I recently added this Mushroom Shawarma to my collection of vegetarian recipes. Raised a carnivore, I have prepared several meatless meals a week, acknowledging that reducing meat consumption has health benefits.
For years, vegetarian meals at our home were assorted quiches or lasagnas. In recent years, I looked east to the recipes of Indian, Thai and Chinese cooks for meatless dishes or those that use meat as flavoring rather than the main meal. Their widespread use of spices, seasoning blends, ginger, soy or fish sauces and textures results in a satisfying, flavorful meal that can be enjoyed without missing meat.
After savoring Indian and Thai vegetable curries and Chinese stir-fries, I was eager to explore vegetable preparations from other parts of the world. When I heard about an Israeli cook who used mushrooms to convert one of my favorite middle eastern street foods, shawarma, into 100% vegan meal, I became interested in locating a recipe. The Israeli recipe was not available online but a quick web search disclosed that many cooks, including Jamie Oliver, experimented with replicating meatless shawarma.
Traditionally, shawarma (which means to turn in Arabic), a cone of stacked meat (lamb or beef or chicken or goat) cooked vertically on a revolving spit, is a street food classic in the Mediterranean region. Roasting meat on horizontal spits has ancient origin, but the technique of grilling a vertical stack of meat slices originated in late 19th century Ottoman Empire town of Bursa, now in Turkey, where Iskender Efendi, a local chef, made the first doner kebab from beef and later chicken or lamb. In subsequent decades, doner kebab’s popularity spread to Greece as gyros using lamb and to other Levantine countries as today’s shawarma. In the 20th century, Lebanese immigrants to Mexico transplanted shawarma to their new homeland as tacos al pastor using pork. Dozens of variations are found throughout the world today.
But what distinguishes the Turkish doner kebab from the Greek gyros from the Mexican tacos al pastor from the Levantine shawarma? The answer lies in garnishes. Aside from the choice of meat (which is determined by religious dietary laws in some countries), each of these preparations is versatile. It can be spiced with a combination of spices such as cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cayenne, allspice, turmeric and paprika and in some countries baharat, a local spice blend and topped with piquant sauces (again depending on dietary norms), such as tzatziki, garlic yoghurt or tahini, hummus, chili and jalapeno mint. It is often garnished with diced fresh tomatoes, sliced or shredded cucumber, radishes, onions, and pickled vegetables such as cucumbers, turnips, carrots or mangoes. Whichever garnishes are used, a shawarma (or gyros or doner kebab or taco al pastor) is usually wrapped in warm flatbread (pita, lavash, laffa, taboon or tortilla) and makes a perfect lunch.
What appeals to me most about Jamie Oliver’s Mushroom Shawarma (https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/mushroom-recipes/crispy-mushroom-shawarma/) I used as the base for this post, is its preservation of the taste and texture of a classic meat shawarma while replacing meat with healthier forest mushrooms. Mushrooms, often treated by cooks merely as decorative additions to a recipe, are nutritional powerhouses: Low in calories and fat and cholesterol-free, mushrooms contain a modest amount of fiber and over a dozen minerals and vitamins, including copper, potassium, magnesium, zinc and a number of B vitamins such as folate. Mushrooms are also high in antioxidants like selenium and glutathione, or GSH, substances believed to protect cells from damage and reduce chronic disease and inflammation. (See New YorkTimes, January 19, 2018, What is mushrooms’ health and nutritional value?) And, upon cooking, fresh portabella, shitake and oyster mushrooms develop the texture and savory taste of meat, making them a natural substitute.
Main Ingredients
In addition to replacing meat with assorted mushrooms, Jamie Oliver’s recipe expands the variety of garnishes to include preserved lemons* (a pickled condiment common to North Africa and the Indian sub-continent) for a citrusy note, a fiery pickled jalapeño mint salsa and dukkah (a Mediterranean spice blend of nuts, seeds, and spices) for crunch. I further modified the Oliver recipe by tweaking the spices, adding more garlic and adding pickled turnips, a typical Mediterranean condiment that I enjoyed on many great shawarmas.
A note on cooking: Although I don’t have a rotating vertical grill, I nonetheless wanted to replicate the taste and appearance of a vertically cooked shawarma even though cooked horizontally. I did so by pressing the mushrooms and onions stack as tightly as possible onto skewers and suspending them between the edges of the pan for roasting. As the mushrooms were roasting, I periodically pressed them together into a firm roast. This is what Jamie Oliver did and it worked.
I was tempted to grill this shawarma over charcoal which would have produced a smokier flavor but I was concerned that in rotating the skewers, the fragile mushrooms would break apart on the grill. I have since learned that I could have triple-threaded the marinated mushroom and onions onto skewers that would have created a firmer, more stable roast that could be moved easily from the hot coals to the cool side of the grill. Additionally, the grill surface should be lightly oiled and have another rack placed perpendicularly atop the grill rack to create smaller openings. I will try grilling this mushroom shawarma next time and will update this post with my experiences and photos.
After roasting the skewered mushroom-onion stack for 35 minutes in 400°F (200°C) oven, the mushrooms develop crispy edges while maintaining interior softness and juiciness. Their clean savory smell perfumed the kitchen as I sliced them vertically off the skewers. This mushroom shawarma layered into warm flatbreads with crisp sliced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, radishes, mint leaves, yogurt, spicy jalapeño mint salsa, pickled turnips and tahini creates an explosion of tastes and textures: salty, sour, bitter, umami, creamy, crispy, crunchy, succulent and spicy. The first bite revived memories of many succulent meaty shawarmas, gyros, or doner kebabs enjoyed in Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Dubai. But most importantly, the meat is not missed!
