Whether you’re foraging in the local wilderness or in the vegetable aisle of the grocery store, this deconstructed + earthy version of the Middle Eastern dish is sure to please. The Mixed Mushroom Shawarma ran on Laughing Seed Cafe’s menu for years and still pops up as a special — but if you just can’t wait to try it, fix a plate for yourself.
Mixed Mushroom Shawarma
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of sliced assorted mushrooms (like cremini, shiitake, or oysters — but it’s best to have a blend)
- 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tsp Za’atar
- 1 tsp curry powder
- A pinch of ground cumin and coriander
- ½ cup vegan yogurt
- 1 tsp Italian parsley
- 4 small pita bread
- Hummus
- Salad vegetables (like lettuce, tomato, and cucumber)
Note: Oven-roasted garlic cloves are a nice addition. You can buy already peeled cloves then roast about 12 in olive oil in an oven-proof dish.
Directions:
Toss the mushrooms and onions in a bowl with a teaspoon or so of vegetable oil + the spices until evenly coated. Heat a large skillet over high heat, and add another teaspoon of oil to the pan — then sear until the mushrooms are slightly crisp at the edges. If you’re using the roasted garlic, add the cloves in at the end of the cooking. Taste, and add salt or pepper if needed.
To assemble the shawarma, spread some hummus at the bottom of a small but fairly deep bowl, then add a thin mound of salad vegetables on top. Place a portion of the mushroom mixture on top of the salad and drizzle with plain vegan yogurt and Italian parsley. Grill or heat a pita, cut it into triangles, and stack the triangles along the rim of the bowl. Scoop up a bit of everything on your pita.
Hummus
As a bonus — Laughing Seed Cafe also has a recipe for the hummus that makes up the base of your shawarma. Since the shawarma only calls for a basic hummus, you can certainly get yours from the grocery store — but if you want to go all out, try the dish with this homemade spread.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Combine the chickpeas, salt, pepper, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse your ingredients until they’re smooth, drizzling in ¼ cup of warm water as you blend. Add the olive oil in a slow, thin stream while pulsing — until you reach the desired creaminess. The experts at Laughing Seed suggest using a thinner hummus for this particular dish.
