Quick and Easy Cheese Shawarma Recipe
Overview
Nigerian shawarma is its own thing. The name and the flatbread wrap come from the Levant, brought to Nigeria largely through Lebanese communities in Lagos and Kano, but what happens inside the wrap is Nigerian and would not be recognised in Beirut. The differences are consistent enough to constitute a style. Nigerian shawarma carries a cold, crunchy cabbage and carrot slaw dressed in mayonnaise, ketchup and chilli sauce rather than the tahini, pickles and garlic sauce of the original. It very often includes a sausage alongside the main protein, which is a purely Nigerian addition. And it is pressed on a hot griddle at the end so the wrap seals and crisps, which is closer to a toasted sandwich than to the Levantine service. This version includes mozzarella, which is a further step in the same direction. Shawarma stands are a fixture of Nigerian nightlife and are found outside bars, at filling stations and along busy roads in every large city, usually operating from a cart with a vertical rotisserie and a griddle. It is late night food above all, and the mayonnaise and ketchup dressing that a purist would object to is exactly what Nigerians mean when they order one.
Ingredients
Directions
- 1
In a clean bowl, combine the ketchup, mayonnaise, chilli sauce and lemon juice, and mix.
- 2
In a separate bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot, green peas, onion and cucumber. Add most of the dressing, keeping some back for the bread, and mix.
- 3
Add the fried protein to the dressed vegetables and mix lightly.
- 4
Lay out the shawarma bread and position it so you can roll it.
- 5
Spread the retained dressing over the bread.
- 6
Add the vegetable and protein mixture, the sausage and the mozzarella, and roll it into shape.
- 7
Place the roll in a hot pan over low heat so the bread seals and crisps.
- 8
Serve hot.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from B-NAZZIES KITCHEN EXPERIENCE- Do not overfill. A shawarma that will not close does not roll, and a roll that will not hold together defeats the purpose of a food eaten in the hand.
- Keep some dressing back for the bread itself. Spreading it on the wrap before the filling goes in is what stops the roll drying out at the edges.
- The griddle press at the end is not optional in the Nigerian style. It seals the seam, crisps the outside and melts the cheese, and it is what distinguishes this from a cold wrap.
- Keep the pan on low. High heat scorches the bread before the cheese inside has melted.
- Drain the fried protein properly before it goes in. Oil in the filling soaks the wrap from the inside.
Reviews
3 reviews
You Might Also Like
Browse all Nigerian recipes →
Edo Black Soup
Nigerian Fisherman Soup
Igbo Yam Porridge
Reminds me of a chicken Kathi roll from back home, especially mixing the chilli sauce directly into the mayo and ketchup dressing. The raw cabbage and grated carrot give a brilliant crunch against the warm mozzarella. Didn't think green peas would work inside flatbread like this but my kids loved it.
Franchement, finding the right sausage here in Maryland is always a struggle, so I used smoked turkey sausage from the international shop. The shredded cabbage, cucumber and that lemon-mayo-ketchup sauce made it so fresh. I heated the wrap in a pan until the mozzarella got nice and melty. Très bon.
herh green peas in shawarma? I was skeptical oo chale, because back home in Tema we don't add peas at all. But I made it yesterday with fried chicken and extra mozzarella. That tiny bit of lemon juice in the mayo ketchup mix cuts the richness nicely. It was good paa.