Shawarma and tawook spices: how to make them at home, Lebanese style

Shawarma is cooked on a vertical spit in restaurants, but most of its flavour comes from the marinade, and that is easy to make at home. The key is matching the right spice blend to the right meat: chicken and beef or lamb shawarma are seasoned differently, and so are red and white tawook.

Chicken shawarma vs meat shawarma spices

Red tawook vs white tawook

Shish tawook is cubed chicken breast, marinated and grilled on skewers. In Lebanon you’ll find two styles:

• Red tawook: coloured and flavoured with tomato paste and paprika, usually a little smoky.
• White tawook: garlic, lemon and yogurt lead, with no tomato.

Chicken shawarma at home (serves 4)

General home recipe; test once in your kitchen before publishing.

1. Slice 1kg of boneless chicken thighs thinly. Thighs stay juicier than breast.
2. Mix 3 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 4 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons yogurt (optional), salt and 1½–2 tablespoons chicken shawarma spices.
3. Coat the chicken and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
4. Spread on a large oven tray in a single layer. Roast at 220°C for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until the edges are crisp and browned.
5. Wrap in thin Lebanese bread with toum, pickles and a few fries.

For meat shawarma, use thinly sliced beef or lamb with vinegar, grated onion, oil and meat shawarma spices. Cook it in a very hot pan in small batches so it browns rather than stews. Serve with tahini sauce, tomatoes, parsley and sumac onions.

Tips for better home shawarma

• Thin slices, high heat: the crispy browned edges are what make shawarma taste like shawarma.
• Don’t crowd the pan: cook in batches.
• Rest, then slice again: for a restaurant look, chop the cooked meat finely just before wrapping.
• Salt separately: check the label to see whether your spice blend already contains salt before adding more.

Kafta and grilling

For minced-meat skewers, use Kafta Spices with parsley and onion. For mixed grills, Daaboul Sons also makes Grill Spices.

For shawarma and tawook spices for your home or restaurant in Lebanon, contact us on WhatsApp at +961 78 827 365.