Shawarma has always been held in high esteem by fast food lovers. Unfortunately, the quality of the product sold by street vendors is questionable. Is this not a reason to learn how to cook your favorite dish yourself? The scheme for preparing home-made shawarma includes four points.
- Meat. Chicken fillet must be marinated for an hour in vegetable oil and spices. Next, the meat is fried on a grill or in a conventional pan. The finished product is crushed.
- Vegetables. Cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots - all this must be cut into strips. Vegetables can be fresh, pickled or cooked in Korean.
- Sauce. Shawarma dressing is prepared on a sour-milk, creamy, mayonnaise or tomato basis.
- Assembly. Meat, vegetables and sauce need to be wrapped in thin pita bread. Brown the finished shawarma on both sides in a dry frying pan.
Classic Shawarma Sauce Recipe and 7 Alternatives
Seasoning is a key ingredient in a dish. Whatever filling you choose for the shawarma, it is the dressing that will connect all the components together and add juiciness to the dish. Thus, the preparation of the sauce is the most crucial moment on which your culinary success depends.
Base
Features The classic recipe for shawarma sauce at home involves the use of dairy products. They must be fat enough, otherwise the dressing will turn out to be too liquid. It can be kefir sauce and with fermented baked milk. This sauce is often used in paragraphs.
You will need:
- half a glass of fermented baked milk or kefir;
- as much sour cream;
- as much yogurt;
- three cloves of garlic;
- juice of half a lemon;
- salt, black pepper, fresh dill.
Cooking
- Combine fermented milk products and lemon juice.
- Squeezed garlic, crush with chopped herbs, salt and pepper.
- Combine all the parts of the sauce and let it brew for 20-30 minutes.
Cucumber
Features The summer version of the dressing involves the use of fresh aromatic cucumber. The vegetable will make the dish even more juicy. Thanks to its neutral gentle taste, cucumber sauce is perfect for any filling.
You will need:
- large cucumber (can be pickled);
- half a glass of mayonnaise;
- a third of a glass of sour cream;
- clove of garlic;
- juice of half a lemon;
- salt, parsley and paprika.
Cooking
- Salt cream, pepper and mix with lemon juice.
- Squeeze the garlic, mash with paprika and also send to the base.
- Peel the cucumber. If the seeds are large, they must also be removed. Grind the pulp on a coarse grater and squeeze the juice slightly.
- Send the cucumber to the sauce along with chopped parsley.
Garlic
Features Recipe for shawarma garlic sauce will appeal to lovers of simple and vibrant flavors. Sour cream and garlic flavor - that's what you need to tone up the taste of meat.This mixture is also suitable for dressing salads.
You will need:
- half a glass of sour cream;
- four tablespoons of kefir;
- four cloves of garlic;
- a teaspoon of curry;
- salt, different types of peppers, dried herbs.
Cooking
- Mash squeezed or chopped garlic with salt and spices.
- Mix the spiced mass with kefir.
- Combine the workpiece with sour cream.
Tomato
Features Oddly enough, far from everyone likes milk or mayonnaise sauces. Good old ketchup will come to the rescue, which goes well with any meat and vegetables. If you do not welcome store products, but like everything natural, it is better to make a rich tomato sauce for shawarma at home.
You will need:
- two tablespoons of tomato paste;
- large tomato;
- half sweet pepper;
- onion;
- a tablespoon of sugar;
- salt, cilantro, ground red pepper.
Cooking
- Fry the onion until transparent. Add chopped tomato and warm for another minute.
- Fry the contents of the pan, bell pepper, tomato paste and spices in a blender until smooth.
- Season everything with chopped cilantro.
Pink
Features Street food lovers must have noticed that sellers often season their shawarma with regular store-bought mayonnaise and ketchup. Pink sauce is suitable for those who want to reproduce the taste of fast food from a nearby stall. And additional components will give it more piquancy.
You will need:
- half a glass of mayonnaise;
- a tablespoon of ketchup;
- the same amount of soy sauce;
- a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar;
- fresh greens.
Cooking
- Combine chopped greens with soy sauce and vinegar.
- Mix mayonnaise and ketchup until smooth.
- Combine both components.
Light
Features Shawarma does not cause associations with proper nutrition. But if you wrap boiled chicken in a tortilla, fresh vegetables and season everything with a light diet sauce, you get quite healthy food that does not harm the figure.
You will need:
- half a glass of yogurt;
- a teaspoon of plain or French mustard;
- a tablespoon of lemon juice;
- five to ten olives;
- salt, a mixture of peppers, coriander, oregano.
Cooking
- Mix yogurt with spices.
- Add mustard with lemon juice.
- Crush the olives and add to the mixture.
On the yolks
Features There are tons of options for making shawarma sauce without mayonnaise. But it is he who makes the taste of the dish rich and vibrant. So why not make your own mayonnaise base? The main condition is fresh, quality eggs.
You will need:
- two eggs;
- a third of a glass of vegetable oil;
- half a glass of kefir;
- three cloves of garlic;
- salt, parsley, red and black pepper.
Cooking
- Separate the yolks. Send raw squirrels to the refrigerator to make omelet or meringue later on
- Kill the yolks, spices and squeezed garlic in a blender until smooth.
- Continuing to whisk, slowly add oil.
- Add kefir and chopped parsley.
Creamy
Features The cream will give the shawarma a delicate milky flavor, make it more satisfying and high-calorie. Keep this in mind when forming the filling. For saturated dressing, diet boiled chicken and fresh vegetables are suitable. Cream also harmonizes with mushroom filling.
You will need:
- half a glass of cream;
- third of a glass of mayonnaise;
- juice of half a lemon;
- a tablespoon of mustard;
- as much sesame;
- salt.
Cooking
- Combine cream, mayonnaise and mustard.
- Add lemon juice and salt.
- For a minute or two, fry the sesame, trying not to burn it. Combine the seeds with the total mass.
How to make it even tastier: 6 tips
Despite the fact that the shawarma is street food, its preparation requires some skill and knowledge. You can go the easy way and season the dish with store-bought mayonnaise. But a true masterpiece is possible only with your own refueling. Follow these six guidelines to make a good homemade shawarma sauce.
- Storage. Product expiration date is a day. It must be stored in the refrigerator in a closed form. At room temperature, the product will deteriorate after five hours.
- Density. There are no generally accepted standards regarding sauce consistency. Usually it is made similar in density to sour cream. If you like a thinner consistency, add a little kefir. You can thicken the sauce with a large amount of herbs.
- Fat content. Mayonnaise and cream sauces are usually fatty. To correct the situation, add yogurt or kefir. Given that the volume of the product will increase, you may have to add more salt and spices.
- Colour. If in food you value not only taste but also aesthetics, prepare colorful sauces. Turmeric, paprika, tomato, herbs, lingonberry or pomegranate juice will color the dish in bright natural shades.
- Knowing of limits. Do not add too much sauce to the dish. If the filling is dry, soak it well with dressing. If the filling is juicy, only the cake is smeared with sauce.
- Time. Cook the shawarma no earlier than a quarter of an hour before eating.
Europeans first tried shawarma relatively recently. The “acquaintance” took place in 1972 thanks to the Turkish Kadyr Nurman, who opened a small business selling oriental fast food in Berlin. The inhabitants of the Old World loved this food so much that by the end of the 20th century there was no even the smallest city where there would be no stall selling shawarma. Each merchant tastes different due to a different set of products and signature dressing. If you also want to create something original, you will need a step by step recipe for shawarma sauce and a willingness to experiment with the basics and spices.