Tandoori Seekh Kebabs
Niloufer is a cookbook author and cooking instructor with a great passion for food and a love of world travel.
- Servings 24 kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 6 ml (1¼ teaspoons) salt
- 120 ml (½ cup) packed fresh coriander leaves
- 5 leaves of fresh mint
- 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) garam masala
- 3 green chillies
- 1.2 ml (¼ teaspoon) turmeric
- 6 ml (1¼ teaspoon) red chili powder
- .9 ml (1 teaspoon) cumin powder
- 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) tamarind paste
- 2.5 ml (½ tespoon) jaggery or brown sugar
- 7.3 ml (½ tablespoon) ghee or clarified butter
- 22 ml (1½ tablespoons) cream
- 59 ml (4 tablespoons) bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 4.9 ml (1 generous teaspoon) garlic paste
- 4.9 ml (1 teaspoon) ginger paste
- 1 kg (2.2 pounds) ground meat
Preparation
1. In a food processor blend all ingredients until smooth, adding a few ingredients at a time to ensure everything mixes well.
2. Remove to a working bowl and refrigerate for a few hours until chilled.
3. Mix well and divide into 24 equal parts. Wet your hands and skewer it up.
4. To skewer, take a wooden spoon with a rounded handle. Prepare each kebab to wrap around the spoon, gently slide the kebab and place on a lined tray. Keep it chilled until ready to cook.
5. To cook; make your griddle or skillet screaming hot. Add a spoon of canola oil/ghee. Place each kebab carefully, ensuring they do not touch each other. Cook it on a high flame. Turn it after a minute, being very gentle. It will cook very quickly. After both sides are nicely browned, cover and lower heat. Adding a few drops of water once browned, will allow the pan to deglaze and once covered, help keep the kebabs soft and moist. Cook for another 3 minutes. Do not overcook, as they will get dry and hard.
6. If desired, serve with warm naan, a salad made up of sliced onions, tomato and a date, tamarind chutney, green chutney and a squeeze of lemon.
Tips
Note: Chilling the kebab mixture before trying to skewer it helps it stick easier. Keep it as thin as possible.
Niloufer Mavalvala
Born and raised in Karachi, with London, Toronto and Dubai all part of her life, Niloufer has travelled extensively. Passionate about culture through its cuisine she enjoys all cuisines of the world. Self taught, her experience through the years has driven her to write a blog NiloufersKitchen.com and publish two Parsi cookbooks – receiving 3 awards. She strongly believes that while we are identified by race, religion and colour, we share the tightest bonding through food. Her umpteen zoom demos through this pandemic have picked up momentum worldwide making #revivinganancientcuisine one recipe at a time her priority. Niloufer runs regular cookery lessons via Zoom.
Courtesy photo
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