My Green Tangdi Kebab

Oil-free Shami Kebabs, Well Almost

Shami Kebabs are probably one appetizer which has kept united Indian and the Mughal cuisines in every which way. These richly flavored, patty-shaped kebabs are traditionally made with soaked chana dal and shallow fried.

But I was in a hurry to make them and also cater to some non-Indian palates. Hence I chose the oven-route, and used sattu instead of Bengal gram. Baking them in the oven also meant very little oil. Something men and women all over the world are so cautious about.

Ingredients for Shami Kebabs are:

500 mince meat (lamb/goat/beef)
2 eggs
1 small red onion, very finely chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch root ginger, minced
5-6 green chilies, minced
Handful of fresh coriander, very finely chopped
Half a teaspoon of freshly ground garam masala
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
10 whole black peppercorns
2-3 tablespoons sattu
2 tablespoons Canola oil
Salt

In a large mixing bowl, pound together everything except the oil.

Take lime-size balls of the meat mixture and flatten them between the palms of your hands. Makes about 15-17 kebabs.

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Place the kebabs on the tray and drizzle the oil, few drops on each.

Bake these for 30-35 minutes, turning them at the halfway mark. Alternatively, you can shallow fry them in a hot pan till the meat is cooked through.

Serve with fresh coriander chutney, hummus, slices of onions, and lemon wedges. I like mine with these non-heat, deep fried green chilies.

Also, the winner of my Blog’s first birthday giveaway is Aipi, the desi cook in an American kitchen! Thank you for coming to my party, Aipi.  

P.S. More kebab recipes and pictures from PreeOccupied are here.

Whole Hara Kukkad

I like fussing around in the kitchen making elaborate meals. I don’t mind dicing, slicing, chopping. But today was all about blending flavors and with absolutely no effort!

This is a variation of the Hariyali kebab we are so used to having in Dilli, except that I have not added crème fraiche and sneaked in some spinach. Also instead of using boneless chicken pieces, I have used a small Cornish hen, cut into half.

Ingredients for the Hara Kukkad are:

1 Cornish hen
2-3 tablespoon hung yogurt
100 grams spinach
50 grams coriander leaves
50 grams mint leaves (I got away by using some which I had frozen last week)
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 inch ginger
2-3 green chilies (or more if you like the heat)
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
Ghee for basting
Salt

Make a smooth chutney with the spinach, coriander, mint, ginger, garlic and green chilies. Add drops of vinegar or lemon juice to smoothen it, do not add water.

Cut the chicken into half and score on both sides. Rub some red chili powder, salt and lemon juice to the chicken. Add all the dry spices and the green chutney along with the yogurt. Use your hands to mix them well on on the chicken. Make sure the marinade is rubbed well on both sides of the chicken. Marinade for 3-4 hours. If you are making this in the summers, please refrigerate.
Preheat oven. Smear the chicken with ghee (or vegetable oil) on both sides. (I poked the two chicken halves on skewers.) Broil for 15 minutes on each side. I like the meat on my kebabs to char a bit on the edges. So I cook for a couple of minutes more.
You can also make this in a gas tandoor or on an Indian tava.
Squeeze some lemon juice on the chicken. Serve the Hara (Green in Hindi) Kukkad (Punjabi for Chicken) with some salad greens. That’s a whole lot of fresh flavors and healthy spinach on your plate. I have a feeling your little Popeye is going to love this.

Nothing "Bihari" About These Kebabs

I first had Bihari Kebabs at a Bangladeshi restaurant. Not a very high-end restaurant, but a hole-in-the-wall place in Danforth. My ignorant guess was that it was probably made by a Bihari cook, and hence the name. I was finally beginning to feel proud of a "Bihari" footprint in the world of kebabs!

But I was not too surprised to know that Bihari Kebabs are one of the most popular kebabs in Pakistani cuisine. Though I have seen some variations in its recipe, what I have recreated today is the closest my palate can recollect from the finger-licking tender kebabs I had at Makkah.

You will need about 500 gms of boneless beef, cut into strips or cubes. Add to that a small cup of plain yogurt and the juice of two freshly squeezed limes. The wet marination which you need to prepare in a blender is ginger, garlic, green chilies, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, raw papaya, and chana daal. Add to the meat red chili powder, fresh cracked black pepper, coriander powder, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder and salt.

Mix everything in a glass dish - your hands work wonders while mixing the marinade!  A lot of people do add the paste of fried onions, but my recipe does not have that. Another day, maybe.

The meat should be marinated for about 6-7 hours. On a hot day, it will be a good idea to refrigerate it while its waiting.

Skewer the meat pieces and brush them with vegetable oil. Barbeque on a charcoal grill or oven at high. I know of people using mustard oil for basting, but I was not too thrilled by the idea of that and hence chose veg oil. Barbeque for about 10-12 minutes turning the skewers frequently.

These kebabs are great appetizers. Serve with some fresh salad, green chutney and onion rings and you will not stop licking your own fingers! I did a little fusion and served them with tortilla wraps. I spread some green coriander-garlic chutney and topped the tortillas with crumbled feta, chopped cucumber, onion and tomato.