and indeed it is much more pleasant in terms of aesthetics.
- Instead of meat, you can use sausage. Better salami. Some “Doctoral” is also suitable, but then it will have to be thoroughly fried.
- If you want to make the shawarma as spicy and spicy as possible, you can not skimp on spices. Add hot ketchup, adjika or mustard to the sauce, more crushed garlic, curry, hot pepper. And finely chop the chili or jalapenos into the filling. But here, too, it is important not to overdo it.
Well, as you can see, the preparation of shawarma is a simple, interesting and creative process. This dish loves experimentation, so you can turn on the fantasy to the fullest.