# Shawarma sauce?



## crouttone (Jun 14, 2009)

Hello Guys!
Ive been eating shawarmas lately and they use this white sauce that drives me crazy, but I dont know what it is! Is really rich and...garlicky I think but Im not sure....does anyone knows this sauce and the recipe?


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## token (Jul 11, 2009)

I'm not quite sure of the whole recipe, but I know its based with yogurt and garlic. hope that will help you out a little!


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

Tokens right. But you need to add Tahini and lemon juice. Dont know how much, but trail and error should produce the desired effect

BTW dont forget to add plenty of sumac before you wrap up


Got that straight from the horses mouth last year in Dubai at their equivalent of a greasy spoon. Had me doubts about eating there, but the guy working the gyros thingy was cute and he spoke small piece english. OH wasnt half as impressed as i was He he!

You tried making the whole thing at home yet?


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## deltadoc (Aug 15, 2004)

Schwarma (many different spellings) is the Arab word to the Greek equivalent Gyros.

Traditionally, schwarma is accompanied by Tahini sauce and Gyros is accompanied by Tsaziki (many spellings) sauce.

Tahini Sauce is traditionally tahini (toasted or untoasted sesame butter), mixed with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and water to get the consistency you want. Sometime a bit of paprika, or cayenne or cumin is added. Sometimes some chopped flat leaf parsley is also added.

Tzasiki Sauce is traditionally a yogurt based sauce with cucumber, garlic, lemon juice.

Ocassionally, you will find Middle Eastern versions of tahini sauce adding yogurt or yogurt cheese because it "stretches" the sauce and is cheaper than using all Tahini.

Yogurt cheese is simply Plain (not vanilla) yogurt hung in a cheesecloth overnight until is congeals into a thicker cheese like consistency.

I prefer toasted sesame tahini, with no yogurt, lemon juice, fresh garlic, a little olive oil, some cayenne and some water, all processed, adding a bit of water until I get a fairly thick sauce but not one that I could stand a spoon up in!

doc


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## crouttone (Jun 14, 2009)

I am still a bit confused but I will keep looking. 
Bughut, Ive tried to make similar things at home but the sauce never gets like the one they use in the restaurant.

Cheers guys!

Allan.

P.S. I think is this one!


FOR THE SAUCE:
1 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons yogurt
Is in Welcome to About.com


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## smurfe (Jun 24, 2009)

We have numerous Greek restaurants around here and I have ate at all of them. I have never seen a Schawarma with a cream sauce on it. Always has the Tahini sauce mentioned above. Now the Gyros (what I always have), that is different and it has the Tazsiki yogurt creamy based sauce. I would probably eat Schawarma more if it had a sauce like you mention though. I don't care a lot for it as many places it is just too dry. My wife and Daughter swear by it though.


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## lazizaaugusta (Nov 14, 2012)

I own a middle-eastern eatery, what you are referring to is garlic sauce or 'thum' in Arabic.  It is an emulsion of oil and garlic and it makes a thick fluffy paste.  We serve this sauce with all of our chicken dishes in the restaurant.  The recipe follows:

2 cups whole garlic cloves

4 cups soybean oil

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp citric acid (food grade) or the juice of half a lemon

10 ice cubes

In the bowl of a food processor add everything but the oil, and half the ice.  Turn it on and VERY SLOWLY add 2 cups of the oil while the food processor is spinning.  Turn off machine and scrape the sides down, add remaining ice and turn machine back on and VERY SLOWLY add the rest of the oil.  Once it's all gone you should have a fluffy paste that is delicious!


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

Here is a good link with the history (hard to make version) and the newer modern version.

Very authentic... hope you come back and give it a read.

Although with only 15 posts in 4 years or so... I bet your long gone.

Here it is anyway for those who actually use the search function.

http://thefoodblog.com.au/2010/04/fast-and-easy-toum-the-best-lebanese-garlic-sauce-recipe.html

pasting the text in case the site goes down and someone else bumps the thread in 4 years 
[h2]Fast and Easy Toum Recipe (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)[/h2][h3]Ingredients[/h3]
5 cloves of garlic
1 egg white
Juice of 1 lemon
A good pinch of salt
1 cup of iced water of which you will use around 2 tbsp
1 cup of neutral oil, canola or vegetable oil (Edit: Since this recipe was published, I've come to understand that seed and commercial vegetable oils are highly inflammatory and largely contribute to heart disease and diabetes. I suggest using oils low in Omega 6 and high in monounsaturated fats. As neutral oils go, a high oleic sunflower such as this one would be a good option.)
[h3]Method[/h3]
Put the garlic cloves along with salt and 1/4 of the lemon juice in the blender
Blend on medium and scrape the sides down when the garlic goes flying everywhere
Add the egg white and blend on medium
Add half the oil in bit by bit. A thin stream is not necessary, but don't go crazy. A reasonable, fine, steady pour is good
At this stage, the emulsification should have taken place. If it hasn't and the sauce looks like it has split, then something has gone wrong. You may need to remove half the amount, add another egg white, whizz away and re-pour what had already split. But if you take it slow without pouring the oil too quickly, it should be fine
Switch to a slow blend, and add the rest of the lemon juice in slowly too
Add the rest of the oil in the same fashion
Add 1 or 2 tbsp of water. You will see the consistency change into something wonderfully creamy and light. Water seems to do wonders for the texture, I'm not sure why
Taste it, praise the Lord, and write back and tell me how amazing I am


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

You get shawarma served across a broad geographic area. Sauces will vary across that.  What region does the place you like represent? Are you getting it in lavosh or pita for example.


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