Kitchen Little Essentials
For this Shawarma Spiced Cauliflower Bowls recipe you will need:
Baking sheets (these are fantastic)
What is Shawarma?
With its origins in the Ottoman Empire, Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish that consists of meat cut into thin slices that are then stacked in a cone-like shape, and roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie or spit (the piece of equipment used to do this is often called a spinning top). The meat essentially cooks and marinates in its own drippings and is otherworldly-delicious when all is said and done.
Originally made out of lamb or mutton, you’ll now see shawarma made from many other things: chicken, turkey, beef, veal, and even vegetarian nods to the dish, as in today’s Shawarma Spiced Cauliflower Bowls with Herby Tahini Sauce.
Okay then. What is a Shawarma Spice blend?
We’re not using any meat in today’s recipe, so the term “Shawarma” is used pretty loosely, but I have found that when you use the same core spices and flavor components, and you serve it in a similar manner, you can really create a very satisfying “Shawarma” experience that checks almost all of the boxes.
In today’s recipe, we’ll combine a warm and inviting combination of cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika and we’ll sprinkle it all over our cauliflower before sending it into the oven to roast. Along with some rich and fruity olive oil, this shawarma spice blend will come to life in the oven, the heat causing the flavor notes of each spice to bloom to their fullest potential – it’s really very perfect, actually.
Or, just use salt and pepper and call it good
This recipe is a great way to really flex your spice drawer/cabinet but just because these are things that I always have on hand, doesn’t mean you do or that you want to purchase them for just one recipe. That’s okay – I get it.
While I would recommend that you keep each of the spices for this shawarma blend on hand in your pantry, you certainly could just forgo the “shawarma” aspect of this recipe altogether and just make some killer roasted cauliflower bowls instead. Just sprinkle your raw cauliflower with lots of crunchy salt and freshly ground black pepper before roasting, and you’re good to go. It will be wonderfully delicious either way.
What is the difference between Shawarma and Gyro?
Both the Shawarma and the Gyro are essentially sandwiches made of marinated, slow-roasted meat. Both dishes come from the Turkish Kebab Doner, and both are typically served on a flatbread or right on the plate with plenty of fixin’s to complement the fatty, unctuous flavors.
But here’s where the difference comes in: gyros are Greek in origin, and are most often made from pork or lamb and seasoned with a potent blend of Greek spices – oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram. The meat is usually ground down and formed into a loaf, sliced and stuffed inside some warm pita. Topped with tomatoes, onion and tzatziki (garlicky yogurt with cucumbers and dill), the gyro might be in my top five favorite things to eat, like ever.
What really sets the shawarma apart from the gyro is how it is garnished/served. Israeli shawarma, for example, is usually served with lots of hummus, tahini and, perhaps most important, pickled mangoes. Today we’re using a store-bought roasted red pepper hummus (you can get them pretty much everywhere now), a SUPER DELICIOUS tahini sauce, and rather that picked mangoes – we’ll get our sweetness from some plump golden raisins (they’re great here)
At shawarma spots, you’ll often see patrons piling a wide range of tangy, bright salads alongside their shawarmas to balance the plate, things like purple cabbage, pickled carrots, eggplant (either fried or mixed with mayo), pickles, raw onion and spicy cauliflower (this is what I’m pulling from in today’s recipe). French fries are also offered in most places, and I’ve given this fact a node as well, in my Falafel-Stuffed Flatbreads with Chili-Lime Garlic Fries.
PrintShawarma Spiced Cauliflower Bowls with Herby Tahini Sauce
A wonderful way to put your spice drawer to great use, these Shawarma spiced cauliflower bowls are healthy and hearty. And if you don’t have these spices on hand, you can just use salt and pepper and it will still be absolutely delicious. Makes about 4 servings.
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 heads of cauliflower, cut into florets
Olive oil for roasting
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cumin
1.5 tsp coriander
2 tsp salt
Lots of freshly cracked black pepper
14.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Store-bought roasted red pepper hummus
Golden raisins (the amount is up to you)
Cooked basmati rice
Thinly sliced red onion
Naan or pita. For serving (optional)
For the Herby Tahini Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt (Greek or not)
Big pinch of salt
½ garlic clove
1 cup cilantro
about 10 – 12 chives (or 3 scallions)
1/3 cup tahini
Juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- To create your shawarma spice blend, combine the cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, ginger, paprika, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Place your cauliflower florets onto a large baking sheet and drizzle with about 3 TBSP of olive oil, using more if needed, to fully coat. Add as much of the shawarma spice mix as you like (you don’t have to use it all if you don’t want) along with the salt and pepper and toss to coat well. Place the chickpeas on a second baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil; about 1 TBSP should do it. Season lightly with salt. Roast the chickpeas for 10 to 15 minutes, just until they’re beginning to shrivel and they turn lightly golden brown. Roast the spiced cauliflower for about 25 minutes, or until they’re browned and slightly charred.
- Meanwhile, make your sauce. Add the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl until needed.
- To make your bowls, swipe some hummus around the edges of a large bowl (I just like to do it this way because it looks cool; you don’t have to). Add some rice, cauliflower, chickpeas, some shaved onion, golden raisins and a drizzle of the sauce. Serve with warm naan or pita, if desired.
