I recently ate at Laser Wolf, an Israeli restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and their Shawarma Spiced Cauliflower entree was out of bounds! Not only was it remarkably delicious, but the vegetable-focused entree was unbelievably filling.
The traditional dish is served with a tzatziki sauce, but I prefer not to eat dairy and so they happily offered to make it with tahini instead. It was amazing!
It inspired me to make a copy-cat version and this is what I came up with. No doubt different from what I enjoyed at Laser Wolf, but, I have to say, I’m pretty proud with what I came up with.
This is definitely a more involved recipe, but, if you like putting in the effort, the end result is so worth it.
What I also love about this recipe is that there are so many ways you can serve it:
Serve it whole, family-stye on a large platter, to eat either as an entree or side dish
Slice it into cauliflower steaks and plate separately, which is what the above photo shows
Cut it into quarters or chunks and plate separately
Shawarma Spiced Cauliflower
Serves 4-6
(Gluten-free; Dairy-free; Vegan/Plant-Based)
Ingredients:
1 15oz. canned chickpeas, rinsed, drained, dried thoroughly, and loose skins removed
Extra virgin olive oil
4 Tbsp Shawarma Spice Blend, divided
3/4 cup olive oil
1 large head of cauliflower, destemmed and leaves removed
Sea salt
½ cup tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1/8 – ¼ cup water
2 cloves garlic
2 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
½ cup scallions, bias cut
¼ cup mint, finely chopped
¼ cup raisins/currants
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, toss the dried chickpeas with enough olive oil to thoroughly coat. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of the Shawarma Spice Blend and spread the oiled and spiced chickpeas onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven until the chickpeas are golden brown and crispy, which can take anywhere between 20-30 minutes, depending on the oven and how dry the chickpeas are to start. Let cool and sprinkle with salt.
Reset the oven to 400F.
Whisk together the olive oil with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the Shawarma Spice Blend.
Place the destemmed cauliflower head in a large cast iron skillet. Flip it over, core side up, and pour a portion of the olive oil spice mixture into the core, letting the mixture make its way through the interior of the head of the cauliflower. Flip the cauliflower over and place it core side down, brushing the remainder of the olive oil spice mixture over the top of the head, making sure the entire head is generously coated. Any mixture that seeps to the bottom of the skillet can be used to brush onto the cauliflower head. Sprinkle the cauliflower head with more of the Shawarma Spice Blend. Season the entire head with sea salt as well. Place the skillet in the oven and roast until the cauliflower is tender throughout, between 35-50 minutes, depending on the size of the cauliflower head. A knife or metal tester should cut through the cauliflower easily.
If you want to brown the exterior even more, switch the oven setting to broil for the last 5-10 minutes of roasting. When ready, remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
While the cauliflower is roasting, make the Lemon Tahini Date Sauce by putting the tahini, lemon juice, 1/8 cup of water, garlic cloves and chopped dates into a high power blender and blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add more water. Salt, to taste.
Presentation:
For a beautiful presentation, I have shared both photos and instructions. They guide in serving either as the whole intact cauliflower or cut into pre-portioned servings.
Generously spread the Lemon Tahini Date Sauce on the bottom of a serving platter or individual plate.
Sprinkle the tahini sauce and rim of the plate with the Shawarma Spice Blend.
Around the perimeter of the Lemon Tahini Daute Sauce, sprinkle about ¾ of the crispy chickpeas, scallions, mint and raisins/currants.
Place either the whole intact cauliflower head, slices or chunks on top of Lemon Tahini Date Sauce. This photo shows a sliced cauliflower steak as the option. Sprinkle the remainder of the crispy chickpeas, scallions, mint and raisins/currants on top of the cauliflower.
Notes:
To destem the cauliflower, cut off the bottom stalk without removing too much of the core. If you cut too high, some of the florets might come off and you want the entire head intact for baking. Peel away any remaining green leaves