Lamb Shawarma
If you've got boneless leg of lamb, plain yogurt and ground coriander, you're most of the way to this lamb: about 70 minutes of cooking across 6 steps. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and whisk. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (5)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Trim the leg of lamb of excess fat and slice it across the grain into thin strips about 5 mm thick, then place them in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper and a generous pinch of salt to form a thick marinade.
- Add the lamb strips to the marinade and turn to coat every piece, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and ideally overnight so the spices penetrate the meat.
- Heat a heavy skillet or griddle over high heat until very hot, then cook the lamb in batches in a single layer so it sears rather than steams, turning once, for about 3 to 4 minutes per batch until browned and cooked through to an internal temperature of 71 C / 160 F.
- Transfer the cooked lamb to a board and let it rest for 5 minutes, then chop it coarsely so the edges stay crisp and the juices redistribute.
- Warm the flatbreads briefly in the residual skillet heat, then pile in the lamb and serve with garlic sauce, pickles and chopped tomato as desired.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet Β· Whisk Β· Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Lemon
- lime Β· 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
Tips & common questions
How long does Lamb Shawarma take to make?
About 70 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 6 steps and 15 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of lemon?
Try lime. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Lamb Shawarma is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Shawarma closeup.png by cyclone bill, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.