Shop in the Medan, I asked this man if I could take his picture and he eagerly agreed!
This tasty sandwich can be found all over Saudi Arabia as well as Syria and probably most middle eastern countries. In Riyadh when you walk down to the neighborhood shops there will be at least a few restaurants and most of them will sell Shawarma and Falafal sandwiches. Shawarma is a sandwich made on pita or Arabic bread. It has seasoned chicken wrapped up in Arabic bread, with sauce, french fries and slices of pickle. I guess you could say it is like a burger for us here in America. It is basically the quick sandwich you pick up at a neighborhood shop in a hurry! Shawarma meat is cooked on a vertical rotisserie as you can see in the picture! At home you can make a simple version with a few ingredients.You can put whatever you like in your sandwich but on the streets of Riyadh, it is chicken, french fries, pickles and sauce!!
In Syria the same is true regarding this sandwich, it is found every where. The local area near my in-laws apartment is called the Medan. The street is lined with every imaginable shop for people in the local neighborhood. Trays of sweets sit out on the sidewalk, shop workers stand out front watching the latest soap opera on their television sets. We spent hours walking around this local shopping area. I asked the man in the featured image if I could take a picture and he happily agreed.
Ingredients
Because I still have 7 people in my household, my cooking is a bit on the large side. I am scaling this down here but know that these are estimates.
4 chicken breasts cut into thin pieces.
1 onion chopped
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp.turmeric
1/2 tsp.cumin
Salt- to taste
1 cup of water mixed with 1 chicken bouillon cube
3 cloves garlic
pinch of cayenne pepper
french fries cooked and these can be frozen or fresh
dill pickles sliced into thin strips
Sauce for sandwich
You can use anything you like to spread on your sandwich. I use one of the following:
Plain yogurt
hummus
Garlic Mayonnaise
Directions
Put onion, garlic and 3 Tbs. of olive oil in a large pan and saute, add chicken and stir frequently, add spices, mix well. Place water and bouillon cube in a separate pan, warm water and dissolve bouillon cube, add to chicken mix. Cover and simmer until chicken is totally cooked. I like to let this simmer a little longer to make sure the chicken has soaked up these delicious flavors.
Spread sauce of you choice on Arabic bread, put chicken, pickles and fries, wrap it up and serve.
This is a keeper
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very simple sandwich, thanks
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I love shawarmas. I just don’t know how to make some. Thanks for sharing
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Sure, they are very simple and easy to make. you can add things you like was well
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Now THAT is going to be eaten often, I can tell. By the way – I’m so glad you said you asked the man if you could take his picture. I rather think that one of the worst things about the dawn of the new era is people just snapping away without a thought for whether a person minds being in a picture that actually might end up on the internet being viewed by countless people. It’s a bit of a soapbox of mine – I wonder what others feel. Particularly where children are concerned.
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yes me too! I hesitate to put the numerous pictures on of my in laws even though I don’t think they would mind! still I just cant!
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My husband was paranoid about pictures before we met – he has been worn down by me (I use social media to keep in touch with his family as well as mine and they LOVE to see pictures of him) 🙂
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ha ha my second son DOES not like his picture taken!!! not
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Interesting sandwich!
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yes very basic an Arab burger ha ha
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Probably much healthier than a burger!
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yes so true!
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My Favourite Shawarma. We get this in India too. Love it. Thanks for sharing Lynn
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Really? I didnt know that!
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Yes. We get chicken Shawarma in India.
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Cool
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If I click on your site, nothing is there? can you send me a link to your latest recipe please dear?
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Sure
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Visit http://www.dineinmykitchen.com
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Lynn please add http://www.dineinmykitchen.com manually to your follow list. Then you can see all my posts. Or just visit http://www.dineinmykitchen.com website
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Woooooow simple but too delicious and love the tip of simmer the chicken bit long
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glad you like it dear! thanks for stopping by
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💖 I just love darling Lynz big hugs to u ❤
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oh thanks darling, you are the best!! love and hugs!
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❤ 😙 ❤
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🙂
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I love recipes that include a story with them. This looks yummy, though I have stopped eating meat myself it is still a good one to keep for company! 🙂
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thanks Kat!! glad you liked the story. I hope I can find more pictures of this amazing place! so colorful
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Definitely a sandwich I would like to try. Thank you, Lynz!
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Hi Syl, thanks so much!
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You’re welcome, I appreciate you sharing!
