Vertical-spit lamb or chicken shawarma carved into a flatbread wrap with garlic toum, pickles and tabouleh. Manchester's Curry Mile late-night staple since the 1990s.

Lebanese and Syrian migrants brought shawarma to Manchester's Curry Mile in the 1990s and 2000s, joining the existing Pakistani and Indian restaurants that had defined Wilmslow Road since the 1970s. By the late 2000s, more than a dozen shawarma kitchens ran on the strip, several open until 02:00 or later, and they remain a defining late-night Manchester eat.

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Make it at home

Serves 424 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg boneless lamb shoulder
  • For the marinade: 200ml plain yoghurt
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 6 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • For the garlic toum: 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 200ml sunflower oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 8 large flatbreads or Lebanese pita
  • Pickled turnips (lift), sliced tomato, parsley, finely shredded cabbage, tahini sauce

Method

  1. Slice the lamb shoulder into 5mm thin sheets across the grain. Whisk all marinade ingredients in a large bowl, add the lamb and turn to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate 24 hours.
  2. For the toum: pound the garlic with salt in a mortar to a smooth paste. Transfer to a food processor running, drizzle in the oil in a very slow thin stream alternating with the lemon juice; emulsify to a thick mayonnaise consistency.
  3. Layer the marinated lamb sheets tightly onto a vertical rotisserie spit (or thread firmly onto two long flat skewers). Pack the layers compactly.
  4. Cook on a rotating spit over high heat (or under a grill turning frequently) for 90 minutes total, until the outside is deeply charred and crisp.
  5. Slice thin shavings off the cooked exterior with a long sharp knife. Continue cooking the remaining lamb as you slice.
  6. Warm the flatbreads. Spread each with garlic toum, layer with sliced lamb, pickled turnip, tomato, parsley and shredded cabbage. Drizzle with tahini sauce. Roll tightly and wrap in paper.

Editor tip. The vertical-spit method is the dish; horizontal grilling is closer to lamb kebab. Without a spit, cook marinated slices flat in a screaming-hot pan in batches.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy.