"What do you want to eat?” I asked my young son. “Can you make that thing that we always eat at grandma Rachelle’s?” “What dish?” I answered “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” “That meat we always eat with mom and grandma in the square”. “I can try,” I answered with a smile. Even though my son grew up in the US since he was one year old, shawarma is still one of his favorite dishes. In every visit to Israel, even before unpacking, we would go and eat shawarma. When I first made homemade shawarma, it wasn’t exactly like the restaurant’s. Since then, the level of my shawarma has improved, and even though it is still not like the one in the restaurant next to grandma’s home, it is one of his most loved meals, and ours too.
Ingredients
2 lb chicken & turkey thighs & breast
½ lb veal fat
4 onions
1 TBS garlic powder
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp baharat
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
¼ cup canola oil
Mix all spices in a small bowl. Slice meat into thin layers and place in a deep bowl. Add oil and spices, mix well and chill for an hour (preferably overnight).
Heat heavy skillet over high heat. Work in batches, add some of the veal fat, fry 4-5 minutes. Add onions and fry to light golden. Add meat in one layer. Fry until well done flip halfway through. Serve immediately.
