Cauliflower Shawarma

This cauliflower shawarma recipe is the vegetarian version of chicken shawarma.   Creamy and spicy it is delicious enough to eat by itself.  I serve it on a healthy flatbread and wrap it up to eat just as you would a traditional shawarma.

One of my many frustrations of being a vegetarian, is when I cook a meat or fish dish for the Chief Taster is that I am unable to taste it.  I am totally reliant upon his description of the taste of the recipe and despite handcuffing him to a chair, shining a bright, warm light in his eyes, firing up the lie detector equipment and demanding a thorough description it is still not the same as tasting it yourself. 

Chicken shawarma was a dish that everyone (but me) devoured with relish when we lived in Dubai.  As I had recently created my version of the recipe for the Chief Taster, I thought that it was time to make a vegetarian version.   Debating on which vegetable to use, it just seemed natural for cauliflower to step up to the challenge.  It holds well with a marinade and roasts like a dream.

 Cauliflower Shawarma

Unlike the chicken recipe I make for the Chief Taster, I decided to roast the cauliflower.  Roasting the cauliflower gives it a great flavour alone so I assumed that it would go well with the marinade.  You could stir fry this gently too but I would recommend that you bake it in the oven.

The aroma of the spices baking was delicious and whetted my appetite.  I found this cauliflower shawarma recipe to be utterly delicious.  Zesty, garlicky and warm spices complimented the roasted cauliflower and it reminded me of a cauliflower Korma without the heat.  I served the cauliflower shawarma on a low carb flat bread with a salad.  Scrumptious and very filling.  I can now see why the Chief Taster would head off for a chicken shawarma after a night out now!  If only there was a vegetarian cart serving this cauliflower shawarma.