Chickpea shawarma pitas with garlic-tahini sauce
15 min · 19 g protein · 456 cals / serving
Chickpeas blistered in a hot pan until crisp at the edges and tossed in a warm shawarma spice mix of cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric and cinnamon, stuffed into whole-wheat pita pockets with shredded cabbage, cucumber, tomato, red onion and pink pickled turnips, and drizzled with a lemony garlic-tahini sauce.
Ingredients
Shawarma chickpeas
- 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp paprika, smoked if you have it
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Garlic-tahini sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 2 tbsp water, cold
- a pinch salt
Filling
- 1 bag (12 oz) cabbage, coleslaw mix, or finely shredded cabbage
- 1 large cucumber, sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pickled turnips, sliced, or dill pickles
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, leaves
- 4 large whole wheat pita bread, 6 1/2-inch (16 cm) whole-wheat pitas, halved into pockets
Steps
- Pat the chickpeas dry with a clean kitchen towel. Mix the cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas in one layer and cook for 6–7 minutes, shaking the pan every minute, until blistered and crisp in places. Sprinkle over the spice mix, toss for 30 seconds, take the pan off the heat and squeeze in the tablespoon of lemon juice.
- While the chickpeas cook, whisk the tahini, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, grated garlic and a pinch of salt; it will seize and thicken. Whisk in the cold water a little at a time until smooth and pourable.
- Slice the cucumber, tomatoes and red onion.
- Wrap the pitas in a damp kitchen towel and microwave for 15–20 seconds (or warm them in a dry pan), then halve them and open the pockets. Fill with coleslaw mix, cucumber, tomato, onion, pickles, parsley and the warm chickpeas, and spoon over the garlic-tahini sauce. Pile whatever salad does not fit on the plate beside them and eat right away.
Good to know
Can I make it a bowl, or gluten-free?
Yes: pile the chickpeas, salad and sauce over extra shredded cabbage and lettuce instead of the pita. It is lighter that way and gluten-free; gluten-free wraps work too.
Can I get ahead?
The spiced chickpeas and the tahini sauce both keep 4 days in the fridge in separate containers. Crisp the chickpeas again in a hot pan for 2 minutes and slice the vegetables fresh.
Per
- Calories
- 103
- Protein
- (17%)
- 4 g
- Fat
- (22%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (61%)
- 17 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 209 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1825 kcal goes into the pot and 1820 g of ingredients comes out as about 1780 g of food: 103 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.