Shawarma lamb with cucumber zaatar yoghurt
Description
I’m not one to shy away from making a spice blend from scratch, as I did recently for the heavenly Moroccan lamb shanks with ras el hanout, so when I came across a ready-to-use blend of spices called shawarma by local producer Sami’s Kitchen I thought I’d give it a burl. Shawarma is something just about everyone is familiar with and if you think you’re not, cast your mind to the last time you tried or walked past one of those twirling spits at a Lebanese takeaway, compacted with meat that is shaved and packed into pita bread with tabbouleh and hummus for your late-night street food snack.
I’ve stepped away from the traditional with this recipe and used the Sami’s Kitchen Shawarma spice blend in lamb mince before shaping it into bite-sized morsels that are perfect for a bbq or just wedged into a warm pita roll with the cucumber zaatar yoghurt, some shaved red onion and a few salad greens. It’s light and aromatic with the warmth of cumin, nutmeg, cardamom and many more spices.
Ingredients
| 500 g lamb mince |
| 2 cloves garlic, finely grated |
| 1 tsp lemon rind |
| 3 tsp Shawarma spice blend by Sami’s Kitchen |
| salt & freshly ground black pepper |
| 2 tbsp olive oil |
| 1½ tsp zaatar spice blend by Sami’s Kitchen |
| 1/3 cup Lebanese cucumber, grated |
| 200 g Greek yoghurt |
| 1 tbsp lemon juice |
| 1 clove garlic, finely grated, extra |
| 1 tbsp mint leaves, finely chopped |
| 1 tsp zaatar |
Directions
- 1
- In a large bowl mix the lamb mince, 2 cloves of grated garlic, lemon rind, shawarma spices, salt and pepper. Shape tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls and thread onto moistened skewers.
- 2
- Combine the oil with the zaatar spice mix. Heat a char-grill of griddle pan, brush the lamb with the oil and zaatar mix and cook on all sides until cooked through.
- 3
- For the yoghurt, combine it with the lemon juice, 1 clove of grated garlic, cucumber, zaatar and chopped mint leaves.
- 4
- To serve, simply dip the lamb into the yoghurt mix or serve in pita bread with a few salad greens.
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Invite the essence of Middle Eastern flavours into your cooking with Sami’s Kitchen premium spice blends. Since 1991, Sami’s Kitchen has been combining the finest ingredients with their passion for cuisine to create a blend of quality spices and traditional flavours. Sprinkle our authentic spice blends with your own recipes (or try our suggestions) and weave a mystic tale that captivates your tastebuds until the last bite.