Shoarma
The problem with making shoarma, shwarma or donner kebab at home (and the word can be also spelled schwarma or shawrama) is that the original versions are all made on a vertical spit that turns in front of an open gas or charcoal generated flame. A secondary problem is that the average skewer used is almost 1.5 cm. thick and holds between 8 – 10 kilos of meat. Cooking at home requires a different method and, of course, smaller amounts of meat.
Here, after a great deal of both rewarding and not all that rewarding experimentation, is the very best I can come up with. It may not be quite “the real thing”, but it will satisfy in many of the same ways.
Ingredients
Boneless lamb if you can’t get that use porkloin or chicken breast
Pita Bread
Shredded lettuce
1 small bunch of parsley
For the shoarma seasoning mix:
2tbsp, cumin
2 tbsp, coriander
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp curry
1/2tsp salt
1/2 tsp accent
For the garlic sauce
1 cup kraft light mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp dill weed
1 tbsp crushed garlic
For the poesta sauce:
If you can’t buy curry ketchup you have to make it yourself with the following ingredients:
1/4 cup minced onion
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp curry
1 tsp paprika
pinch of cayenne
1 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp sambal
1/2 minced onion
Instructions
1. Cut meat (preferably lamb, if you don’t have that available use pork-loin or chicken breast in small pieces, use 1 tbsp shoarma seasoning mix per lb. Add the parsley. Marinade for at least 1 hour, better would be overnight. Put 1 tbsp olive oil in a hot skillet and fry the meat in the skillet till done.
2. The garlic sauce you make the following way: Combine 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup Kraft mayonnaise light, dill weed, garlic. To dilute the sauce use a little milk.
3. Poesta sauce:If you can’t buy the curry ketchup you just have to make it yourself the following way: Cook 1/4 cup of minced onion in a saucepan with 1 tbsp butter until soft. Add 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp paprika, and a pinch of cayenne. Cook about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of ketchup and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer until thick that should take about 25 minutes. then add the sambal and 1/2 cut minced onion.
4. Cut the pita bread in half, make it slightly wet and put in the bread toaster. Put the garlic sauce in the pita bread top with lettuce then the meat. Add sauce to your liking.
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Shoarma
Ingredients
- Boneless lamb if you can't get that use porkloin or chicken breast
- Pita Bread
- Shredded lettuce
- 1 small bunch of parsley
For the shoarma seasoning mix;
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp coriander
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp curry
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp accent
For the garlic sauce:
- 1 cup kraft light mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp dill weed
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic
For the poesta sauce:
- If you can't buy curry ketchup you have to make it yourself with the following ingredients:
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp curry
- 1 tsp paprika
- pinch of cayenne
- 1 cup of ketchup
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tbsp sambal
- 1/2 minced onion
Instructions
- Cut meat (preferably lamb, if you don't have that available use pork-loin or chicken breast in small pieces, use 1 tbsp shoarma seasoning mix per lb. Add the parsley. Marinade for at least 1 hour, better would be overnight. Put 1 tbsp olive oil in a hot skillet and fry the meat in the skillet till done.
- The garlic sauce you make the following way: Combine 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup Kraft mayonnaise light, dill weed, garlic. To dilute the sauce use a little milk.
- Poesta sauce:If you can't buy the curry ketchup you just have to make it yourself the following way: Cook 1/4 cup of minced onion in a saucepan with 1 tbsp butter until soft. Add 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp paprika, and a pinch of cayenne. Cook about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of ketchup and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer until thick that should take about 25 minutes. then add the sambal and 1/2 cut minced onion.
- Cut the pita bread in half, make it slightly wet and put in the bread toaster. Put the garlic sauce in the pita bread top with lettuce then the meat. Add sauce to your liking.
Delicious takes me back to the eighties, you can not find the real shoarma anymore in the Netherlands.
Bedankt. De shoarma van de 80,s niet meer te krijgen. De laatste keer dat ik de “goede” gegeten had was in Amsterdam in the red light district lol.
Thanks for this site! I lived in the Netherlands for 3 years and have wonderful memories of the fantastic food! I miss it, probably because it reminds me of my long lost early 20s! Looking forward to trying many of these in the near future.
I am glad you found me (my website). Comments like yours is one of the reason why my site is up. Enjoy 🙂
I was in Holland and eat these at a Jerusalem restaurant, we called them dog’s breath and they were wonderful
Now that’s funny. It’s true the next morning your breath smells 🙂
Where did you live Chris? I was stationed at AFCENT with my parents. Lived in Brunnsum for 2 years and Hoensbroek the last year! I miss the food too!
Thanks for this recipe. I have been looking for a shoarma recipe for a looooonnnggg time. It never came close to the ones I used to eat in Holland. The reason I gave it 4 stars because this one is the closet thing to the real thing. Thanks again !