Mushroom shawarma, adapted from Jamie Oliver and others
7.1 ounces (200 g) unflavored regular or Greek yogurt
1¾ pounds (800 g) portobello, shitake and oyster mushrooms, or a mix
1 red onion, large
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 preserved lemons,* optional
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons sea salt|
teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon (1.7 g) cayenne pepper
½ cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, cut in half
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
10 radishes
½ English cucumber, 6 inches (15.25 cm) long, unpeeled
3.5 ounces (100g) ripe cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
7 ounces (200g) pickled jalapeño chilies with liquid
1 cup (30g) fresh mint leaves
Pickled turnips, recipe attached, optional
4 large flatbreads**, lavash or pita, warmed
4 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons dukkah***
Although Jamie Oliver advises draining yogurt in a sieve to make it thicker, this step can be omitted if using thick Greek yogurt. Otherwise, line a sieve with cheesecloth, pour in the yogurt and tie ends into a pouch. Suspend over a bowl and gently apply pressure so that the liquid starts to drip through into a bowl, then leave to drain for an hour. Refrigerate.
Peeled mushrooms-onions marinating overnight
Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth. Peel and trim outer skin and stems of the portobello and shitake mushrooms. Trim ends of oyster mushrooms. Then peel and quarter the onion and separate into petals. Peel garlic, roughly chop the preserved lemons, discarding any seeds, and mash to a paste in a pestle and mortar (or a food processor) with sea salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper and the spices. Muddle in 1 tablespoon of oil, then toss with the mushrooms and onions in a glass or stainless steel container. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight.
When ready to cook, heat oven to 475ºF (240ºC). Randomly thread lemon half followed by the mushrooms and onions on to a large, flat skewer to create a tight mushroom-onion stack, then place on a large baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Push vegetables together snuggly, baste with juices from the tray and continue roasting for a further 15 minutes, drizzling over the pomegranate molasses for the last 3 minutes.
Skewered mushroom-onion stack ready to roast
While mushrooms are roasting, finely slice radishes and cucumber, ideally on a mandolin (use the guard!), and quarter the tomatoes, toss with a pinch of salt and vinegar, then set aside. Pour jalapeños (juices and all) into a blender, add mint leaves and whiz until fine. Pour back into the jar – this will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks for jazzing up future meals.
Remove mushroom-onion stack from oven to a carving board. Let rest for 15 minutes. Slice vertically into thin slices.
Slicing shawarma
Warm the flatbreads. To serve, spread a flatbread with tahini, a few mint leaves, then add pickled and fresh vegetables, sliced mushrooms, a dollop of yoghurt and jalapeño-mint salsa and top with a sprinkle of dukkah. Roll up and enjoy!
Assembling shawarma
Sliced mushrooms and onions
Garnishes and condiments: clockwise from left: diced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, dukkah, pickled turnips, tahini, jalapeno-mint salsa, yogurt, mint leaves with sliced radishes in the middle.
Filling the flatbread
Serves 4.
Pickled Turnips
1 cup (235 ml) white wine or rice vinegar
3 cups (711 ml) water
⅓ cup (100 g) coarse salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 dried bay leaves
2 pounds (907g) turnips, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
1 small red beet, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly slice
1 small red chili, halved with seeds discarded
In a medium saucepot over high heat, add vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Whisk until the salt has dissolved, about 1 minute. Place turnips, beets, garlic, and chili into glass jars with tight-fitting lids. Pour vinegar mixture over vegetables, leaving about ½ inch (1.27 cm) space at the top. Cover jars with lids and allow pickles and their liquid to cool slightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 day. Pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
*Preserved lemons are available in international specialty stores, Whole Foods and online.
** A note on flatbread: Thin flatbread or lavash or fresh pita which opens into a thin-walled pocket are ideal vessels for encasing shawarma. Certain flour tortillas may be too thick and greasy. Jamie Oliver provides a simple four-ingredient recipe for homemade flatbread (included below) which takes a few minutes to prepare if a suitable purchased alternative is unavailable.
Jamie’s Quick Flatbreads
7 ounces (200 g) all-purpose flour
2 pinches salt
3.38 ounces (100 ml) water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Place a large non-stick frying pan (10-12 inch – 25.4 -30.34 cm) over medium-high heat. In a bowl, mix flour, salt, water and olive oil into a dough. Form into a ball, cut into quarters and then roll out each piece on a flour-dusted surface until just under ⅜ inches (½ cm) thick. Cook for 1 minute on each side, or until golden turning halfway. Stack on a plate cover with foil and keep warm until ready to eat.
Ottolenghi’s Dukkah
***Dukkah can easily be made at home. Here is the recipe that I use, using half hazelnuts and half almonds. Pistachios can be used as well instead of the hazelnuts. http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/butter-bean-puree-with-dukkah-shop. Several types of dukkah can also be purchased on-line from Trader Joe’s and Amazon.
One year ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/roasted-summer-vegetable-terrine/
Two years ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/revitalizing-ukrainian-cooking-masterchef-evgeniy-klopotenko/
Three years ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/aquachile-verde-shrimp-scallop/
Four years ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/mile-high-strawberry-pie/
Five years ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/firemens-chicken/