Chicken Shawarma with Garlic Paste (Toum) & Tzatziki Sauce (Vegan or Vegetarian)

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2014

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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OK!  There are not a lot of foods I really miss since I gave up meat 25 years ago but gyros & shawarma are two things definitely on the “miss list.”

I used Beyond Meat vegan chicken & I recommend it very highly – though you can use another brand or even real dead chicken (if you have a taste for hormones & cruelty).  At any rate – whatever you use – the longer you marinate if for the better – overnight being optimal.

I made the garlic paste (or a version of it) that they serve at Zankou chicken, here in LA.  It is a bright, white paste that has a bit of a gritty texture & seems to be just mashed garlic.  I was HORRIFIED to discover – it does have a lot of garlic but it has even more OIL!  It is basically an aioli.  Or a mayonnaise.  Damn.  So – it is not a guiltless pleasure but you don’t need tons before you run the risk of setting things ablaze just by breathing your garlic shit storm on them – so do not sweat the calories too much.

I used real yogurt in my tzatziki but they DO make vegan yogurts so – if you are vegan – just use one of those.

There are a lot of ingredients in the chicken marinade but only the cardamom is remotely exotic & you probably already have most of them in your cabinets – so do not be intimidated.  If you do not have or cannot find ground cardamom – never fear!  Substitutes: equal parts ground nutmeg and cinnamon OR equal parts ground cloves and cinnamon OR nutmeg OR cinnamon

Garlic Paste (Toum)

This makes quite a bit but it should keep in the fridge for a few weeks.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 small potato (I used a Yukon Gold) – boiled until soft & cooled

1 full cup garlic cloves (peel fresh ones & do not use the pre-peeled cloves as they have been frozen & are not as flavorful)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 cups grapeseed oil (or sunflower oil)

DIRECTIONS

In your food processor, pulse the garlic, potato, lemon juice & salt until they are pureed.  You might need to scrape the sides of the bowl down a few times.  Then, VERY SLOWLY drizzle the oil in as the pureed is being spun about.  Do this in a very slow & steady stream.  Lots of recipes suggested it should take ten minutes.  I got it done in under five but if you add the oil too fast – it will not emulsify properly.  Check it as you go & if it begins to separate – stop adding oil & keep processing it until it comes together again.

That’s it!  You MIGHT want to experiment with an increased quantity of potato & a lesser quantity of oil.   I think I will the next time.

Tzatziki 

Makes about 1.5 cups

INGREDIENTS

6 oz yogurt (vegan or not – your call) – I used thick Greek Fage.

1 TBS lemon juice

1 garlic clove – minced

1/4 – 1/3  cucumber – peeled & diced

pinch of salt

1 tsp or more fresh dill – chopped

DIRECTIONS

Mix that shit up!  Add water if you think it is too thick – but not a lot.

Done!

Vegan Chicken Shawarma

Serves 2 or 3

INGREDIENTS

Pita bread or wraps or tortillas or naan

9 oz vegan chicken

4 garlic cloves – minced

1 TBS smoked paprika (or regular)

1 TBS ground cumin

1 TBS ground cardamom (or substitute from the note above)

1 TBS chili powder

1 TBS ground coriander

1 tsp pepper

Olive oil

juice & zest of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup yogurt (optional)

Garnish ideas: sliced red onion, sliced tomato, shredded lettuce, parsley, cucumber slices

DIRECTIONS

Mix the spices in a large glass container with the vinegar, lemon juice & zest, 2 TBS olive oil & yogurt (if using).   This is pretty thick stuff.  Feel free to thin it with water if you like.  Add the chicken & marinate it for at least an hour or overnight.  Try not to use a plastic container as it could get stained or left stinky from the spices.

When you are ready to eat – heat a little olive oil in a pan & heat the chicken.  Allow the marinade to come away as you likely won’t want as much in the actual sandwich.  When it is warm, assemble the wrap.  Slather some garlic paste on the bread & layer the ingredients on top.  Add some tzatziki & chow the fuck down!

