Lamb Shawarma Bowl

Shawarma Spicing Without the Rotisserie

You cannot fit a vertical rotisserie in a domestic kitchen, but you can get remarkably close by slicing lamb shoulder thin, coating it heavily in shawarma spice, and roasting it hot on a single tray so the edges catch. The spice mix is the whole game here — allspice, cinnamon and cardamom alongside the more expected cumin and coriander.

Ingredients

Serves 4  |  Cost: $8.50 per serving  |  Total: $34.00  |  Ready in 25 min

• 700 g (1½ lb) lamb shoulder, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 400 g (2 cups) cooked basmati rice
• 3 tablespoons tahini, loosened with lemon juice and water
• 3 tomatoes, diced, and a handful of parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Mix the spice rub. Combine the cumin, coriander, allspice, cinnamon and cardamom with 1½ teaspoons of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. This is your shawarma blend.
2. Coat the lamb. Toss the sliced lamb shoulder with the spice blend and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until every piece is thoroughly coated. Leave to sit for 10 minutes at room temperature.
3. Roast hot. Preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F). Spread the lamb in a single layer on a large tray — crowding will steam it. Roast for 12–14 minutes until the edges are dark and crisp.
4. Make the salad. Toss the diced tomato and chopped parsley with the remaining olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. Keep it sharp; it is there to cut the richness of the lamb.
5. Build the bowls. Spoon the basmati rice into four bowls, top with the roasted lamb and its pan juices, add the tomato salad alongside, and finish with a generous drizzle of loosened tahini.

Nutritional & Dietary Notes

Dairy-Free

There is no milk, cream, butter or cheese in this recipe. Richness comes from the meat, the cooking fat and the aromatics rather than from dairy, which makes it a comfortable choice for anyone who is lactose intolerant or avoiding dairy altogether.

Gluten-Free

Every ingredient in this recipe is naturally free from wheat, barley and rye. If you are cooking for someone with coeliac disease, double-check any stock, sauce or spice blend you buy in, as gluten-containing thickeners and malt derivatives are common hidden additions in commercial products.

High Protein

Built around a generous serving of premium BC-sourced protein, this dish is designed to support muscle repair, satiety and steady energy through the day. It works particularly well as a post-training meal or as the anchor of a high-protein meal prep rotation.

Featured HOTRO.ca Product

This recipe is built around Lamb Shoulder from HOTRO.ca. We source premium BC-raised and ethically farmed meats and slow-simmered bone broth, so the quality of the core ingredient does most of the work for you. Substituting a lesser product will change the result more than any other single change you could make to this recipe.

Warm-spiced lamb shoulder strips over rice with tomato salad and a lemony tahini drizzle.