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🙂
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Aah, the wonderful shawarma 🙂 the only time I miss eating meat is when I smell the shawarma chicken being cooked at the takeaways in Abu Dhabi. I make a vegetable version with slightly different spices to your, whilst making chicken for my boys. Love it!
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oh yumm! sounds good with veggies! I will look for it! they are so cheap in Saudi, are they inexpensive there as well?
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I think so, it’s a long time since I bought one!
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🙂
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Omg I love Shawarmas! ! Glad u put this recipe up☺☺
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Hi Lina, thanks dear!
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wow, with all the shawarma shops around I wouldn’t have even thought of making this at home!
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Well we didn’t but being back here we started making fatayer, falafal, bread, shawarma etc.
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Your recipe looks great Lynz 🙂
When you buy shawarma in Denmark, it is made by calf meat. I have never seen it with chicken and I have visited many arabic sandwich bars.
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Oh wow interesting. They use mostly chicken in Saudi and Syria, I have never seen beef! they use lamb in both Saudi and Syria but mostly chicken! Very interesting!
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Oh, these look good and easy! I may have to pick some bread up and try them for an easy supper at some point this week.
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yes they are easy, like our burger, often they are made in a complicated fashion but really just simple as you like type sandwich!
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I will take the simple version – and hope that at some point I have time for the complicated!
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ha ha well it’s just a sandwich but I think looking from the outside people add lots of things that sound exotic ha ha but are not necessary maybe! maybe like someone making meatloaf thinking it is an exotic exciting meal? lol
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This is one of my favourite dishes. A local shop in my locality serves succulent shawarmas… 🙂
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yes yumm, in Saudi and Syria shops are every where!
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This is a common snacks here and mostly in festival season… However, thanks for sharing this recipe in a simple form with us 🙂
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sure! In Saudi it is every where!!
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Oh, yes!! 🙂
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🙂
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Sounds delicious, Lynn!
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Hi Anna! thanks!
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Hi Lynn! 🙂
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how are you? I hope good!!! We went to richland for the day which was hot and tiring but fun!
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I’m doing well, thanks! Enjoyed some nice weather today with my family! 🙂 Hope you and your family are all doing well!! Sounds fun!! Did you watch your son run? 🙂
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Oh yes! it was wonderful!
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I’m so glad you had a wonderful time!! 😀
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Thanks
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True, you can find it in many middle eastern countries, and even here in Lebanon.
My friends visited Turkey and said that they make there very delicious shawarma.
Tourists always fall in love with Shawarma whenever visiting a middle eastern country
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yes so true!!
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I love shawarmas! It’s the one food I miss the most ever since I moved away from Pakistan.. And it’s the one food I can never manage to get right on my own :p
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well this is just basic hope you like it!
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I’m sure I will 🙂 thank you!
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most welcome!
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Love trying new recipes and this one sounds great… now I must try a shawarma! Thanks. 🙂
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Thanks Bette!
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I love them but the spicy ones with chatni rocks.
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🙂
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It looks so tasty and quite simple to make, too. It seems odd that the fries go into the sandwhich and not just served with it. I imagine it could be a little of both. Great photo, too.
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Yes sure!
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My husband spent a little time in the Middle East and ate lots of Shawarmas. He loved them! I will have to make these for him sometime soon!
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🙂
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This happens to be my husband’s favorite 🙂 Looks lovely!
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Thanks
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I just want to reach out and grab one. I’m famished, need lunch…
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ha ha I am sure after making that patio you must be!
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Love love them. A favorite at home . 🙂
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yumm 🙂
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Totally. . 🙂
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🙂
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I’ve have never tried shawarmas before. I wonder how it tastes. The filling sounds delicious and I’m sure it’s great with Naan bread as well. 🙂
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yes it would be!
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🙂
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Salivating..!
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Haha
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Thanks for sharing the recipe Lynn !
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Sure!
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Like hamburgers to Americans, how fun! Looks delicious!
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Thanks Sadie, super easy just chicken basically with sauce.
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Perfect;)
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🙂 your give away is awesome!! love your taste!
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Thanks Lynn 🙂
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🙂
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I love shawarma! Here I was thinking that they couldn’t be made at home and could only be bought at a restaurant… Thanks for proving me wrong! This looks delicious
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Hi Stephanie, thanks for commenting!
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I love Shawarmas Lynz..Thanks for sharing..
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Me too! 🙂
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I love this eat this all the time in NYC
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Cool! thanks for liking so many things:)
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Your welcome 🤗
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xxx
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