Tandoori Cauliflower & Homemade Naan Tacos with Curry Yogurt Sauce & Cilantro-Mint Chutney

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

Follow @celisemccarthy

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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OK – these guys are pretty delicious but I found them impossible to photograph in a way that made them look as good as they tasted.  Please forgive the loser imagery & trust that these taste FAR better than these photos might lead you to believe.

I attempted tandoori cauliflower once before & it was a total failure.  It was FAR too heavily spiced & undercooked & just the worst.  This recipe was a great success.  I even found myself eating the leftovers cold, right out of the container.  And avocado might seem an odd addition but I found it added a lovely & mellow creaminess – as did the curry sauce – so I recommend using both.

The naan I made was thicker than I would like but that was because my dough was too tacky (I should have kneaded more flour into it) & kept sticking to the rolling pin.  I used the recipe HERE in this youtube tutorial.

My other issue is that the pan got too hot & burned the naan a bit.  I think I needed to have used a non-stick pan.  That said, it was damned tasty & I used naan as hotdog buns for the next few days.  Still, store-bought naan (like they sell at Trader Joe’s) would be fine if the idea of making it is overwhelming.  And – if making the tandoori sauce sounds like a pain in the ass – use a store-bought brand of that, too!   Some of my photos show a little side of the cilantro-mint chutney and some jarred Trader Joe’s mango chutney.

Homemade Naan

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour

2 TBS melted butter

2 TBS yogurt

1 TBS minced garlic

1 tsp baking powder

Salt to taste

Water as needed (probably less than a cup)

Chopped cilantro – optional

DIRECTIONS (watch the video if the links are still good)

In a large bowl, blend the dry ingredients.  Add the butter, yogurt & cilantro & mix.  Then slowly add water until a dough forms.  Knead it fr several minutes, adding flour or water as needed until you have a soft dough that is no longer tacky.

Wrap it in plastic wrap & let rest for 30 minutes or more.

Break off golf ball-sized chunks & roll out (on a floured surface) to your desired size & thickness.

Heat a dry pan (a pan with a cover) until very hot.  Dampen a naan & drop damp side onto hot pan & dampen the other side.  Cover the pan & cook a minute or so or until it begins to bubble a bit.  Turn & cook the other side.

There you have it!  But – watch her video for a clearer tutorial.

Curry Yogurt Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup yogurt

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp salt

juice 1/2 lime

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 TBS mayonnaise

DIRECTIONS

Blend well.

Cilantro-Mint Chutney

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup cilantro

1 cup fresh mint

1 TBS minced ginger

2 scallions – chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 jalapenos (red is prettier but green will do) – seeded

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 tsp honey (or sugar)

DIRECTIONS

Puree in a food processor.  You can adjust the flavors here – if you feel it needs more mint or cilantro or honey or salt – or even more jalapeno.  I added some water to thin it out.

Tandoori Cauliflower

INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower – broken into small florets

1 cup yogurt

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 1.2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chili powder

4 garlic cloves – minced

2 tsp ginger (fresh or jarred)

juice of 1/2 lemon

Red food coloring (optional) – just a drop or two

AS TACO GARNISH –

Avocado – sliced (optional)

Red onion – sliced very thin

Cilantro – chopped

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Blend all the ingredients except the cauliflower (and not the avocado or red onion or extra cilantro).  When well blended – add the cauliflower & allow to marinate for an hour.  The red food coloring is totally unnecessary but it does give that distinctive color.  It gets EVERYWHERE – so be careful.

Roast the cauliflower for 20 minutes or until tender.  Little blackened edges are OK!

Now – simply assemble your tacos.  Naan topped with tandoori cauliflower & then red onion, avocado, some curry yogurt sauce & cilantro.  Serve with cilantro-mint chutney and/or mango chutney.