Chicken Shawarma

On public demand here comes the first recipe from Animesh. Not that he hasn't cooked  all this while since the blog has started, but it is very difficult to coax him to  photograph and compile his recipes. Finally after lot of pestering he agreed. And just after the photo-shoot ended, the duration of which was only 5 minutes , both of us attacked the dish and within minutes we ate up all that was made and were still licking our fingers. For a long time we avoided the plain looking hummus available in the food-courts. But it took us one bite to become ardent fans. Since it is something that is made from ingredients very common in India, we had to make this and the results were great.All the flavors of the Shawarma were distinct and very close to the authentic Mideastern food that you get in restaurants here. This recipe is adapted from the here

 

      Before cooking this you need to plan ahead. Soak the chickpeas in advance ,marinate the chicken overnight[optional] and you can even make hummus one day before. 

                                                   Enjoy the recipe :)

 Chicken Shawarma Ingredients

• 250gms boneless chicken cut into thin stripes
• 3-4 TBSP plain curd/yogurt
• 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 small cardamom pods
• 1 lemon juice
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil  

Hummus: See recipe Hummus and Tahini Sauce Recipe:

For Bread and Vegetables

• 2 large Pita bread or flat homemade bread[ slighter thicker than rotis]
• chopped/sliced capsicum
• thinly sliced Onions
• chopped/thinly sliced tomatoes
• chopped  coriander leaves/parsley
• salt as per taste

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients under Chicken Stuffing and marinate for minimum an hour and maximum overnight.Cover and refrigerate for marination.
2. In a pan, cook marinated chicken over medium heat for 45 minutes or until done.Add a tbsp of water if it is too dry whenever needed.
3. Mix the capsicum,onions, tomatoes,coriander leaves/parsley  and salt and mix well.

Assembling the Shawarma

1. Warm the bread.
2. Place chicken on the bread.
3. Add veggies and pour Hummus over it. 
4. Roll and serve with a bowl of hummus.

Hummus and Tahini Sauce

Hummus

 Tahini Sauce:

• 2 TBSP sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp Olive oil [Add more as needed to have paste like consistency]
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

• Roast sesame seeds in a pan for 5 to10 minutes . Toss the seeds frequently without browning them.Browning will make the sauce bitter. Let it cool for 30 mins.
• Pour sesame seeds into food processor and add oil and salt. Blend for 2 minutes to get thick and pourable paste.Add more oil if needed.

  HUMMUS:

• 2 cups chickpeas [chole chana],  soaked overnight and boiled
  
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 1/2 Cup yogurt/curd
• 1 TBSP Tahini Sauce 
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin seeds powder
• water as needed

Preparation

Place all ingredients in a mixer-grinder/blender and add little water to make a smooth paste.Chill before serving.