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My Vegetarian Version of The Gyro Sandwich - Tzatziki & Tandoori Paneer Tikka With Pita Bread

Yesterday was reveal day in the world of The Daring Bakers and you’re most probably here so see my take on this month’s challenge. I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you because I decided to sit this one out for various reasons.
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Course Snack
Cuisine greek
Servings 4 serving

Ingredients
  

For the Pita Bread :

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tsps honey
  • 2 tsps active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups water about (warm is not necessary)

For the Tandoori Paneer Tikka :

  • 500 gm paneer cubes (I used Amul )

For the marinade:

  • 2 cucumbers small , peeled , seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 cup yogurt drained or thick
  • 1 clove garlic , finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsps lemon juice
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp mint chopped
  • to taste salt pepper and

For the Tzatziki (Greek Cucmber Salad in Yogurt) :

  • 2 cucumbers small , peeled , seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 cup yogurt drained or thick
  • 1 clove garlic , finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsps lemon juice
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp mint chopped
  • to taste salt pepper and

To Assemble the Gyro:

  • 1 Paneer recipe Tandoori Tikka (from above)
  • 1 1/2 cups Mango Red Pepper Chutney Relish / (optional)
  • 3 large 1 tsps onions , thinly sliced and caramelised in oil
  • 3 large 1 tsps tomatoes , sliced and pan seared in oil
  • 2 green bell peppers , julienned
  • 1 1/2 cups cabbage julienned green

Instructions
 

  • For the Pita Bread, you can do this by hand, but I always look for the method that means least effort for me, which in this case means my food processor.
  • Put the flours, salt, oil, honey and yeast in the processor bowl and pulse a couple of times to mix well. Whisk them together if you are kneading by hand. Then add a cup of the water and pulse until everything comes together as a ball, adding as much more water as necessary. You do not need warm water here, so use water that is at room temperature.
  • Knead further until the dough is very soft and elastic, but is not sticky. Shape the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, rolling the dough in the bowl so it is well coated with the oil. Cover and keep aside to rise till double, for about 1 1/2 hours.
  • Once doubled, punch the dough to release some of the air and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and roll out the ball to about 1/4" to 1/8u201d thick (not as thin as a chappathi). If your dough does not roll out well let it rest for about 20 minutes and the roll it out again.
  • Let the rolled out pitas rest for about 10 minutes and then bake them on a cookie sheet dusted with cornmeal or semolina at 220C (430F) for about 5 to 6 minutes till well puffed up and cooked. If you want crisp pitas you can bake them a little longer, but for making Gyros you need the pitas to be soft.
  • Place them on a tack or a clean cotton towel to cool so they do not become soggy. This recipe makes 8 pita breads.
  • To make the Tandoori Paneer Tikka, put all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and gently whisk together to blend. Add the paneer cubes and toss gently so theyu2019re well coated with the marinade. Cover and keep aside for about an hour, or at least half an hour.
  • Heat about 1 1/2 tbsp of oil in a non-stick frying pan. Place as many pieces of paneer coated with the marinade on wooden skewers and place them in the frying pan. Cook the paneer on all sides until brown and done. Take them off the skewers once they have cooled and toss them with the chopped coriander. Keep them aside to use in the Gyro sandwich.
  • You can place just 3 or 4 paneer pieces interspersed with diced pieces of onion and bell pepper and cook them in the frying pan or on the grill and serve them as appetizers.
  • To amke the Tzatziki, mix together all the ingredients except the cucumber, till blended well.
  • Sprinkle some salt on the finely chopped cucumber and keep aside for about 20 minutes. Squeeze out the water from the cucumber to dry it out as much as possible.
  • Fold in the drained cucumber, garnish with more mint and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.
  • To assemble the Gyro, start with a round of Pita bread. On one half of the round, spread some caramelized onions, pan-seared tomato slices, some julienned peppers and cabbag and then some of the Tandoori Paneer Tikka.
  • Top this with a table spoon or more of the Tzatziki and some of the Mango Red Pepper Chutney/ Relish. Garnish with some mint. Fold the pita round over the filling in half and enjoy your Gyro sandwich! Recipe for the Mango Red Pepper Chutney/ Relish here.

Notes

Whichever way you look at it, I think the Gyro is a winner!
The Gyro makes for a very well balanced and filling meal. From a nutritional point of view, there’s a nice balance of carbohydrates, protein and some fat and this is a sandwich full of the goodness of vegetables. It’s also a sandwich you can get kids (and adults) to eat very easily without actively stressing on “healthy”. I now because my daughter was actually willing to eat the salad part of it, including the cucumbers which was a first.
There’s also the contrast of soft to crunchy and the spicy-sour-sweet taste combinations that are always crowd pleasers. Each part of what goes into a Gyro (the pita bread, Tzatziki, Tandoori Paneer Tikka and the other fillings) can all be made ahead so putting together this sandwich doesn’t take much time. In fact, if you would like to deviate from the traditional fillings of the Gyro, then this is a great dish to serve at an informal party or take on a picnic.
Just add some more vegetables like julienned carrot, sweet corn, maybe some potato crisps and maybe some other sweet and sour sauces. Place the sauces and fillings in individual bowls with the pita rounds on the side so that everyone can make their own Gyro with whatever they want in it!
The four of us (Alessio, Asha, Pamela and I) and anyone else who joins us, go exploring a new dish/ style of cooking/ cuisine every month. Each of us will share our recipes, and experiences on our blogs.
This month’s Gyro recipes:
Alessio : Crispy Pork Belly Gyros
Rajani : Veggie Jai-ros..eh Yee-rows..eh Gyros
Sarah : Lamb Kebabs And Pitta Bread