Chicken Shawarma Sandwiches By Yotam Ottolenghi Food

CHICKEN SHAWARMA SANDWICHES BY YOTAM OTTOLENGHI

Steps:

• 1. Pat dry the chicken pieces and put in a medium bowl. Add the ginger, garlic, coriander, sumac, salt, lemon juice and 5 tbsp groundnut oil; stir together and set aside. 2. Crush the cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar, then toast, with the rest of the spices, in a small frying pan for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add to the bowl. Rub the marinade into the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. 3. To make the onion salsa, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. 4. Preheat the oven to 180˚C, gas mark 4. Place a griddle pan on a high heat. Once red hot, cook the chicken pieces for 2 minutes on each side until brown. Transfer to an oven tray and finish off in the oven for 4-6 minutes, or until cooked through and no pink meat remains. Remove and allow to rest for a few minutes before cutting the chicken into 1cm-thick slices. Drizzle any remaining juices from the pan over the meat. 5. While the chicken is in the oven, wipe most of the residue from the griddle pan and add the remaining groundnut oil. Drizzle the pittas with a little water, just to moisten on the outside, and place in the pan for about a minute on each side, to warm up. Cut the pittas in two and open each half to make a pocket. 6. Just before serving, make the tahini sauce: mix the tahini paste with the lemon juice, 90ml water, garlic and a pinch of salt until completely smooth with a honey-like consistency (add a little water to loosen if necessary). 7. Spoon some tahini sauce, chicken and cucumber slices into each pitta half and top with the onion salsa. Serve at once.

YOTAM OTTOLENGHI'S JERUSALEM LAMB SHAWARMA

Steps:

• Put the peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, fenugreek, fennel, cumin, star anise and cinnamon in a cast-iron pan set over medium-high heat and dry-roast them for a minute or two, until the spices begin to pop and release their aromas. Take care not to burn them. Add the nutmeg, ground ginger and paprika, and toss for a few more seconds, just to heat them, then transfer to a spice grinder. Process the spices into powder. Transfer to a medium bowl, and stir in the sumac, salt, fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro, lemon juice and oil, and stir to combine.
• Use a small sharp knife to score the leg of lamb in a few places, making half-inch-deep slits through the fat and meat. Put the lamb in a large roasting pan and rub the marinade all over it, using your hands to massage the meat. Turn the lamb fat-side up, cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it aside on a countertop for at least a couple of hours, or preferably, rest it overnight in the refrigerator.
• Heat oven to 350. Remove the aluminum foil, and place the lamb in the oven. Roast for approximately 4 1/2 hours, or until the meat is completely tender. After 30 minutes of roasting, add about a cup of boiling water to the pan, and use this liquid to baste the meat every hour or so. (Add more water, as needed, making sure there is always a little in the bottom of the pan.) After 90 minutes or so, cover the lamb with aluminum foil to prevent the spices from burning. Once the lamb is done, remove it from the oven, and leave to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving and serving.