Vegetable Kebab with Homemade Pita Bread
“In a bread, spicy and with garlic sauce!“ I don't know how many times I have said this phrase by now. Too many times, probably. But who could blame me? I have vegetable kebabs at least once a week – whether it's for lunch, dinner or as a late-night snack. A delicious kebab immediately lifts my mood by 110 percent. But, of course, opinions vary when it comes to what belongs in such a vegetable kebab. This recipe is a tribute to my favorite kebab stand in Berlin: Rüyam (the location in Schöneberg on Hauptstraße). Their kebab contains a lot of fried and fresh vegetables. In addition, it comes with an excellent sauce, and for my vegetarian friends with quite a lot of feta cheese, which I always enviously eye. Inspired by this, I created the following recipe.
Some will now argue that a genuine vegetable kebab needs a meat substitute. Of course, this is a matter of taste, but if the vegetables are well seasoned, the kebab tastes best without. But if you still do not want to do without, you can use smoked tofu cut into fine strips, fried and seasoned with kebab spice. Or you can get a vegan kebab meat alternative at the supermarket.
The most important thing when preparing the oven vegetables is a good mixture of spices. It is best to buy a kebab spice mix in a Turkish supermarket. Alternatively, you can combine garlic, onion powder, paprika powder, oregano, chili and cumin. Also, you can vary the vegetables according to season and taste.
Another unique feature of this recipe is the bread. Of course, if you want to save time, you can buy the bread, but it's worth the effort! And don't worry; the whole thing is easier than you think. We just put all the ingredients in a bowl, knead everything well and let the dough rise. Now it needs to be shaped and left to rise again quickly, and your bread can go into the oven – the result: a crispy, golden pita bread.
Last but not least: the sauces! They are essential for a good kebab. As you might have guessed, I particularly love spicy and garlic sauces. Especially the spicy one is a must. I use fresh tomatoes and a portion of Ajvar as a spicy component. Parsley and a little lemon juice provide the necessary freshness. We use plant-based mayonnaise, plant-based yogurt and spices in our garlic sauce. Of course, you can change the sauces to your liking. There are no limits to your creativity!
Vegetable Kebab with Homemade Pita Bread
Ingredients
For the flatbread:
300 g (2.5 cups) wheat flour type 550
7 g (0.25 oz) dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
170 ml (0.75 cup) lukewarm water
2.5 tbsp olive oil
black sesame seeds
For the topping:
- 0.25 cauliflower
- 0.5 eggplant
- 0.5 zucchini
- 1 carrot
- 2 medium sized potatoes
- 0.25 cucumber
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 romaine lettuce
- olive oil
- kebab spice
- salt
- pepper
For the spicy sauce:
- 3 tomatoes
- 3 tbsp ajvar
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 0.25 onion
- 10 g (0.33 oz) fresh parsley
- 0.5 lemon (juice)
- salt
For the garlic sauce:
- 75 g (0.33 cup) plant-based yogurt
- 75 g (0.33 cup) plant-based mayonnaise
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 0.5 tsp onion powder
- lemon juice
- salt
Optional:
- plant-based feta cheese
- pickled chillies
- fresh mint
- fresh parsley
- chili flakes
- lemon juice
Instructions
For the flatbread, combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the lukewarm water and knead until a smooth dough forms. Leave to rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F (convection heat). Wash and dry the cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, carrot and potatoes thoroughly. Cut the eggplant and zucchini lengthwise into slices about 4–5 mm (approx. 0.2 inches) thick and the carrot diagonally into slices about 3–4 mm (approx. 0.15 inches) thick. Cut the potatoes into cubes of about 1 cm (0.5 inch). Cut cauliflower florets. Then peel the stem and cut it into cubes the size of your potatoes.
Spread the vegetables on a baking tray and mix with plenty of olive oil. Then season with kebab seasoning, salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for approx. 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
Now wash and slice the tomatoes and the cucumber. Cut the lettuce into fine strips and clean them as well. Set both aside for now.
While the vegetables are in the oven, prepare the two sauces. Process tomatoes, ajvar, tomato paste, olive oil, onion and fresh parsley in a food processor for the spicy sauce. Season to taste with lemon juice and salt and set aside.
For the garlic sauce, mix plant-based yogurt, plant-based mayonnaise, garlic powder and onion powder in a bowl and season with lemon juice and salt to taste.Preheat the oven to 220 °C / 430 °F (top/bottom heat). Form the yeast dough into a circle of about 25 cm / 10 inches in diameter on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Let the dough rise again for 15 minutes in a warm place. Then lightly press into the dough evenly using your fingers. Then brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes until the surface is golden brown.
Let the pita cool, cut it into quarters, and slice the quarters lengthwise. Spread the sauces on the bread and top with oven vegetables, lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Optionally add vegan feta cheese, pepperoni and herbs and season with chili flakes and lemon juice to taste.
