Sandwiches, Lesson #3 - The Shawarma Sandwich

Shawarma is a juicy sandwich-like wrap made of grilled lamb, chicken, beef, turkey, or other varieties of meat. It is popularly a street fast food and eaten along with pickled vegetables, served together as a wrap.

A sandwich is a combination of one or more varieties of food items, such as cheese, vegetables or meat, put together and placed on top or in between slices of bread as ready-to-eat food. Sandwiches are generally eaten as a snack or could be served as lunch or dinner, even taken to work, school or picnics as packed food. Depending on the kind of filling, they could be savory or sweet.

Food historians generally attribute the creation of the sandwich as we know it today, to John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. This Englishman was said to have been fond of gambling and as the story goes, in 1762, during a 24-hour gambling streak, he instructed a cook to prepare his food in such a way that it would not interfere with his game.

The cook innovatively presented him with sliced meat placed in between two pieces of toast, this worked very well as it stayed long and could easily be eaten with one hand without any cutlery, thus leaving the other hand free to continue with the game.To learn more about the popular sandwiches around the world, you can go through the introductory lesson - Sandwiches... Ideas Between Slices.

Sandwich Recipe of the Day - The Shawarma Sandwich

The Shawarma Sandwich

About Shawarma Sandwich

Shawarma is a juicy sandwich-like wrap made of grilled lamb, chicken, beef, turkey, or other varieties of meat. It is popularly a street fast food and eaten along with pickled vegetables, served together as a wrap.

Shawarma originated as a döner kebab in the Northeastern part of Turkey. The word “Shawarma” is derived from the Turkish word “çevirme,” which means “turning”. This name has come about because the meat for this dish is shaved off from a vertical rotating spit, layered with meat grilled, which rotates for several hours on radiant heat. The thinly shaved meat is wrapped in Arabic bread, served with condiments and garnishes such as garlic sauce, French fries, pickled carrots, and cucumbers making it a complete meal in itself.

In the Eastern Mediterranean region, Shawarma is also popularly known as the “Middle Eastern Taco.”

This Dish

The caramelized grilled slices of meat are paired with the tangy Tahini based yoghurt sauce, pickled vegetables, wrapped in Arabic bread, and served hot.

Recipe Card (to serve 4 pax)

Ingredients Quantity
For Meat
Wagyu flank steak 1.2 kg
Paprika 2 1/2 tbsp
Cardamom 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Ginger powder 1 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Black pepper powder 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder 1 tsp
Cloves 3 pieces
Fresh bay leaf 5 pieces
Kosher salt 5 tbsp
Brown sugar 7 tbsp
White onions (cut into chunks) 2 pieces
Parsley (chopped) 1 bunch
Greek yogurt 1 kg
Olive oil 7 tbsp
Garlic sauce
Garlic 1 pod
Egg white 1 no.
Corn oil 110 ml
Lemon (juice) 1 tbsp
Salt as required
Onion Salad
Onion (thinly sliced) 1 large
Parsley (chopped) 1 bunch
For Filling
French fries as required
Cucumber pickles (sliced) as required
Saj / Pita bread 4-6 pieces

Method of Cooking

To make the Onion salad

1. Mix the onions and parsley in a bowl. Season with salt pepper and set in the fridge until required.

To make the Beef

2. In a pot bring to boil half the quantity of water with the ll the spices, salt, and sugar, then Chill brine to below 4°C.

3. In a blender combine the onions, parsley, yogurt, and remaining water and process into a smooth puree. Transfer to a large bowl; add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

4. Submerge flank steak in brine for 48 hours. Keep the brine and meat refrigerated.

5. Prep the grill for medium-high heat

6. Remove the flank steak from the brine 30 minutes before and grill over medium to high heat for 10 minutes on each side. Make sure the meat is well rested before slicing.

7. Thinly slice the meat and set aside.

To make the Garlic sauce

8. Blend garlic, salt, lemon juice, egg whites to a fine paste in a blender.

9. While blending, add olive oil in a steady stream, the emulsion will happen and you will get a rich creamy sauce garlic sauce.

Assembling the Shawarma

10. Heat a sauté pan on medium heat and lay the bread on a flat surface.

11. Spread garlic sauce and add the beef strips, onion salad and fries over it and roll; making sure that the sides have been closed.

