What is Beef Shawarma?

If you’ve never had beef shawarma, you’re in for a treat.! A famous Middle Eastern street food, shawarma is made with chicken or beef that is heavily marinated in oil, lemon juice, and warm spices. Then, it is placed on a vertical rotisserie or spit and slow-roasted for days until it is unbelievably tender. 

Most commonly, it is shaved off and served stuffed into bread with fresh toppings and a drizzle of tahini or tzatziki. However, you can also find it presented as part of a platter along with sides like tabbouleh and hummus. No matter how it’s plated, it’s always incredible and is guaranteed to leave you coming back for more. 

Don’t worry, though. You don’t need a fancy spit to make your own beef shawarma at home. I’ll show you how to create the same bold flavor and tender texture by searing on the stovetop instead! 

What Is Shish Tawook?

In the Turkish language, “shish” means skewer, and “tawook,” also sometimes spelled tauk, means chicken. Put together, the two translate to mean chicken skewer or chicken kebab. 

Believed to have first been served during the Ottoman Empire, shish tawook quickly became popular throughout the entire Middle East, spreading into Egypt and Levant during the Ottoman’s rule. 

It features pieces of chicken that are soaked in a yogurt marinade infused with garlic, lemon juice, and lots of warm spices. It is then grilled or baked until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. 

Thanks to the marinade, chicken shish tawook always turns out juicy and is virtually fail proof. It’s one of my all-time favorite recipes and is always what I order when we dine at Middle Eastern restaurants. Luckily, it’s simple to make at home, too! 

What’s the difference between chicken shish tawook and chicken shawarma? 

Both dishes are made with boneless skinless chicken and Middle Eastern spices, but they are not the same. There are key differences in how the two recipes are created and prepared. 

• Shish tawook is created with a creamy, yogurt-based marinade that features garlic, warm seasonings, and tomato paste. As a result, it has a rich, bold flavor and a distinct hue. 
• Alternatively, shawarma does not use yogurt or tomato paste. Instead, an olive oil-based marinade creates a stronger citrus flavor with warmer seasonings and a slightly spicier flavor. 
• Traditionally, shish tawook is grilled on skewers, and shawarma roasts long and slow on a spit. Although, you can also make oven baked chicken shawarma at home.

What does Golden Milk taste like?

Golden milk has a distinctive taste. It is warmly earthy, supremely spiced, slightly sweet, complexly flavorful, has a light bite to it, and with the addition of coconut oil or if using dairy milk it becomes a rich drink.

Some drinks with similar flavor include chai tea or spicy eggnog.

You have the option to sweeten it, then serve it warm and cozy or chilled and iced. I say this really just depends on the season. I think you'll love it warm during fall and winter months and chilled during spring and summer months.

It's touted to have lots of health benefits (see below) and some say it can even help improve sleep quality.

All the more reason to enjoy this delicious drink! It has tempting flavor and nutritious benefits.

What is Garam Masala

Garam masala is an aromatic blend of ground spices used in Indian, Pakistani, Afghan, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, and Sri Lankan cuisines. The most common type originated from Northern India.

It is used to season and bring complex flavor to curries, meat and fish dishes, lentil and vegetarian dishes, soups and more.

While you can usually find garam masala in a pre-mixed spice blend by the other spices in the baking isle at your local grocery store I highly recommend making it yourself at home. Why? It has a lot more flavor, you can control the amount of each spice that goes into it (store-bought blends vary widely in spices used and amounts), and you can also control heat.

Some store-bought blends in my opinion have way too much of one spice and lack another. Some are so peppery they don't leave a whole lot of room to taste much else.

Homemade spice blends, such as this, may take a little bit of extra effort but I promise you they are worth it!

When you are short on time, or if you are having a hard time finding whole spices I've also included measurements for a fast and easy recipe using using pre-ground spices.

If possible though I highly recommend trying the whole and freshly ground, they create that practically irreplaceable flavor.

What does Garam Masala taste like?

