mushroom shawarma

This healthy and vegan shawarma recipe is made with an unexpected ingredient: mushrooms!

Mushrooms are an ideal substitute for meat due to their chewy and meaty texture. They are neutral in taste and are known to absorb flavors really well. And have you heard of the magnificent health benefits of mushrooms? They are truly amazing. Mushrooms are even known to be adaptogenics, foods that can help us combat stress and anxiety. More reason to incorporate plenty of mushrooms into our diets.

For this recipe, use a variety of mushrooms such as shii take, oyster mushroom or beech fungus. Regular mushrooms tend to become more watery and are less chewy in texture, making them less suitable for this recipe.

This recipe tastes almost like the real deal! We’re using a delicous middle eastern spice blend called “ras el hanout” for the mushroom shawarma. You can find it in most middle eastern stores. 

The mushroom shawarma can be used exactly as the meat variety. Use it as a filling in a soft pita bread or flatbread or use regular tortilla wraps, like I did. 

I’m adding some shredded cabbage , cucumber and tomato for some extra veggies. 

Shawarma is also typically served with garlic sauce. I made a healthier and lighter version, by using creamy greek yoghurt to make the sauce. You can make the sauce vegan, by swapping the yogurt for a plant based version. The shawarma is also delicious with some spicy harissa, or ayvar on the side. 

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

For the mushroom shawarma:

• 400 gram mixed mushrooms ( for example : shii take, oyster mushroom or beech fungus)
• 1,5 tbsp ras el hanout spice mix
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin 
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt ( or use less, if using regular salt, taste and adjust )
• Olive oil for baking 

For the garlic sauce:

• 300 grams full fat quark or Greek yogurt or use plant based yogurt to make it vegan
• 1 garlic clove, grated finely
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
• Ground pepper, to taste 
• 1 tsp chopped parsley ( optional) 

To serve:

• 250 grams finely shredded pointed or white cabbage 
• 1 large tomato , in wedges
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced in thin rings
• 4 tortilla wraps or pita / flat breads ( I used vegetable wraps, hence the yellow color )
• Ayvar sauce ( turkish roasted red pepper sauce) or harissa sauce

Method:

1. Begin by preparing the veggies and the garlic sauce. 
2. For the garlic sauce : mix the quark /(plant based) yogurt with the grated garlic, parsley , honey, salt and pepper. Stir and set aside. 
3. For the veggies: add the shredded cabbage, tomato, cucumber and onion to a bowl and set aside. 
4. Tear the mushrooms into shawarma like strips so that it resembles the real deal.
5. In a hot pan add the oil and add the mushrooms. Let them bake on high heat until they shrink a little bit and are slightly charred. 
6. Add all of the spices and stir fry until the mushrooms are coated in the spices. Don’t let the mushrooms bake for too long. Just one or two minutes of stir frying will do. 
7. Warm the wraps and fill with the veggies, the mushroom shawarma, the garlic sauce and ayvar sauce. Roll it all up and enjoy!