The Toddler Shawarma That Will Be Your Family’s Next Great Dinner
Of course you can make a toddler shawarma! A mindful, delicate touch is all it takes–well that, and a lot of warming spices and some good pita bread. This recipe couldn’t be easier, in fact–indeed, so easy that we’ve provided three different ways to execute the dish, the better to meet the needs or preferences of your child.
But, first, a few things to note:
- Wait, turkey? Yep. Not unheard of: it’s increasingly becoming the shawarma meat of choice in Israel. And, in tenderloin form, it’s a forgiving and malleable cut with which to work.
- Can a small child handle the spicing? For sure. In fact, with all that cinnamon and nutmeg in the mix, your child is likely to prefer it.
- What about the shape and texture? While we’ve made it possible to produce something like the crisp, irregular shaped nubbins that define the sort of shawarma shaved odd a spit at a restaurant, your kid may not enjoy the same chewing experience. We got you covered, with a take that emphasizes moistness over crispiness, but be advised: it involves cooking the turkey just past medium rare. It’s fully cooked and beyond juicy—it just may not be something you’re used to with the bird. Trust us: it’s everything.
- 1 Turkey Tenderloin (Breast can work, too)
- Shawarma spice blend (see Note on how to make your own)
- Lemon
- Olive Oil
- Marinade: in a large bowl or container, add an enormous amount of your shawarma spice, followed by a big squeeze of lemon and enough olive oil (~⅓ cup) to make the spice blend the consistency of wet sand or sludge.
- Meat prep for younger toddlers, those lacking molars, and/or if you’re just looking for the moistest meat possible: cut small slits into the tenderloin; dredge tenderloin in the marinade, making sure it covers all the surface and gets into crevices.
- For crisper, more restaurant-style meat: cut thin slices horizontally, creating 4-6 long but thin pieces. Dredge the pieces in the marinade, using your hands as needed to make sure it coats all surfaces of the meat.
- Marinate: cover your container and store in your refrigerator for at least four hours, or upwards of 48 hours.
- Heat oven to 300 degrees.
- While the oven preheats, heat a large pan on High; when it gets smoke-rising hot, sear the tenderloin on each side for two minutes. Remove from heat.
- Heat tenderloin(s) on a rimmed baking pan for 20 minutes, flipping at 10 minutes. For a more well-done center, heat for an additional two minutes.
- Allow meat to rest for approximately ten minutes.
- Slice vertically to create “steak” slices of your preferred size. Cut into pieces
- Heat a large pan to Medium High–let it get really hot. Add oil.
- Place slices all around the pan; allow to cook, unabated, for two minutes. Flip, and cook the other side for two minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from heat.
- When cool enough to handle, stack the pieces on top of one another, then cut vertically across the pieces to create chunks.
When we eat this, we feast: strips of meat, quartered pita pockets, diced cucumber and tomatoes—all are out on display for our child to make his own sammich (with our help, of course). You can make sauces, too: a yogurt sauce can be made by mixing diced or juiced cucumber into yogurt, along with garlic powder and dill; a tahini sauce can be made by diluting tahini with some water and adding a bit of salt. (Note: to serve to a late infant or early toddler, cook
to make a chicken version, use the same marinade but dredge boneless, skinless thighs in it; marinate overnight. Cook for 30 minutes at 425; when cool enough to handle, cut into chunks.
Most large grocery stores or online spice shops will sell a packaged shawarma seasoning blend; there is not significant variation among them. If you want to make your own, you can do so by mixing the following spices, ordered from the most to least of spice to add: garlic powder, cinnamon, pumpkin spice (can also add cloves, nutmeg, and allspice individually--just trying to make it easy for you), cardamom, oregano or parsley, salt, black pepper.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
