Pulled Lamb Shawarma

There is a strong connection between food and memories. In fact, the moment morsels new food hits the palate, a memory is already created, and the association is already embedded in our brain.

Food is a trigger of many of my happy memories; no wonder I turned chef LOL! Certain smells, sounds and flavours could quickly teleport me back in time to that happy moment. This indeed happens whenever I smell shawarma, typical street food of the Levant.

The aroma of the oils released from the spice blend and charred meat takes me back 30+ years to the time of my carefree childhood. I remanence the time my dad would take us kids to an area southwest of Damascus called Mazzeh Al-balad. Parking was always a nightmare, so we used to park far and walk through the old alleys trotting along the cobble streets prancing like horses, and excited to reach our final destination, Shawarma Al-Rabee. YES…shawarma. That area is famous for the endless stands of our beloved Syrian street foods, shawarma, falafel, foul, fatteh shamiyeh and olive oil fatte and more. The sight of that meat, whether chicken or lamb, piled up on a vertical spit tantalised our taste buds. At the same time, the aroma released each time the spit completed a rotation sent sparkles of anticipation in our eyes and salivation in our mouths. We had to patiently wait to watch the shawarma chef pick up a loaf of flatbread, press it against the meat on the spit to soak up the juices bubbling to the surface, then quickly slice the outer layer off the spit once browned. He would then slightly char the bread with a light press on the shawarma grill's electric coils, at which point we knew it won’t be long before we bit into our huge shawarma sandwich.

Lamb shawarma is always filled with a tahini yoghurt sauce and pickles. Now I don’t always crave shawarma, but I want to eat it right now when I do.

Servings: 6

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Start to finish: 3 hours 40 minutes

baking: 3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 kilograms lamb shoulder

1 1/2 red or white onion

1/2 lemon juice

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 cup yoghurt

1 tablespoon salt

The spice mix

1 teaspoon cardamom, powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons 7 spice

1/2 teaspoon clove powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon cumin powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 recipe tahini yoghurt sauce or plain yoghurt.

The Salad

1 large onion

A handful chopped parsley

Salt to taste

Sumac to taste

A squeeze of lemon

Pita bread for the sandwiches

Pickles optional

Method:

· Mix lemon juice, yoghurt, garlic, salt and 2 to 3 tablespoon of spice mix together and rub the lamb shoulder. Place in a sealed container and let it marinate in the fridge, preferably for 24 hours.

· Preheat oven to 160 C fan setting.

· Slice the onion and place in a cast-iron pot or ovenproof pot and place the lamb and marinade in the pot.

· Cover the pot with aluminium foil and cover with the lid.

· Place in the oven for 3 to 4 hours depending on the thickness of the shoulder. Check after one and a half hours as it may need a little bit of water. ( 1/3 cup).

· When the meat pulls off the bone with a fork easily, then it is ready.

· Use two forks to pull the meat off the bone, then mix in the sauce from the pot to your liking.

· To prepare the salad slice the onions and place in a bowl with the chopped parsley, salt, sumac and lemon juice, and bruise it using the palm of the hand.

· Place some tahini sauce of yoghurt on pita bread, top with the pulled lamb and add the parsley salad.

Notes:

· For a more aromatic spice mix, use whole spices and dry toast them in a pan just until the aroma is released and then grind them in a spice mill.

· You can keep the lamb marinating up to two days.

· For a pulled chicken shawarma look up the spice recipe here. Use chicken pieces on the bone for maximum flavour, marinade and cook the same way, but for about one to one and a half hours.

Per Serving (excluding tahini sauce and bread): 571 Calories; 44g Fat (69.0% calories from fat); 35g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 145mg Cholesterol; 1201mg Sodium.