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Housemade Shawarma Spice Blend
I spent some wonderful time with folks in our community who are from Persian/Middle-Eastern countries and talked about what exactly goes into making a proper shawarma spice mixture. A common remark made was, "It is a lot like you say just like my mother would make. My mother makes shawarma flavors different than my neighbor's. We all have very special shawarma." We talked a lot about what are some of the common spices that are used in making the shawarma blend and to be honest, I ran out of room in my small notebook! HAHAHAH! Now, traditionally shawarma is cooked on a large vertical spit. The meat and fat are separately prepped and into thin slices. A house blend of spices are then mixed with olive oil, sometimes added Greek yogurt, and even fresh squeezed lemon. You mix this blend and will have a paste of beautiful flavors made. You can marinate thin slices of chicken, beef, turkey, goat, lamb, and even slab cuts of vegetables in this marinde. Not everyone has the luxury of owning their own vertical grill and uses a spit to pile the proteins/vegetables on. I have seen some folks do a fast home-oven version of large chunks of meat that they can later slice for their meal. Taking what I know about the traditional spices used in making a shawarma marinade, it all starts with the spice blend!
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