Easy Homemade Shawarma (Middle-Eastern/Nigerian)

Homemade Shawarma can taste as good as what you get in restaurants. Shawarma is a preparation of seasoned grilled meat. It originated in the Middle East and has spread around the world. In Nigeria, it is commonly eaten in fast food restaurants in wrap form. It is the ultimate on-the-go food.

This recipe is well detailed so that everyone will be able to find a method and set of ingredients they can follow and enjoy. My family, especially my Renaissance man can’t get enough of this Homemade Shawarma made with my Middle Eastern shawarma spice mix, he comes home asking, “Did you make shawarma?”.

A stack of seasoned meat is grilled on a rotating spit for an extended period up to one whole day. The meat is shaved off the block of stacked meat and served as a wrap, sandwich, nestled inside pita bread pockets or on its own with a salad. It is usually accompanied by a dressing and vegetables.

Shawarma is commonly made with lamb, chicken and beef, you can also find turkey and veal being grilled. The best kind of meat should have a good ratio of lean to fat. Too lean it will be dry and too fat, the meat will end up greasy. At home, we most likely don’t have the luxury of a grilling spit but we can replicate Shawarma using a frying pan, grill pan or in the oven.

The bread for wrapping shawarma is a good flatbread or pita bread. It should be sturdy enough to hold the filling and thin enough not to overwhelm it. When I make pita bread, I make large ones for the family and small ones for myself I prefer stuffing my pita bread with the filling. It also helps with portion control. Click for a recipe for my Easy Homemade Pita bread.

I’m sure you might be thinking that making Shawarma seems like quite a lot, you can cook the chicken and make the Pita bread ahead and store it in the freezer until needed. Or simply buy Pita bread.

About the spice

There are lots of different spices or spice mixes you can use to make your shawarma taste great. In my home, we love the Middle Eastern Shawarma spice mix which I make myself. The ingredients are readily available, I buy mine from Hausa spice sellers, you can get them from big department stores too.

You can also use suya spice mix, allspice powder, Jamaican jerk marinade or any combination of spices you like, curry, thyme etc. I have even cheated sometimes by stuffing my wrap with well-spiced soft Nigerian suya and it is delish. I add paprika to my shawarma for a more vibrant colour.

About the Dressing

There are different dressings that go well with Shawarma, Tahini sauce (sesame seed sauce), Garlic mayonnaise (Best for Chicken shawarma), Hot chilli sauce, ketchup, Hummus, Garlic Sauce etc.

About the vegetables

You can serve your shawarma with a variety of vegetables. They can be fresh, pickled or roasted (I have a recipe for quick pickled vegetables). They can be julienned, chopped into small cubes or shredded. These vegetables can be mixed with the dressing before filling the bread or they can be laid inside the bread and the dressing poured over them.

• Example of shawarma vegetables

Cucumber, onion, carrot, tomato, lettuce, eggplant, Bell peppers, parsley, pickled turnips, cabbage, or French fries.

To make Easy Homemade Shawarma

750g Boneless chicken or beef

Marinade
1 tablespoon chicken seasoning powder (2 cubes)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (2-3 garlic cloves)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
1 tablespoon Spice mix (Middle Eastern or Nigerian Shawarma spice mix)
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Nigerian Shawarma spice mix
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon onion powder (1 tablespoon minced onions)

Garlic Mayonnaise Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (1 large clove)
1/2 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice

To serve
5-6 Pita bread
onions (raw, grilled, blanched or pickled)
tomato 
lettuce
cucumber (raw or pickled)
carrot
Bell pepper
chili sauce or ketchup

Marinate chicken

Wash chicken and slice into strips.

Place chicken in a bowl and sprinkle chicken seasoning powder, garlic powder, salt, paprika (optional) and Spice mix (Middle Eastern or Nigerian Shawarma spice mix). Stir well.

Add vinegar (vinegar helps tenderise the meat) and oil.

Mix well, cover and place in the fridge for 2 – 24hours.

Garlic Mayonnaise dressing

Mix together in a bowl, mayonnaise, salt, white pepper, chopped garlic and vinegar.

Cover and put in the refrigerator.

Grill meat

• On the stovetop grill

Place stove-top grill over medium-high heat.

When hot, brush with a little oil and place the chicken strips on it.

Grill until browned then turn and grill the other side. About 4-5 minutes on each side.

Place chicken strips on a plate and set aside.

• In a frying pan

Place a frying pan over medium heat, when hot, pour in half of the chicken and marinade. Stir and cover.

Cook for 5 minutes.

Uncover the pan, stir the chicken very well and cover again for another 5 minutes.

Uncover the pan and let the chicken brown, stir to prevent burning.

Pour into a plate and set aside.

• In the oven

Preheat oven to 220 deg C. Grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Spread chicken on it.

Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes until cooked through, browned and crispy on the edges.

Turn the chicken once during cooking.

Prepare Vegetables

Thinly slice onions and Tomato. Shred lettuce, cut cucumber and carrot into sticks. Cut bell pepper into strips. Set aside in a plate.

You can use Quick pickled vegetables too.

To assemble Shawarma Wrap

Pull Pita bread apart (if you prefer a thin wrap).

Place one side on a plate, smear the dressing on it, spread some shawarma over it, top with vegetables and drizzle chilli sauce or ketchup if using.

Roll tightly in a slender wrap.

If you like, you can place the folded side on a heated grill or panini toaster. It will crisp up the bottom.

Note

• Leave an inch of space between filling and top of the bread so the filling won’t spill out.
• Don’t overwhelm the thin flatbread with too much filling.

If you enjoyed my Easy Homemade Shawarma, you will also enjoy my Stuffed Cabbage roll, Jamaican Oven Baked Jerk Chicken, Fried Barbecued Turkey wing and Whole roasted butterflied chicken.

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