Chicken Shawarmas...

After a couple of years in Vancouver I stumbled upon Babylon Cafe in downtown -  they claim to make the best Shawarma in town so I thought I should finally give it a try. Since I rarely eat out anymore, I don't know if they have the best Shawarma in town, but its certainly the best Shawarma I've ever had!

And that is how I was inspired. If they can do it, I should be able to do it - and I came pretty close. The only thing I can't match is the freshness of their pita bread but everything else tastes pretty spot on.

So I asked the Shawarma guy some questions, Googled some recipes, and even got a history book on Middle Eastern Cuisine from the Library!  The book didn't help too much with the recipe, but it was quite descriptive about the ingredients used in that region.

So Shawarma is really simple to make:

You need three sauces, Tahini sauce, Tzatziki Sauce, and Hot Sauce. The hot sauce is optional but you can not skip the first two sauces.

Vegetables: shredded lettuce; sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions; some pickled turnips (optional), and finely chopped curly parsley. Curly Parsley is not the same one that we commonly use in desi cooking. Its crunchier and looks like tiny pieces of brocoli flowers. If you've ever had Tabouleh, you'll know what Parsley I'm talking about! You can pick and chose your vegetables but the cucumbers and parsley add the distinct Shawarma flavor to the wrap.

For the spices I used a dash of Sumac. This is also optional. The first time I made it without Sumac and it still tasted pretty good!

And of course you will need Chicken. I don't have a vertical grill so I mimicked the grilled flavor by pan frying small chunks of boneless chicken in a few drops of canola oil. Before cooking the chicken I marinated it for 3-4 hours in: Garam masala, salt, and pepper, red chilli pepper, fresh garlic and ginger paste and a hint of lemon juice. For extra juiciness, you can try using boneless thigh pieces.

With all fillings ready, take a pita bread and tear it open from the sides. Spread the prepared Tahini Sauce on one side and add lettuce, and the rest of the vegetables. Top with chicken and sprinkle with a little Sumac if you have it handy. Drizzle with Tzatziki and Hot sauce.

Wrap and Enjoy!!!

Note: I use Alum Foil like the Shawarma guy to help roll the Shawarma and to keep it fresh. If your pita is not soft enough then microwave it for a few seconds to soften it but use it immediately because it will stiffen up again and make it harder to roll.