Puebla's direct doner descendant, created in the 1930s by Iraqi and Lebanese immigrants who stacked marinated pork on a vertical spit and shaved it into a soft wheat 'pan árabe' instead of pita. It is the missing link between the Ottoman doner and tacos al pastor, which evolved from it decades later.
Also known as: taco árabe, tacos arabes, taco arabe poblano, pan árabe tacos
Ingredients
- 800 g pork shoulder, in thin 5 mm slices
- 1 white onion, grated
- 60 ml white vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves, crumbled
- juice of 1 lime, plus wedges to serve
- 1.5 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper
- pan árabe, thick flour tortillas or small pitas
- 4 chipotles in adobo, 1 small tomato, 1 garlic clove and 1 tbsp vinegar, for the salsa
How to make it
- 1
Marinate the pork overnight in the onion, vinegar, garlic, oregano, thyme, bay, lime, salt and pepper — the Levantine-meets-Puebla adobo that defines the dish.
- 2
Blend the chipotles with the tomato, garlic, vinegar and a pinch of salt into a smooth salsa de chipotle.
- 3
Stack the drained slices onto two vertical skewers and roast at 200°C about 50 minutes, or sear the slices flat on a screaming plancha 2 minutes a side.
- 4
Sliver the meat thinly and re-crisp the shavings briefly on the hot surface.
- 5
Warm the pan árabe on a dry pan, fill with pork and finish only with chipotle salsa and lime.
Pro tip: No onion-and-coriander here: árabes are eaten pita-style with chipotle salsa alone — its vinegary smoke does the job salsa verde does elsewhere.
