Today I am roasting a fail-safe and spicy Lamb Shawarma for a family get-together. The easy recipe is from my favourite Middle Eastern cook book. Lamb Shawarma is basically a roasted leg of lamb which is served with some salad, a bowl of Tahini-Yogurt sauce, fresh mint and plenty of Pita bread.
Buy a boneless leg of lamb and stab the meat all over with a tip of a sharp knife to enable the marinade to penetrate throughout the meat.
For the spicy marinate you will need 1 bunch of finely chopped dhania (coriander leaves), 2 finely chopped gloves of garlic, zest and juice of 2 lemons, 100 ml of olive oil, 1 tsp of sweet paprika, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, 1/2 ground allspice. Mix all these ingredients in a food processor or use a pestle and a mortar to obtain a very wet paste.
Rub the paste immediately in the lamb meat and refrigerate overnight.
Roast the marinated lamb meat in the barbecue or in the oven until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 71 °C. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
For Tahini-Yoghurt sauce you need to mix together 3 dl of Turkish yoghurt, 1 dl of tahini paste, a juice of lemon, 2–3 grated garlic cloves, pinch of sumac, salt and pepper.
Copyright © The Enogastronomist — Learning begets hunger.©
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| Saha: A Chef's Journey through Lebanon and Syria by Greg and Lucy Malouf (2009) Forewords by Anthony Bourdain |
Buy a boneless leg of lamb and stab the meat all over with a tip of a sharp knife to enable the marinade to penetrate throughout the meat.
For the spicy marinate you will need 1 bunch of finely chopped dhania (coriander leaves), 2 finely chopped gloves of garlic, zest and juice of 2 lemons, 100 ml of olive oil, 1 tsp of sweet paprika, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, 1/2 ground allspice. Mix all these ingredients in a food processor or use a pestle and a mortar to obtain a very wet paste.
Rub the paste immediately in the lamb meat and refrigerate overnight.
Roast the marinated lamb meat in the barbecue or in the oven until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 71 °C. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
For Tahini-Yoghurt sauce you need to mix together 3 dl of Turkish yoghurt, 1 dl of tahini paste, a juice of lemon, 2–3 grated garlic cloves, pinch of sumac, salt and pepper.
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| Serve Lamb Shawarma with some green salad, a bowl of Tahini-Yogurt sauce, fresh mint and plenty of Pita bread |
