Turkey Pita With Cabbage, Cucumbers and Tahini Dressing
Updated November 6, 2022
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 cups very thinly sliced red cabbage
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, or 2 tablespoons lime juice plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 cup peeled diced cucumber
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of cayenne
1 cup plain yogurt (do not use Greek-style yogurt)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups shredded cooked dark meat turkey, or a mixture of dark and white meat
½ teaspoon ground toasted cumin
½ teaspoon ground toasted coriander
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
4 large pita breads
A few radishes, thinly sliced (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
56 grams carbs; 74 milligrams cholesterol; 509 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 824 milligrams sodium; 34 grams protein; 16 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put cabbage and carrot in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, then toss with pomegranate molasses and ½ teaspoon garlic and set aside. Put cucumber in a separate bowl and season with salt and chopped mint.
- Step 2
Make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, stir together tahini, lemon juice, remaining ½ teaspoon garlic and cayenne. Whisk in yogurt and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Put olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey and let sizzle. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and red pepper flakes. Stir-fry for 1 minute and turn off heat.
- Step 4
Warm pitas briefly in a toaster oven and cut in half to make 8 pockets. Spoon some warm turkey into each pita, then a spoonful of cabbage, a bit of cucumber, some sliced radish, if using, and a large dollop of tahini dressing. Serve 2 filled pockets per person.
Private Notes
Comments
I like big flavors and complex dishes but thought the flavors in this recipe fought each other. The red cabbage, pomegranate molasses, mint, spices and tahini are all assertive and don't come together as a whole. The turkey was completely lost. I would suggest substituting lettuce for the cabbage and tzatziki (or plain yogurt) for the tahini sauce plus cutting down on the spices to make a more cohesive flavor profile overall.
No pom molasses? Put pom juice in a sauce pan For 2 T. probably 1/4 c. Simmer until thick and syrupy.
Harris Teeter and Whole Foods both have pomegranate molasses.
Served this as open face--pita on bottom, spread some tahini sauce, then cabbage, turkey, cukes, radishes, rest of sauce. Huge hit in my picky household.
I loved this. Loved the slaw, adored the tahini sauce (of which I made extra), and loved how everything came together. Didn't find the spices added to the turkey added much (could be my old spices, though). We wrapped it all in lavash to make middle-eastern burritos, and it was just fantastic. Once I'd roasted and denuded the turkey drumsticks, the rest was very quick to put together--but the turkey drumsticks were time-consuming and required pre-planning.
This was good, but as others mentioned there are a lot of assertive flavors competing. I did like it but had trouble discerning flavors. My favorite part was the seasoning added to the pan fried turkey.