Shawarma recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ cup (85 g) chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ cup (120 ml) sparkling water
• 1½ cups (180 g) vital wheat gluten

• 3⅓ cups (400 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup (250 g) water

• ¼ cup (100 g) unsweetened soy yogurt
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 drizzle olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chives, chopped
• ½ teaspoon lime juice

For Seitan
1. In a large pan with canola oil, sauté the chopped onion and garlic cloves until soft. Add in the cumin and fennel seeds and cook further until the seeds are toasted.
2. In a food processor, add the chickpeas, onion-garlic-spice mixture, tomato paste, salt, thyme, smoked paprika, soy sauce, and sparkling water. Pulse until it’s saucy, then add the vital wheat gluten and pulse again until it comes together in a ball.
3. Add a steaming basket to a large pot and fill with a couple of inches of water. Bring the water to a boil.
4. Divide the seitan into 8 equal chunks. Add the seitan chunks into the steaming basket and let them steam for about 40 minutes, flipping them after 20 minutes.
5. Let the seitan cool off a bit before slicing it into thin strips.
6. Bring a large pan with olive oil to high heat, toss in the seitan strips, and pan-fry them for 3 to 4 minutes or until crispy around the edges.
For Fluffy Tortillas
7. In a mixing bowl add the dry ingredients first and give it a mix, then pour in the oil and add the water little by little. Stir to combine and knead with your hands until a smooth dough forms. Add more water if the mixture is too crumbly; add more flour if it’s too sticky.
8. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, then shape the pieces into balls and roll them out on a floured surface.
9. Put one tortilla in a very hot (!) nonstick pan (a flat pan like a crepe-pan works best) and let it cook for up to 1 minute until it starts getting bubbly on the surface. Then, flip the tortilla to cook the other side. Repeat for the other tortillas.
10. Keep the tortillas covered in a clean kitchen towel until serving to keep them soft and flexible.
For Yogurt Sauce
11. Whisk together all ingredients.
To Assemble
12. On each tortilla, add 2 lettuce leaves and the seitan shawarma. Top with cucumber slices, tomato slices, and the yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with more fresh chives. Fold the tortilla and enjoy!