Chicken Shawarma, Toum and Tabbouleh

Our winter food preferences sometimes tend to pack on a few extra kilos, especially during the holiday season. So instead of getting my braising pan out, or baking a chicken pot pie I opted for a something a little more exotic and a lot more flavourful. Once in a while a recipe comes onto my news feed that I just have to try. Such was the case with this Chicken Shawarma recipe from God knows where since I didn’t mark it down and now I can’t find it. Boo. But I can show you lovely pictures of our fresh dinner AND give you the recipse for Tabbouleh and this amazing Lebanese Garlic Dip or Toum.

Well then this is what went into the Tabbouleh at least.

2 bunches flat leaf parsley; washed, dried, and chopped

1 bunch mint; washed, dried, and chopped

2 de seeded and finely diced roma tomatoes

3 green onions finely chopped, white and light green parts only

3/4 cup cracked bulghur wheat; cooked and cooled

one finely diced cucumber

juice from a lemon

salt and pepper

glugs of olive oil

I will post the Toum recipe but only if I issue a warning first (just to cover my butt if someone’s loses friends/spouses due to the persevering, permeating odour of extreme garlic). If you are going anywhere or have to talk to anyone in a social situation for say, 3 days after ingesting this dip, DO NOT EAT IT. Only eat this dip under responsible circumstances. For example, I was sick with a cold all week. I tried mainlining orange juice and my usual echinacea spray, even oregano oil but I didn’t get better until I ingested six cloves of garlic. Oh yeah, it kills anything living in your mouth for sure.

Toum (recipe taken from my good friend, the Gourmet Wog)

• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and whole
• 1 egg white
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons iced water
• 1 cup of Sunflower or any other neutral oil (I used grape seed). Do not use Olive Oil because it will make the dip taste ‘off’.

 Put the garlic cloves and salt along with ¼ of the lemon juice in the blender, and blend on medium, scraping down the sides. Add the egg white. Add ½ cup of oil in a slow and steady pour.

Turn the blender onto its slowest speed and add the rest of the lemon juice slowly then once again add the second half of the oil slowly and steadily.

Finally, add the 2 tablespoons of ice cold water and it’s done.

If the dip has split, try adding another egg white and blitz on high for a couple of minutes.