street food essentials: beef/chicken shawarma

How To Make street food essentials: beef/chicken shawarma

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  PREP/PREPARE
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  What you will need? You will need a non-reactive bowl to mix and store the marinade with the beef, or chicken, and a skillet or pot to simmer them.
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  What to serve with it? This can be served as a pita bread wrap, or in a bowl with the bread on the side. If you want something on the side, I suggest some chips. I love the vinegar/sea salt variety.
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  How to store it? Once made, I suggest eating the wrap as soon as possible; however, you can marinate and simmer the beef or chicken a day or two early. Just be sure to cover and keep it in the fridge until needed. In addition, it can be frozen. In which case it will last 2 – 3 months.
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  THE SHAWARMA? In the Middle East it is considered a street-food classic usually made with beef chicken, or lamb, veggies, lettuce, and a yummy tahini sauce. It is typically served in a wrap, or on a plate with bread on the side. The beef or chicken is marinaded in a combination of olive oil vinegar, lemon juice and spices. The marinade does two things: It tenderizes the meat, plus gives it its distinctive flavor. If you are doing chicken, marinate for about an hour; if beef, about two hours. Any longer and you run the chance of making the meat mushy. And we HATE it when that happens. Shawurmas have been around since the 18th century, and the name translates from the Turkish inro “turning,” which relates to the traditional method of cooking. Thin cuts of lamb, chicken, beef, or mixed meats are stacked in a cone-like shape on a vertical rotisserie, and slowly turned as it roasts. Our method will be to slowly simmer the meat in the marinade sauce until lovingly tender.
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  THE TAHINI SAUCE The sauce is one of the elements that makes this recipe. I am making a simple sauce that packs a lot of tangy flavors. Make it ahead of time, and the let the flavor meld. You will not be disappointed.
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  Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
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  Add the tahini sauce ingredients to a bowl, whisk together, then cover and place in the refrigerator until needed.
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  If you can make it a few hours before serving, that would be nice. As a matter of fact, you can make it the day before.
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  Slice the beef, or chicken into 2 – 3-inch strips.
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  Slice the onion into thin halfmoons and mince the garlic.
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  Add all the dry marinade ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine.
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  Mix the additional ingredients into the dry, then add the beef or chicken, onions, and garlic. Toss to combine.
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  Allow to marinate in the refrigerator. One hour if using chicken, and up to two hours for beef.
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  Add to a pot or skillet, over medium-low heat and slowly simmer until cooked through, about 15 – 18 minutes.
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  If you are making a wrap, place some lettuce on a piece of pita bread.
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  Add the veggies.
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  PLATE/PRESENT
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  Drizzle on the yummy tahini sauce, fold pita over the ingredients and serve. Enjoy.
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  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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  Namasté
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