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Wednesday 12 August 2009

Chicken Shawarma

Preparation time: 30 min | Cooking time: 60 min

This is a Lebanese dish. My husband keeps talking about relishing Lebanese foods when he was in Dubai. He had only praise for their dishes. I got a chance to taste it at a restaurant in Bangalore. It became my favourite too. The ingredients were readily available here and that's how I tried it myself.

Ingredients
Chicken thighs-4
Malt vinegar-1/4cup
Mixed spices(a traditional 7 spices)-1/2tsp
Ground cardamon-a pinch
Yoghurt-4tbsp
Oil-1/2tbsp
Salt & pepper to taste

Method
Slice the chicken into small cubes. Marinate using all the above ingredients for 4 hours or overnight in the fridge. Put the chicken with the marinade in an oven tray and bake covered in a hot oven for 30 mins, turning once. Uncover and put back in the oven for 5 more minutes, or till the chicken is well cooked. If desired, pour out the fat for a healthier option. Serve with sliced tomatoes, onions, and chopped parsley, rolled in a pitta bread topped with tarator, hummus and toum.

Note: Mixed spice is a powdered mixture of allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, fenugreek & ginger in equal quantity.

Tarator
Ingredients
Tahini (sesame paste)-1/4cup
Lemon juice-1 to 2tbsp
Water-1 to 2tbsp
Chopped parsley-1tbsp
Salt and pepper
Crushed garlic(optional)-1clove

Method
Mix all the above ingredients together, keep stirring till you get a nice smooth sauce, add the chopped parsley and serve.

Hummus
Ingredients
Dry chickpeas (to be rinsed and drained before use) soaked in water-1cup
Garlic crushed-2 cloves
Tahini (sesame seeds paste)-1/4cup
Lemon juice-2tbsp
Salt & pepper

Method
Drain the chick peas and rinse well, then put in a saucepan with plenty of water and cook over high heat till it starts boiling, then lower the heat and simmer covered for about one and a half hours, or until the chick peas are soft to the touch. You may pressure cook it which is a better option.
Drain the cooked chickpeas and put in a food processor with all other ingredients till they become a soft paste. Empty in a flat dish and decorate with some parsley leafs and drizzle with good quality olive oil.



Toum
Ingredients
Garlic clove crushed-6
Oil (not olive oil)-1/4 cup
Mayonnaise-2tbsp
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt & pepper

Method
Place garlic in bowl. Add salt and lemon. Add a little oil at a time to the garlic and mix with spoon until the oil stops being absorbed. Keep adding the oil until it runs out. Now add the mayonnaise and mix. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Once complete refrigerate it.

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