Sheekh Kawab Series~II
Sheekh kawabs are quite interesting and fun finger foods to prepare, and very versatile too. I love to mix and match and play with a variety of ingredients to flavor the sheekh kawabs and alter the tastes deliciously for a change. I had also posted an another version of sheekh kawabs a few months back. The main ingredients in todays version of sheekh kawabs are dhaniya/cilantro and hari mirch/green chillies, lending a faint tangy yet fresh flavor to them. These kababs are sure to whet your taste buds.
My lunch plate – Khushka with Khatti dal and Sheekh Kawab
(Plain boiled rice with sweet and sour lentil soup and Meat Kababs)
Marinate the meat in the spice mixture for atleast 6-8 hours or overnight for the best results, so that it absorbs all the flavors and the meat gets tender. One of my close friends S was telling me that she sun-dries the peels of very raw young papaya and once completely dry, powders them to store in jars in cool dark place at room temperature. It has a long shelf life. She added that she uses about a pinch or two of this powder as a tenderizer for the meat and leaves it to marinate for delicate melt in mouth kawabs. This I thought is a useful tip to share with my readers.
Sheekh Kababs – Minced meat Kebabs (II)
Makes: 15-18, enough for a large gathering
Ingredients:
Dry roasted and powdered Cumin seeds/Zeera – 1/2 tsp
Dry roasted and powdered Coriander seeds/Dhaniya – 1/2 tsp
Green chillies/Hari mirch – 8, roughly chopped
Lean Lamb meat (boneless) – 900 gms, cubed into bite size pieces (or) Minced Lamb/Veal meat – 900 gms
Thick yogurt – 2 tbsp
Chopped blanched almonds – 1 tbsp
Turmeric/Haldi – 1/4 tsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Egg -1, large
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Khoa – 1 tbsp
Raw papaya skin paste – 2 tbsp
Roughly chopped Cilantro/Kothmir – 1 cup, loosely packed
Lemon zest – 1/2 tsp
Kawabs ready to be grilled
Method:
1. Wash the meat and drain it well till all the water has been removed completely and the meat is dry. This is important or else the shape does not come out very well.
2. If using meat cubes, add the meat to a food processor along with all the other ingerdients and pulse just until the meat is minced. Do not make it into a paste. Transfer the minced meat into a mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients and mix/knead well using hands. If using minced meat, simply mix/knead it with all other ingredients until well combined in a mixing bowl. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight for for minimum 2 hours.
3. The next day bring it back to room temperature. Dip your fingertips in a little canola oil and smear you palms with it. Take a large lemon size ball of the meat mixture in your hands and shape it into a sausage. Insert a metal skewer into it to make hole all the way through it. Enlarge the hole by rotating the kawab a few times around the skewer. Remove the skewer and place the kawab on a greased baking pan lined with aluminium foil. Keep repeating until the whole mixture is used up.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the baking tray uncovered in the middle rack. Turn the kawabs once after 15 mins. Let cook for a furthur 15 mins. Serve warm.
Suggested Accompaniments: For a simple meal, serve these kawabs warm along with Khatti dal and Khushka. You could also serve it along with Dalcha, Baghara khana and a salad for a party meal, or simply along with a chutney as a snack.
Tip: Leftovers? Chop up the two Kawabs roughly and keep aside. Warm a pita bread, cut it onto halves, open it up and add some chopped fresh lettuce, cucumber, sliced avocado, tomato, and the chopped kawabs. Add a few drops of Chipotle hot sauce and some low-fat yogurt as topping. Serve these delicious pita pockets immediately.
Luv,
Mona
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March 19th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Looks delicious, I can almost taste them!
March 19th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
wow…mouth watering mona
March 20th, 2009 at 12:34 am
Lively pictures Mona! Rice has perfect texture…
March 20th, 2009 at 3:29 am
WOw am drooling over the kabab…amazing work Mona!!
March 20th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Asak Mona, a lovely and simple recipe ..hav been waiting for it, its authentic and mouth watering…
March 20th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I’m drolling on your Kababs Mona! Fantastic looking kababs and sounds so easy.. got to try this one very soon..
March 20th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Looks absolutely great spread mona…looking fwd to the next in series!
March 21st, 2009 at 11:58 am
If your house were a restaurant Mona I would be there every day with recipes like this, delicious!
March 21st, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Oh wow! Love the tip of using papaya powder,your Kababs looks so good.
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:21 am
you have a beautiful blog!
thank you for the papaya powder tip. i’ve never seen the powder in stores, how would one powder it?
Lan, Peel 3 unripe young papayas and sun dry the peels for a few days until they are completely dry. Then grind the peels to fine powder in a processor and store in cool dark place at room temperature for a long time.~Mona
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Delicious. I prefer goat meat to lamb. Do you have any tips on eliminating the strong flavor lamb has?
Cilantro, buy meat from a baby or young lamb. Try to trim away as much fat as possible from the lamb. Rub a little bit of lemon juice to the meat and wash the cubed lamb pieces thoroughly in water. Pat dry for use. Also, whenever you cook lamb, add any citrus flavor, usually lemon or lime juice, also add fresh herbs like mint and cilantro. These tips should help reduce the strong lamb flavor.~Mona
March 24th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Spicy kababs!looks so appetizing with dal chawal:)
March 24th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Dear Mona:
Are the kababs to be baked or broiled at 350 deg?
Thanks,
L.
You have to bake them~Mona
March 25th, 2009 at 11:32 am
hello monajee, no doubt it is a wonderful recipe but i wud like to know substitute of khao if u can suggest any other and whether this seek kabab can be grill on tawa or grridle.? wil u pls do the needfull . thanks.
You can use crumbled paneer or ricotta cheese instead of khoa here.
I have never tried cooking them on stovetop, I only cook them in the Oven. However you could try cooking them on stovetop. Use a tawa below the non-stick frying pan, just for double protection. Add a few drops of oil and put the kawabs in it. Cover and let cook on simmer, turning them frequently until completely cooked on all sides. Try it, or you could also deep-fry these kawabs in hot oil for a few minutes~Mona
June 3rd, 2009 at 7:38 am
hi, this is fantastic……….. please keep sending such recipes.
thanks
klm
May 25th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Asak Mona,
Can I use meat tenderizer instead of papaya?
thanks
WaAlaiKumAsSalaam Saniya, yes you can. Make sure it is halal before you use it..
September 23rd, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Hi mona,
I am abt to make this kabab and i have a doubt. Will it be ok if i wash the minced meat before making kababs. Will they keep their shape?
thanks
Sulthana, you should definitely wash the meat, but once you wash it, leave it in the strainer for all the water to drain off. Once the water has completely drained off you can use it for making kabab.
September 24th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Thank you mona, kabab was really delicious.