Shawarma is a delicious middle eastern dish now popular world wide .Shawarma is yummy chicken wrap  /roll ,where chicken is cooked/grilled on spit/rotisserie then chopped fine and rolled in pita bread with pickled veggies and garlic sauce .Taste absolutely delish!

Shawarma is now available everywhere and  easily adapted according to one's taste buds .Shawarma that we get here in Mumbai can be found in different varieties and fusion .Somehow I love the way it's served in the Middle East and tried to replicate it at home And was quite satisfied with the outcome .So now try this absolutely amazing shawarma recipe in the comforts of your home and without the spit /machine all made from scratch.

I will soon share a detailed post on garlic sauce and pita for now find the recipes mentioned below.

Since we are making it from scratch let's break it I to 3 parts .the marination ,the pita the pickled veggies and garlic sauce and finally assembling.

Chicken Marination
500 gm Boneless chicken pieces
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger garlic  chilli paste
1 / 2 tsp pepper powder / as needed
1 tsp paprika/red chilli powder
4 tbsp curds
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste
Cut chicken into long thin strips or you can chop them into small cubes.
Apply salt and lime and keep aside for 10 min then add garlic ,ginger garlic paste beaten curds ,cumin and cinnamon powder ,paprika or chilli powder and marinate for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
When ready pan fry the chicken with very little oil till done or grill it and set aside .

Making the pita breads

2 cups Maida
1 tsp yeast 1/4 cup  lukewarmwater/milk
1 tsp Sugar 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp Olive oil
In 1/4 cup lukewarm water or milk add sugar and yeast and set aside to froth.
Take sifted flour in a bowl add salt and mix in the yeast mixture adding warm water to knead to a soft dough .
Allow it to double it may take 1 1/2 to 3 hours
Once doubled punch down the air and knead for a minute .
Divide into small balls and roll into round disc/ chapati
Either cook them on a tava or in the oven until they puff up and small brown spots appear .
Cover them in a kitchen napkin or store them in air tight container.

For the pickled veggies
1 cucumber cut lengthwise
1 beetroot cut lengthwise
2 /3 rd cup vinegar
1 /4 cup water
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
Boil water and vinegar with salt and sugar .
Pour it over the veggies in an sterilized glass bottle and keep aside for 2 days .
For instant version add the cucumber to the boiling water and cook for 5 to 7 minutes .
You can later add beet to this.

For the garlic sauce click link

• Other ingredients
• Cut 1 potato to wedges add little salt .
• Shallow fry it and keep aside .
• Also grate cabbage and tear some lettuce .

Now let's assemble

• You will need garlic sauce  pickled veggies and pita

• Take a butter paper cut in squares
• Place it on  a plate
• Place a pita over it.
• Apply a generous amount of garlic sauce
• Spread cabbage and lettuce and place the pickled veggies and fried potatoes
• You can cut the chicken into small pieces I prefer keeping it like this .
• Drizzle some garlic sauce
• And roll it tight.

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Garlic Sauce is an flavourful yet so easy to make sauce .Garlic sauce is one of essential sauce used in shawarma .Garlic sauce goes well with grilled meat or as a dip too.Just few basic pantry ingredients and 5 min is all you need to make this .

Ingredients
1 cup thick curd/yogurt
1 tbsp tahini/sesame seeds paste
3 to 4 garlic cloves grated/ made to paste
Salt to taste .
1 tsp lime juice.

Method
In a bowl mix all the ingredients and mix it well using a whisk .
Keep it in the refrigerator.
Use it in shawarma / wraps or as a dipping sauce .

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Gajar Halwa /Carrot Halwa is one of the most delicious and poplar Indian dessert. Gajar Halwa is loved by all especially in winters since the Red/Delhi carrots are available in abundance .You will find gajar halwa as dessert in parties ,weddings and in most of the sweet shop .Gajar Halwa can be enjoyed hot or cold personally I love it hot.

Gajar Halwa is my favourite and I make it quite often in winters until these Delhi carrots disappear from the market.

I have shared the traditional way of cooking halwa in the blog years before .Slowly cooked halwa with nuts and mawa taste simply divine but can be tiresome since it takes a while to get slow cooked .Today I'm sharing a quicker version that I make when I crave for this halwa and have no patience to cook it slowly .Using a pressure cooker makes things easy and saves the cooking time  without compromising on the taste .

Ingredients

1 1/2 kg carrot/Delhi carrot

150 gm.mawa

3 1/2 to 4 cups milk

1 1/2 to 2 cup sugar / as needed

1/2 cup mix nuts I used cashews almonds raisins and charoli.

1 /2 tsp cardamom powder .

4 tbsp ghee  

Method
Rinse ,peel and grate carrots .
Heat n a pressure cooker  and add ghee.
Once hot add the grated carrots and saute for 6 to 7 minutes.
You may add the nuts and fry well.
Then add milk and mix.

Cover the pressure cooker with lid and cook for 2  whistles.
After 2 whisles cook over medium flame till the third whistle releases.
Release the pressure and open the lid .
Cook the carrots and dry up the milk.

Add sugar and cardamom powder and cook over medium flame until the mixture is dry when the mixture is dry add the crumbled mawa and mix.
Serve warm and enjoy .

• You can add more sugar if required .
• Mawa is optional but it adds more richness and taste .
• Add nuts of your choice .

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Chakli is one of the most popular Diwali snack .Chakli tastes crunchy crispy and absolutely delicious. There are different versions and recipe to make chakli .Bhajni being most popular and loved and my utmost favourite but it is a very tedious process if you want to make it from scratch.
This recipe for chakli which ill be sharing is instant, very easy fail proof and taste delicious as good as bhajni chakli.do check the notes for making prefect crispy chakli.

Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup maida / all purpose flour
2 tbsp besan / gram flour
2 1/2 to 3 tsp red chilli powder / as needed
1/4 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi
1/4 cup curds
1 1/2 tbsp salted butter
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp sesame seeds / til
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry.

Method

• In a bowl mix sifted flours , maida rice and besan together
• Add salt red chilli powder coriander ,turmeric powder ajwain sesame seeds and mix
• To this add butter and mix well
• Add curd and mix

• Add water as needed to form a soft yet firm dough .
• Grease the chakli mould with oil
• Divide the dough into 3 to.4 parts

• Fit in the star disc/ chakli disc
• And place  the dough .
• line a plate with parchment or butter paper and make chakli .
• Add oil in a kadhai and turn the flame on.
• The oil should not be very hot.
• Once the oil is hot lower the flame.
• Slide 3 to 4  chakli and fry over medium low flame.
• Turn it on the other side and fry till done.
• It takes roughly about 2 to 3 minutes each side.

• Once done  remove it out on kitchen towel/ absorbent paper .
• Repeat the same till all the chakli are fried
• Once cool store in air tight container .

Notes / tips

• Make sure the oil is not very hot and also fry over medium low flame.
• If you turn the flame high the chakli will remain uncooked from inside
• If the oil is not hot the chakli may break and lot of froth will appear.
• So always fry 3 to 4 at a time if kadhai is big you can fry 6 to 7 in a batch .
• Keep the dough  covered as you make them in batches.
• If the dough is left open it will dry a bit then knead again and proceed .

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