Shawarma is rightfully one of the five most popular dishes of domestic fast food. Properly cooked shawarma is not only tasty, but also very satisfying. But buying it at numerous fast food outlets can be hazardous to health. A variety of jokes and jokes about the fact that in past lives these pieces of meat in a pita could bark or meow do not arise completely from scratch. And, having seen some sellers of this eastern treat, somehow I do not want to try their cooking. But cooking shawarma at home seems to almost all Russians an absolutely impossible process. And in vain, by the way.
Let's look at the method of cooking shawarma, which is used in street catering establishments. One large piece of meat (or several smaller pieces) is strung on a skewer and placed in front of a vertical grill. The skewer rotates slowly around its axis, as a result of which the meat is evenly fried on all sides. As soon as the cook finds the top layer ready, he cuts it with a knife. Then, with truly acrobatic dexterity, acting with two cleaver, grinds the meat on the board and mixes with seasonings. The next “program number” is pita bread. Pieces of meat are wrapped in it, flavored with sauce, Korean carrots, cabbage, greens, onions and other “flavor enhancers” are added, and then the finished dish is served to the client.
Why is it impossible to cook shawarma at home? Just because you don’t have a vertical grill? Well, nobody forbids you to do all these manipulations on the horizontal. And if such a device is located in your country house, then do not go there only for the sake of enjoying shawarma. Do you have a grill in the oven? If the answer is yes, then cooking shawarma with him at home is also quite possible. You just need to remember to cut off the top layer from the meat on time. And if your stove is not equipped with a grill, then you can cook shawarma in a pan.
Homemade Shawarma Recipe
You will need:
- meat (any that seems most delicious to you, the only condition is boneless);
- thin Armenian lavash (several pieces);
- onion;
- greens (cilantro, basil, tarragon, parsley, dill);
- Korean carrots, mushrooms, fresh or sauerkraut, tomatoes, eggplant - it all depends on your imagination and taste preferences;
- sauce (mayonnaise or ketchup, or both at the same time).
Put the frying pan on a strong fire and begin to cut the meat. It is advisable to cut into strips, the size of the pieces should not be very large, since they should not be cooked for too long. Put the chopped meat on a dry hot skillet, and immediately begin to stir it with a wooden spatula. Neither salt nor pepper is needed yet. Wait until each piece is covered with a delicious golden crust, and only after that can you add salt and spices to them. The fact is that if you decide to fry the meat in one large piece, and then cut it, then you risk that all the juice will flow out of it. The same thing will happen when it is salted before frying. And after it is slightly fried, the juice will no longer be able to flow out, and the meat will be tasty, soft and juicy.
But on frying, the preparation of shawarma at home does not end. Now you need to chop the pre-washed greens, peel and cut the onions in half rings and start collecting our shawarma. If the onion you got too caustic, then slightly salt it and pour over boiling water.
Expand the sheet of pita bread, grease it with sauce, put pieces of meat in the middle, add herbs, onions and all other ingredients, cover the “still life” sauce with sauce and wrap pita bread with a tube. Now cooking shawarma at home can be considered completely finished. Using the same method, take a few more servings and start your meal.