Shawarma (Egyptian-Style Chicken Shawarma)

Combine the spices. Mix the coriander powder, cumin, turmeric, paprika, and cinnamon, then add just a tiny bit of cardamom at the end.

Make the marinade for the chicken thighs. In a bowl, add the yogurt, 1 clove of garlic, the combined spices, and 30-40 grinds of black pepper, squeeze in plenty of juice from half a lemon, and drizzle in 2-3 turns of olive oil.

Add the chicken thighs, add 10 pinches of salt (about 1.2% of the meat's weight), and rub it in thoroughly. Season a little heavily since there are many spices.

Cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate slowly in the refrigerator for half a day to a full day.

Make the yogurt sauce. To 6 tablespoons of yogurt, add mayonnaise, 1/3 clove of grated garlic, lemon juice, 2 pinches of salt, a little fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and mustard, then mix and adjust the balance of sweetness and acidity.

Cut the vegetables. Slice 1 clove of garlic, and cut the onion, cucumber, and tomato each into large chunks.

Heat oil in a frying pan and lightly saute the sliced garlic until fragrant.

Once fragrant, add the onion right away, sprinkle with a little salt, and saute slowly over medium to low heat until translucent and sweetly fragrant to draw out the sweetness.

Add the cucumber and tomato and toss quickly, just until everything comes together and is lightly heated through, then remove from the pan.

Reheat the frying pan well, add oil, and place the marinated chicken skin-side down. Over medium to high heat, leave it mostly undisturbed and develop a good, deep sear. Press it down with tongs to cook the whole surface well.

Take out the chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces, as if shaving it off a street-stall spit, then return it to the same pan. Add the marinade as well and stir-fry until cooked through. Taste it, and once it's cooked through, take it out.

Toast the bread all over in the frying pan and slather on plenty of yogurt sauce. Stuff it to overflowing with leafy greens, the sauteed vegetables, and the chicken, then drizzle on more yogurt sauce to finish.