Oyster Mushroom Shwarma

For some reason I woke up the other day thinking that a mushroom shwarma might be something worth investigating. Not sure where the thought came from, and I wasn’t quite sure how the marinated vegetables would pair with the spice roasted mushrooms but after taking that first bite any apprehension just melted away. The mushrooms act as the perfect meat substitute in this vegan sandwich, and the burst of acid brought by the salad topping adds such a deliciously crunchy, uplifting freshness to the earthy mushrooms it had me wondering why I ever questioned it at all! Like many of the recipes I like to share on my website, this dish comes together very quickly and can be scaled up easily to feed a crowd. One of my favorite ways to serve shwarma is to arrange all of the sandwich elements on a large serving platter or wooden board and let my guests make their own- it adds such a fun element to the party and takes a bit of the heat off the host. Click here to grab your mushrooms for this dish and get started!

Makes about 2 -3 servings

Ingredients

for the mushroom seasoning

3/4 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 pound of Blue Oyster mushrooms (regular or king) shredded into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces

salt

olive oil

1/2 of a red onion, thinly sliced

juice from half of a lemon

2-3 pitas or greek style flatbread

for the tahini sauce

1 garlic clove

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons of cold water, more if needed

for the salad

1 Roma tomato, diced

1/2 an English or regular cucumber, thinly sliced

1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced

about a 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

salt and peper to taste

To prepare dish:

Prepare the tahini sauce as follows and set aside:

Finely mince the garlic, and place into the bowl of a food processor or large jar for use with an immersion blender. Season garlic with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, then add the tahini paste and lemon juice to the bowl. Blend- the sauce will be very thick as it emulsifies. Add the cold water a little bit at a time and blend again until you reach the desired consistency. I like mine to be thick but spreadable, not too runny. Transfer to a bowl and set aside until you are ready to assemble the shwarma.

Prepare the salad and set aside:

In a large bowl, gently combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and parsley. Season with salt and toss. Set aside for about 5 minutes. (You can tear apart the oyster mushrooms while you wait) Add the olive oil and lemon juice and gently toss the salad to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Set aside.

Prepare the mushrooms:

In a small bowl mix the spices for the mushroom shwarma seasoning. Place the shredded mushrooms into a bowl, season with salt, and then drizzle with about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and a squeeze of juice from the halved lemon.

In a large skillet or cast iron pan, heat 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and the sliced red onion. Don’t touch the mushroom/onion mix for about 2 minutes as they sizzle in the pan. Once they start browning, toss them so that they cook evenly and add about half of the reserved spice blend. Toss the mushrooms again, taste, and add more of the spice blend if you desire (I used it all!). If needed add another little drizzle of olive oil and continue to sizzle in the pan until the mushrooms and onions are cooked down well and slightly charred- about 5 to 7 minutes.

To serve:

Slightly warm the pita or flatbread. Smear the bread with a healthy slathering of the tahini sauce, top with the mushrooms and the marinated vegetables. Add another drizzle of the tahini sauce if you would like, then dig in and enjoy!