Shababi Palestinian Rotisserie Chicken

Palestine was the first road of access for founder and Chef Marcelle Afram’s family, who went there as refugees from Turkey in the early 1900’s. Merging cultures and families, placing their roots there for generations. That journey and its discernable flavors became a touchstone of their childhood. Threading the comfort and complexities through the home kitchen as well as the restaurants owned by Afram’s parents. Translated into the experience of being raised as a first generation American, that journey is represented here. Shababi comes from the word Shabab in Arabic, which means youthful people, the “i” at the end makes it possessive, so it’s used to describe a group of people, “my people”. It was often a call to dinner when families and friends would congregate, in addition describing doing something with a group. This menu is intended to represent the playfulness and passion Afram has found in the food of their people. We’re excited to be able to showcase this side of the cuisine from that region. Palestinian cuisine, specifically Musakhan, the chicken the concept is focused on, is a comfort food of the region. We recreate the smells and flavors of home. The chicken is offered as “Hazima”, which is the word for “bundle” in Arabic, accompanied by multiple sides. Starting with our concepts staple- the Musakhan. Rotisserie style chicken, brined for 24 hours, then coated with; allspice, sumac, cumin, fenugreek, and cardamom. Juicy with crispy golden skin. Served alongside Shababi Taboon, taboon is traditionally served with musakhan, we’ve taken a puree of caramelized onions, cashews, and parsley and spread it on hand-stretched dough which is then baked in a taboon oven. Rip a piece of that bread, take a bit of the chicken and dip it into the Hummus and all of the sauces, Toum, Red Shatta, and Mazarea. Finish that bit with a crisp cuke that’s been marinating in an Aleppo pepper & crispy garlic oil. And the za’atar fries of course go with it all. In addition, Chef Roro is featuring a rotating plant-based item, we are currently featuring the Shababi Nuggz, battered and fried oyster mushrooms tossed in spices and served with Sahtta Mayo. For dessert, we’ve taken a path back to childhood with the Zalabia- a funnel cake shaped turmeric infused fried dough that’s been dipped into orange blossom syrup and dusted with powdered sugar. Lay the spread out on the table and holler to your people, “Yallah Shababi! Dinner is served!”. Shababi is a takeout and delivery only virtual kitchen based out of the Roro’s Modern Mediterranean shop. We currently accept preorders via Toast starting on Mondays at 3 pm for Thursday- Sunday of that week. We also offer DMV neighborhood drops. If you’re interested in coordinating a neighborhood drop, email us at info@shababichicken.com with “Neighborhood Drop” in the subject line. We can be found on social media @shababichicken and our website www.shababichicken.com