The Question:
Today I was out and about when I received a phone call from my friend D with a question regarding a recipe modification to make the dish Kosher. D is planning on making the Spicy Chicken Schwarma, see March 15, 2010 post on What's for Dinner? for the recipe. Since D keeps Kosher, and thus cannot mix the chicken with the yogurt, she was looking for a good substitute for yogurt. She wondered about just increasing the amount of tahini used, and not changing much else, but wanted to get my thoughts.
(By the way, D wasn't aware that this blog had just gotten up and running, so the timing couldn't be more apropos!)
The Answer:
I think that just adding more tahini would not be the best option. Tahini has a strong flavor, and doing so may just overpower any of the other flavors in this dish. The purpose of the yogurt is to tenderize (or soften) the meat and prevent it from becoming dry in the cooking. In order to accomplish this goal, there are a few options. The first is to increase the amount of lemon juice (to around 1/2 c). Because lemon juice is acidic, the acidity will work to tenderize the chicken.
The other alternatives would be to use either soy yogurt (dairy free) or soy sour cream (also dairy free). I do not typically use soy imitations of dairy products because the flavor can be lacking, but in a dish like this one with a lot of other flavors and spices, the soy substitute should not alter the final taste.
D, let me know how it turns out!
