Saveur, Lamb Shawarma In New York

When I recently got a call from the famous Saveur Magazine, asking if I would be interested in a trip to New York to help their test kitchens prepare for their upcoming special India issue, I took exactly five seconds before saying YES!!

A long-time fan of Saveur, who has cooked her way through many, many of their recipes, I couldn't believe I was actually going to meet the people whose names have long been familiar to me! It was a wonderful experience for many reasons, but the best part of it was getting to know so many warm, friendly people who are a joy to work with.

 Saveur test kitchens are a home cook's dream. Equipped with top of the line appliances, cookware, and an extremely well stocked spice cabinet, they made cooking a breeze! We created and tested recipes for dishes like Hot Mix snack, Spicy Rasam,  Daikon Curry, Methi Malai Paneer, Mussels, pickles, chutneys, naan, parathas  and puris .

In spite of being busy in the Saveur kitchens, I made sure I left enough time for some of the things I love to do in New York: sampling the goodies at Eataly, buying exotic spices at Kalustyan's, and treating myself to macarons at Ladurée.

While walking the streets of Manhattan it is always a treat to grab a quick bite from one of New York's many street food vendors! Our favourite is lamb shawarma from The Halal Guys, a wildly popular food cart on 53rd street at 6th Avenue. There is invariably a long line of people winding around the block,  but the food is worth the wait. We had the lamb and rice plate with lashings of their famous white sauce and hot sauce.

Home made shawarma is easy to make and the taste is quite close to the spit roasted version sold from street carts and restaurants. I like to serve lamb shawarma in a wrap with lots of toppings, most of which are easily available at our local supermarket. You can also serve it over yellow basmati rice with the toppings scattered over top.

Lamb Shawarma Wraps

1 lb boneless leg of lamb

For marinade:

4 cloves garlic

1 inch piece ginger

2 tbsp each: lemon juice, oil, plain yogurt

1/2 tsp each, ground: cumin, cinnamon, mace, black pepper, paprika, cayenne, cardamom

Salt to taste

For wraps:

2 tbsp oil

4 thin pita breads

1/4 cup each: hummus, tabbouleh and tzaziki

Hot sauce, pickled turnips to taste

Place lamb in large mixing bowl. Make a few deep gashes on its surface for marinade to seep in.

Combine marinade ingredients together in mini blender until smooth. Pour over lamb, turning to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400F. Place lamb in large baking dish, spoon marinade over it, cover with foil and bake for 20 min. Uncover and bake for another 15 min or until lamb is done to your liking. Do not overcook the lamb. Remove from oven.

Let lamb rest for 15 min, scrape off and discard any excess marinade clinging to it, then slice it thinly into strips.

Warm oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add lamb and sauté for 2 min until lightly browned. Remove to a platter.

Place warm pitas, lamb and remaining wrap ingredients on table for people to assemble their own wraps.

Makes four wraps