Recipe

May 14, 2025

Ultimate Shroom Shawarma

Recipe: Eden Grinshpan

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“Hearty and earthy mushrooms are seasoned well and seared until caramelized and golden,” says chef TV host Eden Grinshpan of this mushroom shawarma recipe from her cookbook Tahini Baby. It includes nine different topping options (see the cookbook for details!), and the mushrooms are seasoned with coriander, cumin, paprika, harissa, shawarma spice and tumeric before being seared and served in a pita, laffa, or with rice.

Ingredients

Garlicky Tahini (batch)

  • 1½ cups tahini
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 1¼ cups ice water, divided

Fast ‘n’ Fresh Harissa (batch)

  • 1½ tbsp Aleppo pepper or red chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted until fragrant in dry pan
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted until fragrant in dry pan
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp caraway seeds
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, halved and seeded
  • ½ cup refined avocado or grapeseed oil
  • Heaping ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 2 red long-hot chilis, stemmed
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
  • Juice ½ lemon
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Shroom Shawarma

  • 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 tbsp shawarma spice or curry powder
  • 1 tsp Fast ’n’ Fresh Harissa (see above)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 lbs. mixed mushrooms (Eden likes oyster, cremini, king and shiitake)
  • 2 small yellow onions, finely sliced
  • Laffa or pita, for serving
  • Garlicky Tahini (see above), for serving
  • Fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Make Tahini

  1. In high-speed blender, combine tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Add 1 cup of ice water and blend until smooth. To loosen sauce, add more ice water as desired. Store in sealed container in fridge for up to 1 week.

Make Harissa

  1. In high-speed blender, combine Aleppo pepper, coriander, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika and caraway. Blend until all ground to powder. Alternatively, you could do this in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
  2. Add bell pepper, oil, tomato paste, chilis, garlic, lemon juice and salt, and blend until smooth. Store in sealed container in fridge for up to 1 week.

Make Shrooms

  1. In large bowl, stir together 2 tbsp of olive oil, plus lemon juice, garlic, shawarma spice, harissa, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, turmeric and a few cracks of pepper.
  2. Make sure all mushrooms are about the same size, tearing any larger mushrooms into slightly smaller pieces, if necessary. Add to bowl and use your hands to really slather them in seasoning mixture. Set aside.
  3. Heat 2 more tbsp of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add onions and season well with salt and pepper. Sauté until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer onions to medium bowl and set aside.
  4. To same pan over medium-high heat, add half of mushroom mixture, drizzle with another 1 tbsp of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Sear, not touching mushrooms, until they have a deep golden crust, about 2 minutes. Flip mushrooms and repeat on other side, another 2 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with onions and repeat with remaining mushrooms, adding remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.

Assemble And Serve

  1. Serve mushrooms bundled in laffa or pita, and top with Garlicky Tahini and fresh parsley.
Source:

Recipe from Tahini Baby by Eden Grinshpan with Rachel Holtzman. ©2025 by Eden Grinshpan. Photography by Chris Bernabeo. Published by Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved

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