Vegan Cauliflower Shawarma with homemade pickled cucumbers and homemade tahini sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Roasted Vegetables

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   In a bowl, toss the vegetables with the olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and black pepper.

   Bowl
3. 3
   Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer, without crowding.

   Baking pan
4. 4
   Roast the vegetables in a hot oven (220°C / 430°F) 25–30 minutes, turning once, until the cauliflower turns golden.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.
5. 5
   Mix the tahini and lemon juice and season with salt.
6. 6
   Gradually add cold water while stirring, until the sauce is smooth, pale and pourable.

   💡When you add the first water, the tahini thickens and looks like dough: that's fine. Keep adding water and stirring, and it loosens into a smooth sauce.
7. 7
   Wash the cucumbers and arrange them in a clean jar, upright and tightly packed, with the garlic and dill between them.

   Jar

   💡Fresh, firm cucumbers, tightly packed and completely covered with water: a cucumber sticking out of the water softens and grows mold.
8. 8
   Dissolve the salt in the water and pour over the cucumbers until they are completely covered.
9. 9
   Close and leave at room temperature for 3–7 days, until the cucumbers turn olive green and are as sour as you like.

   💡Taste the water after a day: it should be as salty as seawater. Add salt or water as needed.
10. 10
    Move to the fridge: the cold stops the fermentation.

    Refrigerator
11. 11
    Fill the pitas with the vegetables, the tahini and the pickles, sliced.