Herby-Harissa Shawarma with Shallot Raita
This recipe blends harissa paste with mixed fresh herbs and spices to make a vibrant green harissa marinade for the chicken. The meat comes out of the oven tender and flavourful, ready to be served with flatbread and a homemade shallot raita.
Introduction
Green harissa is very much the ‘it’ ingredient of the moment: taking the scarlet-red staple our pantries have become accustomed to, and enlivening it with green chillies, verdant herbs and spiky jalapeños. My shawarma recipe takes inspiration from this viridescent trend – also riffing on the classic north Indian hariyali chicken, which literally translates as ‘green chicken’. The smoked spiciness of harissa blended with the brightness of leafy mixed herbs infuses the meat with flavours that are pleasingly punchy, yet delicate. Dollop liberally with sharp, cooling shallot raita for the full en vogue effect.
Ingredients
| 60g (2¼oz) | fresh mixed green herbs (e.g. mint, coriander/cilantro and dill), thick stalks removed |
| 4 tbsp | harissa or rose harissa paste, plus extra to garnish |
| 7 fat | garlic cloves |
| 2 tsp | grated fresh ginger root |
| 2 tsp | ground cumin |
| 1 tsp | ground cinnamon |
| zest of 1 and juice of 2 | lemons |
| 2 tbsp | runny honey |
| 200g (7oz) | Greek yoghurt |
| 1kg (2lb 4oz) | chicken thighs, skinless and boneless (about 8–10) |
| 2 large | shallots, very finely diced |
| ½ | cucumber |
| olive oil, for drizzling | |
| fine sea salt | |
| To serve: | |
|---|---|
| flatbreads or naans | |
| pickled turnips, chilli peppers or pickled onion |
Essential kit
You will need: a small blender and two metal or soaked wooden skewers.
Method
First, make the marinade. Add to a small blender the mixed herbs, harissa paste, 6 garlic cloves, the ginger, ground spices, the lemon zest and 6 tablespoons of juice, honey, 50g (1¾oz) of the yoghurt and 2 teaspoons of salt. Whizz together to a thick green paste.
Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl, then pour over the green paste and mix well, smothering the chicken all over. Cover and leave in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.
Meanwhile, for the raita, add the finely chopped shallots to a bowl, stir in another tablespoon of lemon juice with a pinch of salt and leave for 10 minutes.
Slice the cucumber in half lengthways, then use a spoon to remove the watery seeds from the middle (keep these for smoothies). Grate the deseeded cucumber into a bowl, stir through a pinch of salt and leave for 10 minutes. Squeeze the water out of the grated cucumber, then mix together with the lemony shallots. Finally stir through the remaining 150g (5½oz) of yoghurt and grate in the remaining garlic clove, seasoning with a pinch of salt if needed.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/ Gas mark 6. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and let it come up to room temperature. Skewer the thighs onto two metal or soaked wooden skewers – stacking them one on top of the other to form a large kebab – held in place by the skewers on both sides.
Place the shawarma kebab on a wire rack over a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 1 hour until the chicken is cooked through. Finish cooking under a very hot grill for 2–3 minutes to burnish the top.
Toast the flatbreads and pile in the chicken, sliced, with the shallot raita, an extra drizzle of harissa and some pickles if you like.
Reviews
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
Thank you for your rating. Our team will get back to any queries as soon as possible.
Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use.
