BBQ Mushroom Shawarma with Pita.
These are utterly divine and such a fun vegetarian BBQ feast. The mushrooms really do become so meaty and juicy, and making your own pita bread is a game-changer, and much easier than you may think!
This recipe serves 4-6
Note on barbecuing: For all my BBQ recipes i use the Japanese style of grill called a Kamado (big ceramic egg-shape!). Kamado barbecues makes it easy to control the temperature and achieve an even cook, not dissimilar to an oven. If you’re using a different type and have difficulty controlling the temperature, you will need to adjust cooking times accordingly. For some recipes a similar effect can be achieved by doing the majority of the cooking in an oven /on a hob before finishing it on the BBQ for the charring & smoky flavour.
Ingredients.
500g portobello mushrooms, around 8 mushrooms
1 red onion
To Serve (optional): Hummus, chilli sauce, pickled chillis, salad of choice
Shawarma Spice Rub:
½ tbsp cumin
½ tsp hot chilli powder, or cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic power
½ tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Pita:
500g strong white bread flour, or a mix of white & wholemeal
360ml warm water, not too hot or you’ll kill the yeast
3 tsp fast action dried yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Equipment.
barbecue
2 large wooden skewers
mixer with dough hook attachments (optional - can also knead by hand)
Method.
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water now so they don’t burn when cooking
Start by making the pita dough: mix the yeast, water & sugar together in a bowl, then add the flour & salt. Either by hand or using the dough hook attachment in your mixer, knead the dough until its smooth and elastic - around 5-10 mins. Cover & set aside in a warm place to double in size (30-60mins)
Mix together shawarma spice rub
Prepare the shawarma: clean any dirt from your mushrooms using a cloth, then peel off the outer layer and place it in the bowl with your mushrooms (don’t discard!). Peel & half the onion, removing the stalk, and separate the layers. Place these in the bowl with the mushrooms and cover in the shawarma spice, mixing to completely coat everything. Set aside to marinade until you’re ready to cook (1 hours + is ideal)
Once your pita dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl and divide into 6 even pieces. Shape into balls and set aside on a tray again for a further 20-30mins
When the BBQ is ready to cook on, thread the mushroom, mushroom peel and onion pieces onto 2 large wooden skewers and place on the bbq. Optional: Place them in a disposable foil tray for the first 10-15mins to catch the juices and bast them with it
Cook the mushrooms skewers until they are nicely browned and cooked through. This is about 30mins on indirect heat at around 220c on a kamado-style barbecue
Whilst the mushrooms are cooking, one-by-one press the dough balls out with your fingers until they are the desired size & shape, and place on the bbq. You can do this in batches as they take just 2-3mins on each side
To serve: smother the pita in hummus. Carve the mushrooms shawarma off the skewer and load up onto the pita. Top with salad, chillies etc and enjoy!