Garam masala tastes warm and earthy, lightly sweet, peppery and somewhat spicy, with hints of floral notes.

The taste can vary from blend to blend depending on various spices and ratios of each added. For or instance, here I like to add fennel seeds which adds faint hints of black licorice and bay leaves that add an ever so light herbal taste. They aren't always typical but I like that extra something.

Recommended Spice Storage

• Garam masala should be stored in a well sealed airtight container, in a cool dry place away from sunlight.
• For optimal flavor it should be used within 6 months.
• You can up-cycle and use an old empty spice jars, or if you don't have any you can buy the same spice jar set I have HERE (as pictured above). It includes tons of pre-printed labels (and plenty of blank labels too).
• I recently organized my spice drawer and bought this expandable spice drawer rack too HERE, if you're interested (just be sure to measure to ensure it will fit). It's been a game changer in quickly finding the spices I need for cooking.

Chickpea Coconut Curry

This Chickpea curry is such a hearty and flavorful Indian dish that really packs in that crave-able flavor! It's made without any meat and you won't even miss it in the slightest!

The best part, in my opinion, really is the sauce with it's vibrant taste and perfect smoothness (no chunks thanks to a quick blend).

Though it may seem like an incredibly long list of ingredients here, don't be alarmed because the majority of it is spices you likely already have on hand (plus I've even included a few as optional).

Some of you may be thinking, but wait, there's no curry? Here we make our own curry spice blend which gives us far more overall control in flavor and heat level.

And this recipe uses plenty of them for an exciting, rich depth of well rounded flavor.

Serving suggestions are of course the classic basmati rice or cauliflower rice, but if you really want to go all out serve with warm buttery naan bread. Roasted vegetables are a great side to it as well just ditch the Italian seasoning and use spices like those here instead.

These are perfectly hearty and tender and you'll love that this version is oven baked so there's no tending to each meatball individually and cooking in two batches to fit in a skillet. 

What are Swedish Meatballs?

Swedish Meatballs are a classic Swedish dish typically made up of a blend of ground meats, vibrant spices, and they're paired with a rich and creamy beefy gravy.

Traditionally you'll find them served up with mashed potatoes and paired with a side of bright, sweet lingonberry jam (which tastes a lot like cranberry sauce).

It's a comforting homestyle dinner that's sure to satisfy! And did I mention these are way better than Ikea's?

Swedish Meatballs Video

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I love them paired with both when I've got time to make mashed potatoes but for an easier weeknight dinner they're also delicious served over a bed of egg noodles, the prep is so much easier!

What is Tandoori Chicken?

Tandoori Chicken is an Indian dish that's traditionally marinated in yogurt and spices then roasted in a hot tandoor oven (a cylindrical shaped clay oven). It usually has a vibrant color because most often you'll find it colored with turmeric, chili powders or even food coloring.

Since most of us don't own a clay oven, with this recipe I cook it on the grill to mimic that same flavor. An electric or gas oven can be used as well (see notes below for oven method).

Then for the color I stick with the spices for a natural vibrant color. No food coloring on this chicken.

Chicken Tikka Masala the Quick and Easy Version

Who knew you could get a perfectly delicious Tikka Masala ready in 30 minutes? Yes, start to finish in 30 minutes!

This is a classic Indian dish that is super popular here in the U.S. and one of my favorite Indian recipes.

It's a healthy chicken recipe is totally worthy of being added to your dinner rotation. It is brimming with delicious spices and rich flavors and it's a dinner the whole family will love!

In fact this has already become a regular dinner at my house. We love it served with basmati rice and naan too! 

The recipe is very versatile. Basically it's just a place to get you started. You can swap out the milk for a different kind, and an alternate sweetener would work fine (agave, brown sugar, maple syrup). You could add nuts for crunch and another added protein. Bananas or any kind of berry would be a great compliment to this, or a nut butter would make it nice and creamy. I'd say always (or almost always) keep the cinnamon though because the cinnamon makes it feel like a breakfast cereal.