12. Place the wrap on the pan and press down with another pan. (This ensures the roll gets crispy)

13. Cook for a minute and flip over and repeat the process.

14. Serve with sauce and fries.

Shawarma is a juicy sandwich-like wrap made of grilled lamb, chicken, beef, turkey, or other varieties of meat. It is popularly a street fast food and eaten along with pickled vegetables, served together as a wrap.

A sandwich is a combination of one or more varieties of food items, such as cheese, vegetables or meat, put together and placed on top or in between slices of bread as ready-to-eat food. Sandwiches are generally eaten as a snack or could be served as lunch or dinner, even taken to work, school or picnics as packed food. Depending on the kind of filling, they could be savory or sweet.

Food historians generally attribute the creation of the sandwich as we know it today, to John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. This Englishman was said to have been fond of gambling and as the story goes, in 1762, during a 24-hour gambling streak, he instructed a cook to prepare his food in such a way that it would not interfere with his game.

The cook innovatively presented him with sliced meat placed in between two pieces of toast, this worked very well as it stayed long and could easily be eaten with one hand without any cutlery, thus leaving the other hand free to continue with the game.To learn more about the popular sandwiches around the world, you can go through the introductory lesson - Sandwiches... Ideas Between Slices.

Sandwich Recipe of the Day - The Shawarma Sandwich

The Shawarma Sandwich

About Shawarma Sandwich

Shawarma is a juicy sandwich-like wrap made of grilled lamb, chicken, beef, turkey, or other varieties of meat. It is popularly a street fast food and eaten along with pickled vegetables, served together as a wrap.

Shawarma originated as a döner kebab in the Northeastern part of Turkey. The word “Shawarma” is derived from the Turkish word “çevirme,” which means “turning”. This name has come about because the meat for this dish is shaved off from a vertical rotating spit, layered with meat grilled, which rotates for several hours on radiant heat. The thinly shaved meat is wrapped in Arabic bread, served with condiments and garnishes such as garlic sauce, French fries, pickled carrots, and cucumbers making it a complete meal in itself.

In the Eastern Mediterranean region, Shawarma is also popularly known as the “Middle Eastern Taco.”

This Dish

The caramelized grilled slices of meat are paired with the tangy Tahini based yoghurt sauce, pickled vegetables, wrapped in Arabic bread, and served hot.

Recipe Card (to serve 4 pax)

Ingredients Quantity
For Meat
Wagyu flank steak 1.2 kg
Paprika 2 1/2 tbsp
Cardamom 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Ginger powder 1 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Black pepper powder 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder 1 tsp
Cloves 3 pieces
Fresh bay leaf 5 pieces
Kosher salt 5 tbsp
Brown sugar 7 tbsp
White onions (cut into chunks) 2 pieces
Parsley (chopped) 1 bunch
Greek yogurt 1 kg
Olive oil 7 tbsp
Garlic sauce
Garlic 1 pod
Egg white 1 no.
Corn oil 110 ml
Lemon (juice) 1 tbsp
Salt as required
Onion Salad
Onion (thinly sliced) 1 large
Parsley (chopped) 1 bunch
For Filling
French fries as required
Cucumber pickles (sliced) as required
Saj / Pita bread 4-6 pieces

Method of Cooking

To make the Onion salad

1. Mix the onions and parsley in a bowl. Season with salt pepper and set in the fridge until required.

To make the Beef

2. In a pot bring to boil half the quantity of water with the ll the spices, salt, and sugar, then Chill brine to below 4°C.

3. In a blender combine the onions, parsley, yogurt, and remaining water and process into a smooth puree. Transfer to a large bowl; add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

4. Submerge flank steak in brine for 48 hours. Keep the brine and meat refrigerated.

5. Prep the grill for medium-high heat

6. Remove the flank steak from the brine 30 minutes before and grill over medium to high heat for 10 minutes on each side. Make sure the meat is well rested before slicing.

7. Thinly slice the meat and set aside.

To make the Garlic sauce

8. Blend garlic, salt, lemon juice, egg whites to a fine paste in a blender.

9. While blending, add olive oil in a steady stream, the emulsion will happen and you will get a rich creamy sauce garlic sauce.

Assembling the Shawarma

10. Heat a sauté pan on medium heat and lay the bread on a flat surface.

11. Spread garlic sauce and add the beef strips, onion salad and fries over it and roll; making sure that the sides have been closed.

12. Place the wrap on the pan and press down with another pan. (This ensures the roll gets crispy)

13. Cook for a minute and flip over and repeat the process.

14. Serve with sauce and fries.

Sandwiches, Lesson #3 - The Shawarma Sandwich