Shawarma, Swarma, Doner Kebab
Shawarma. Last night after coming home late from work, I passed by at a neighborhood popular restaurant for my usual dinner of shawarma when ever I am not able to prepare dinner.
The Arabic shawarma is a roast meat of lamb, beef or chicken sandwich in pita bread. It is made up of slices of meat marinated in yogurt, lemon juice, and other aromatic. The marinated meats are then skewed in a metal rod called spit. They are arranged in stacks in such a way that they form a cone of sliced meat. It is then places in front of a vertical gas flame roaster (vertical rotisserie). The meat is then roasted slowly on all sides as the spit rotates in front of the flame for a period of several hours. The cooked meats are then shaved off dropping to a circular tray, the shaved meat are then rolled in a sweet, fluffy Arabic flat bread called khubz (pita bread) together with vegetables such as onion, parsley, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, French fries, pickled turnips and gherkins and a creamy dressing made up of tahini (sesame paste), clove of garlic, lemon juice and parsley.
The Pinoy versions sold at food kiosk in Metro Manila malls are also prepared in the same manner of roasting and the use of pita bread. The local versions have been adopted to suit most Pinoy’s taste buds. The dressing is usually made up of creamy cheddar cheese.
For me and for most Pinoy here in UAE shawarma is an economical dinner alternative. They cost only from AED 3.00 to AED 5.00 per sandwich. Compared to the very expensive at least AED 10.00 Pinoy meals at most Filipino restaurants and eatery here and to the AED 15.00 basic hamburger sandwich meal of the multinational fastfood chains.
The Arabic shawarma is a roast meat of lamb, beef or chicken sandwich in pita bread. It is made up of slices of meat marinated in yogurt, lemon juice, and other aromatic. The marinated meats are then skewed in a metal rod called spit. They are arranged in stacks in such a way that they form a cone of sliced meat. It is then places in front of a vertical gas flame roaster (vertical rotisserie). The meat is then roasted slowly on all sides as the spit rotates in front of the flame for a period of several hours. The cooked meats are then shaved off dropping to a circular tray, the shaved meat are then rolled in a sweet, fluffy Arabic flat bread called khubz (pita bread) together with vegetables such as onion, parsley, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, French fries, pickled turnips and gherkins and a creamy dressing made up of tahini (sesame paste), clove of garlic, lemon juice and parsley.
The Pinoy versions sold at food kiosk in Metro Manila malls are also prepared in the same manner of roasting and the use of pita bread. The local versions have been adopted to suit most Pinoy’s taste buds. The dressing is usually made up of creamy cheddar cheese.
For me and for most Pinoy here in UAE shawarma is an economical dinner alternative. They cost only from AED 3.00 to AED 5.00 per sandwich. Compared to the very expensive at least AED 10.00 Pinoy meals at most Filipino restaurants and eatery here and to the AED 15.00 basic hamburger sandwich meal of the multinational fastfood chains.
we have the same kind of food here in Austalia, but we call it Yiros, basically we do the same thing with the meat but we only put salad like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese, and garlic sauce, some people will have catsup or barbeque sauce, but you are right a good alternative if you dont feel like cooking and they are yummy.
ReplyDeleteI really love Shawarma. They are selling here in Cebu vegetable shawarma at a very low price of P25.00. I usually eat it when I'm on a diet.
ReplyDeletehi anonymous and khassandra, it is a cheap convenient food indeed...
ReplyDelete