Soya Chaap Shawarma Recipe: A Vegetarian Version
Image Credit: Supper in the Suburbs

A shawarma wrap is one of the most popular portable foods that has been bestowed upon the world by the Middle East. Typically consisting of a pita bread stuffed with roasted meats, pickled vegetables and a herbed garlic yoghurt sauce called toum, Although shawarma purists might shake their head in vain as the spit-roasted meat is replaced by soya chaap – an Indian street-food favourite, the vegetarians shouldn’t be left far behind. This recipe is perfect for various reasons starting with the fact that it doesn’t require too much preparation or cooking time. Secondly, it fuses the same flavours that you would find in the meat marinade for the chaap and if this may seem like much too much to work with, simply skip the dry spices and buy yourself a packet of shawarma masala, which is easy to avail online these days. You could add or substitute ingredients as per your personal tastes and also make a completely vegan version of this recipe by using unsweetened cashew yoghurt or peanut curd.

Ingredients

  • 10 pieces soya chaap
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 3 teaspoons coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • 2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 pita bread
  • ¼ cup herb yoghurt dip
  • ¼ cup pickled beetroot
  • Handful of fried potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons pickled onions

Image Credits: Tesco Real Food

Method

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  • Marinate the soya chaap with chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, sumac, salt and ginger-garlic paste. Allow it to rest in the fridge overnight and absorb the flavours. Remove and drizzle a couple of teaspoons of oil and let it come to room temperature.
  • Skewer the marinated chaap and grill in an oven or on a pan on a medium-high heat. Allow the surface of the chap to caramelise on all sides; this should take about 3-4 minutes.
  • Once they have cooked through and develop a smoked outer layer, slice each chaap into twos or fours. Warm up a pita bread on a dry pan and slather with the herbed yoghurt.
  • Add the sliced chaap, pickled beetroot and onions, fried potatoes and roll up like a burrito. Eat warm with an extra serving of herbed yoghurt on the side for dipping.