Saturday, February 27, 2010
Gaurav
It has been long time away from home in sub zero temperatures and I really missed my time with both the family and the kitchen. This away time has also made me miss the best cooking weather in Delhi and I am now counting my days before the temperatures goes up by a few more degrees and will scare the most avid of cooks from venturing into the kitchen and spending their days there unless of course, there is sufficient airconditioning.
I had been cooking crazily before I left and there are quite a few recipes that could keep me busy posting through the summer months and till I wait for monsoons to strike and cool the place down. One thing apart from cooking that takes a hit during summer is posting regularly on the blog. Personally, I just feel too lazy and want to spend most of the time either sleeping or in the pool having a chilled beers or cocktails.
The seekh kabab is the king of kababs, and though there are variations like, chicken mince (called Reshmi Kabab) and Kakori Kabab, vegetarians mostly find the subz seekh as the only option for themselves as far as the seekh goes. That was until now. Paneer can be also used to come up with a seekh. The only problem is the delicate nature of paneer and its ability to not bind itself so easily and disintegrate in a second. The addition of gramflour does not help as in the case of mutton seekh, because, since paneer has no individual taste, the bitterness of the gramflour ruins the entire thing. That is where cornflour comes in and saves the day. It still is a test of ones patience and delicate affair but in the end, the joy of giving an additional option to the vegetarians on the kabab platter more than makes up for it, especially if that vegetarian someone happens to be your spouse, which is so true in my case.
One more variation for the vegetarian is the Lotus stem (Nadur) seekh which was posted a few months back. Meat eaters can skip this and try the Mutton Seekh Kabab.
I had been cooking crazily before I left and there are quite a few recipes that could keep me busy posting through the summer months and till I wait for monsoons to strike and cool the place down. One thing apart from cooking that takes a hit during summer is posting regularly on the blog. Personally, I just feel too lazy and want to spend most of the time either sleeping or in the pool having a chilled beers or cocktails.
The seekh kabab is the king of kababs, and though there are variations like, chicken mince (called Reshmi Kabab) and Kakori Kabab, vegetarians mostly find the subz seekh as the only option for themselves as far as the seekh goes. That was until now. Paneer can be also used to come up with a seekh. The only problem is the delicate nature of paneer and its ability to not bind itself so easily and disintegrate in a second. The addition of gramflour does not help as in the case of mutton seekh, because, since paneer has no individual taste, the bitterness of the gramflour ruins the entire thing. That is where cornflour comes in and saves the day. It still is a test of ones patience and delicate affair but in the end, the joy of giving an additional option to the vegetarians on the kabab platter more than makes up for it, especially if that vegetarian someone happens to be your spouse, which is so true in my case.
One more variation for the vegetarian is the Lotus stem (Nadur) seekh which was posted a few months back. Meat eaters can skip this and try the Mutton Seekh Kabab.
Paneer Ki Seekh
Ingredients:
Cottage Cheese (Paneer), grated - 1 Kg
Red Chili Powder - 2 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 3 tsp
Green chillies, finely chopped - 2
Garlic, finely chopped - 4 cloves
Ginger, finely grated - 3 tsp
Black Pepper Powder - 2 tsp
Corn Flour - 2.5 Tblsp
Lemon Juice - 1 Tblsp
Oil for basting
Salt - To Taste
Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients, except oil. Note : Preferrably add cornflour in the end.
2. Chill for 20 minutes.
3. Divide the mixture into equal portions.
4. Take each ball and with wet hands skewer each ball and make a 2 inch long kabab shaped like a cigar.
5. Put the skewers on a hot grill or in a tandoor/microwave.
6. Cook till golden brown.
7. Remove the done kababs from the skewers gently.
8. Serve hot garnished with lemon wedges, onion rings and mint chutney.
