Most people probably call these gyros, but where I grew up, we call them donairs. Seriously, we would order these on party nights over pizza, which was basically every weekend. It was something I was really wanting to veganize. Beyond meat made that possible.
I think the main difference between gyros and donairs is the sauce. Don't gyros use tzatziki sauce? Donairs would not be donairs without the sweet garlic sauce. Just ask anyone from Halifax.
The sauce was easier than I expected to re-create. I honestly don't care what sauce you use for yours. You might prefer a hummus based sauce. I've tried that before and enjoyed it as well. I think this sauce is pretty close to the original and it is dairy free. You're the chef, so you decide.
Please let me know if you try out my recipe. I'd like to know what you think of it. If you miss gyros, then you have to try it. Please feel free to embellish or edit the recipe any way you like. Enjoy!
Halifax Donairs with
/Beyond Meat
Sauce:
2/3 cup veganaise
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Mix ingredients together, tasting to your desire. I don’t measure these ingredients, so it does slightly vary each time. The sauce is pretty close to the taste of the authentic donair sauce, made from evaporated milk, sugar, and vinegar. You can experiment to your own tastes. For a diabetic version you could use whatever sweetener you use in place of the sugar, but using the approximate ratio conversation. I might try adding a bit of vegan sour cream (Tofutti) to this next time. I constantly play around with the recipe, in an effort to improve on it. The sour cream would give it a slightly better texture, and without changing the overall flavour that much, I'm hoping.
Donair Meat:
1-3 packages beyond meat ground (16 oz packs). The amount of meat used will depend on how many people you are cooking for and how much leftovers you desire. I think the beyond meat is in 16 oz packets. I like having leftovers and so will you
3/4 cup bread crumbs (fine)
2 tablespoons ground flax (I use this in place of egg to bind it all together. It is optional and does not contribute to the flavour of the donair. You will need to add a bit of water to the flax to make it sticky). If it does bind successfully, you might get away with the traditional loaf style. I have not made it enough times, so I am still experimenting. I prefer making it into thin patties, which can be fried to achieve a crispy texture.
2 tsp white pepper
1-2 tsp cayenne red pepper (depending on your taste)
3 tablespoons ground oregano
1 tablespoons leaf oregano
3 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons onion powder
1 Table spoon(s) garlic powder
2-3 tsp salt
The spices here are a guestimate and should be adjusted to your tastes and also to the amount of meat used. I never measure, so be your own chef and decide what you like. These are the spices for traditional Halifax donairs, but the amounts are up to you. The most important thing to remember is the salt ratio. Approximately 1 tsp of salt per pound of meat is about right and the rest of the spices are pretty flexible. I usually add a lot more of the spices, but not salt, obviously. Maybe start with a 1/3 of this recipe to see if you like it. I know I like it
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Knead until binded and sticky. Shape into a tightly formed loaves (traditional method) or patties, as I prefer. Normally you would bake the donair meat (loaf), but because beyond meat requires a lot less cooking, I’ve been forming it into patties and frying them instead, as I mentioned. I slice it afterwards to put in my wrap.
I find the traditionally baked loaves with beyond meat crumbles apart, which is why I switched to making them into patties. I think the loaves were overcooking, in order to completely cook through. The patties works way better in my opinion.
Also run your pita under cold water for a second on both sides then lightly fry. This makes the pita soft and pliable to make your donair/gyro wrap.
Donairs in Halifax are served in heated pita bread, with sweet sauce, diced onions and tomatoes. Nothing more and nothing less!
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