Tag: main course
Chicken Shawarma
Chicken Shawarma
Shawarma’s origins can be traced back to Turkey. In Arabic, shawarma translates to “it turns,” referencing how the meat is traditionally cooked; upright on a spit. Shawarma is marinated chicken, lamb, turkey, or beef that is slowly roasted, then sliced and eaten on a sandwich made out of pita or laffish bread and topped with tomato, cucumber, onions, and a yogurt sauce. The concept of Shawarma has many variations not only in Middle Eastern cuisines like Syrian, Israeli, Lebanese, and Jordanian, but also in Mediterranean cuisine such as gyros; al pastor in Mexican cuisine; and many other countries around the world involving marinated meat being roasted on an upright spit.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- juice of 2 lemons
Marinade
- 1 head garlic peeled
- 2 shallots
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 3 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- 2 tsp salt
Shawarma
- pita
- tomatoes finely diced
- Persian cucumber finely diced
- red onion thinly sliced
- garlic mint yogurt sauce
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend all of the marinade ingredients together.
- Marinate the chicken thighs overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken thighs on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil. Brush with lemon juice. Bake for 40 minutes.
- Brush with another layer of lemon juice and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Let rest before chopping.
Pita Bread
Pita bread can trace it’s roots over 14000 years ago to the Stoned Age in the Middle East. Today, pita bread is a staple of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. The yeast leavened flatbread dough is rolled flat. The edges are then tucked up underneath itself into a ball. This allows air to be trapped, creating steam to puff up the flatbread and make a pocket once the dough is baked. There is also pita that is just rolled flat and use more as a wrap, such as is Greek cuisine.
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp sugar
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together.
- On a floured surface, knead the dough fo 7-8 minutes.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Keep in a warm place.
- Let dough rise for 2 hours. It will double in volume.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface.
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces.
- Flatten the dough into a circle.
- Tuck the edges up under into itself to form a ball. This helps trap air inside, making the pita light and airy.
- Roll out the dough ball into 1/4” thick discs.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
- Cook the pita for 4 minutes a side.
Chelo Kabab Koobideh
Chelo Kabab Koobideh
Chelo Kabab Koobideh literally translates to white rice with ground beef kabab. The kababs are made out of ground beef or lamb, mixed with grated onion, turmeric, sumac, and saffron. The ground meat mix is the wrapped around skewers, then either grilled or broiled. It happens to be -20 degrees right now in MN, so they were thrown under the broiler. They only take 15 minutes total cooking time, flipping half way through. The kababs are always served with rice and grilled onions and tomatoes. I also made a garlic mint yogurt sauce to serve with them.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion grated
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp saffron dissolved into 3 tbsp hot water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Mix together all of the ingredients.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Portion out the beef mix into 6. Turn each portion into cylindrical shape around a skewer. Place each of the kababs on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Broil for 7 minutes a side.
- Serve with steamed rice, broiled onions and tomato, and garlic mint yogurt sauce.
Khoresh-e Fesenjan (Persian Chicken Stew)
Khoresh-e Fesenjan (Persian Chicken Stew)
Khoresh-e Fesenjan is a popular Persian chicken stew. The chicken is seared then simmered in chicken stock. Then, ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses is added to the stewed chicken, continuing to simmer for 45 minutes. The stewed chicken is then garnished with pomegranate seeds. The results generate a savory and slightly sour taste. This dish is always served with rice; as is all Persian cuisine. If there are any leftovers, it will taste even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 8-12 chicken drumsticks
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups walnuts
- 1 cup pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp green cardamom pods
Garnish
- pomegranite seeds
Instructions
- Season the drumsticks with turmeric, salt, and pepper.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear the drumsticks on all sides. Remove from the pot.
- Add in the onions. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add the drumsticks back in along with 2 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is simmering, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the walnuts to a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Grind the walnuts in a food processor to a powder.
- Once the first 30 minutes is up, stir in the ground walnuts, pomegr molasses, sugar, and cardamom pods.
- Simmer covered for 45 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
