insideKENT Magazine Issue 39 - June 2015 | Page 51

FOOD+DRINK
The Art of Street Food cont.

Chicken Shawarma

Potato and Pea Samosas

Chicken shawarma is a spicy Middle Eastern dish of chicken and
yoghurt sauce, served on a warm pitta. The meat is usually cooked
on a rotisserie, but in this version there’s no need – it can all be
cooked at home. This recipe makes 4 shawarmas.

Samosas are an excellent street food as they can be eaten with
the hands, and they are bursting with flavour. Not only that, but
they don’t take too long to cook either!
Ingredients
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 60g onion (chopped)
• 1 tsp ginger (finely chopped)
• 60g frozen peas
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt
• 600g potatoes (peeled, boiled, and made into lumpy mash)
• 4 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)
• Filo pastry (from a packet is fine)
• 5 tbsp melted butter

Ingredients
For the chicken:
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 450g boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into strips)
• 4 pittas
• 1/2 cucumber
• 2 tomatoes
• Half a lettuce (shredded)
For the sauce:
• 170g Greek yoghurt
• 2 tbsp tahini (a paste made from sesame seeds)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove (finely chopped)

Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the mustard seeds – this should only
take about 10 seconds, and you’ll know they are done when they
begin to splutter
2. Add the onion and ginger and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Now
add the peas, spices, lemon juice, and salt. Cook for 1-2 minutes
after stirring to mix
3. Add the already cooked potato lumps and the fresh coriander to the
mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Season to taste
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C
5. Brush a sheet of filo pastry with melted butter, and fold one third
inwards, lengthways, towards the middle. Brush again with more
butter, and fold the other side inwards, so you have a long strip of
pastry with layers
6. Place a rounded teaspoon of the pea and potato mixture onto the
pastry at one end making sure to leave a 2cm border. Take the right
corner and fold it diagonally to the left making a triangle that encases
the filling. Now keep folding until the entire strip is used
7. Brush with butter and bake for 30-35 minutes, turning halfway

Method
1. Preheat your grill to a medium/high heat
2. Add the lemon juice, curry powder, olive oil, salt, cumin, and garlic cloves
(from the chicken ingredients) to a bowl and mix together. Add the chicken
and toss well to coat. Leave to stand for 20 minutes
3. Now make the sauce. Mix the yoghurt, tahini, salt, lemon juice, and garlic
together, whisking to ensure they are combined well
4. Thread the strips of chicken onto a kebab skewer and grill for 4 minutes
each side
5. Heat up the pittas under the grill as well (until just lightly toasted, around
1 minute), and place the cooked chicken (removed from the skewers)
on top of the bread
6. Finish by placing one pitta on each plate, and adding cucumber slices,
tomato slices, and lettuce on the side then drizzling the yoghurt sauce
over the top

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