Sweet Potato Chips

Come the winter months, you can find roadside vendors in Delhi hawking their sweet potato fare ...shakarkandi chaat. Shakarakandi or Kachaloo is the hindi name for Sweet Potato and the Shakarkandi Chaat is an ideal in between meals snack. Frankly, I had never tasted Sweet Potatoes and was not a big fan of trying them out. I don't think anyone in my household also liked sweet potatoes, so I never stumbled upon them in the kitchen. A chance encounter with some wonderful looking sweet potatoes got me thinking that I just had to pick them up and get them home. So there they were ...sweet potatoes...on my kitchen counter and none of us with a clue as to what will become of them. After some thinking, we decided it was going to be some chips ...I mean who hates chips (even the calorie conscious do)...they were just going to be the perfect introduction to sweet potatoes. The entire family loved the chips, they didn't even last an hour. We have since moved on to trying other recipes with the sweet potato and I'm sure you will shortly catch me visiting one of the roadside vendors for my own portion of the Shakarkandi Chaat.

Sweet Potato Wafers (Chips)

(Makes 4 generous portions)

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes - 4 in number

Water - To parboil

Oil - To Deep Fry

Salt - Optional

Method:

1. Wash & Peel the sweet potatoes.

2. Cut into fine round slices (preferably using a mandolin) 

Note: If they are too hard and you are finding it hard to take out slices, parboil them in hot water to soften a little bit. Take care not to turn them mashy.

3. Heat oil in a wok. Fry the Chips till they turn golden brown.

4. Remove from the wok and drain on absorbent paper.

5. Season if you wish. I have found them perfect even without salt and other seasonings. I have tried tossing them with chili flakes and I love the sweet spicy combination..maybe you could try that.

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Corn Chaat & a Trip to the Qutab Minar

If there is one place on this planet where people love winters, it has to be New Delhi. After a hot and long summer season and hot,humid rainy season, the cold, foggy winters are a treat. Despite the cold, people are out on the streets and it is non-stop party season. This winters we decided as a family to go out every Saturday to one historical monument to showcase our heritage to our 2 boys. What better place to kick off than with the Qutab Minar, the logo of New Delhi and its most popular landmark.

I for one have a lot of childhood memories associated with the place. We stayed for 2 weeks in the tourist guest house situated inside the qutab complex. Everyday my sister and I would go out and roam the complex and play our games there. Of course, there was not too much of a crowd in those days and the security was non-existent. You could touch the monuments and even go inside the Qutab (Now you cannot touch some of the relics like the Iron Pillar and cannot go inside the Qutab). It was nostalgic to be there with my parents, my better half, my sister and her son and my two boys. It was a day long picnic and the tour was followed by a nice lunch in the gardens with the kids playing all around.

Legend has it that Delhi was composed of seven ancient cities (not counting the modernistic New Delhi), namely,

- Quila Rai Pithora (an extension of Lalkot)

- Mehrauli

- Siri

- Tuglakabad

- Ferozabad

- Shergarh

- Shahjehanabad

Lalkot was constructed by King Anandpal Tomar in the Eleventh Century. The Tomar Rajputs are,incidentally, credited with founding Delhi. Lalkot was more of a defense structure surrounding an area. One of his later successors, Prithviraj Chauhan (also popularly known as Rai Pithora) took over and extended lalkot for his city which he called Quila Rai Pithora (literally meaning the Fort of Rai Pithora).

Muhammad Ghori after various unsuccessful attempts succeeding in capturing Quila Rai Pithora in 1192 AD. He returned back to Ghazni (in present day Afghanistan) and placed Qutab-Ud-Din Aibak as his Viceroy in Delhi.After Ghori's death he enthroned himself as the Sultan of Delhi and thus started the Slave dynasty (He started as a slave purchased by the Ghori dynasty who rose through the ranks).In his short rule (he died playing polo in Lahore), Aibak started the construction of Mehrauli by demolishing all Hindu Temples and establishing Islamic structures in their place. He started the construction of the Qutab Minar as his Tower of Victory, but died after constructing the first storey. His son-in-law Iltutmish completed the 2nd, 3rd and 4th storey. After damage by Lightning, it's 4th storey was dismantled and reconstructed by Firoz Tughlaq. He also added a 5th storey to the structure. Later on restorations were also done by Sikandar Lodi.

Picnic food in India can be tricky. We could see some families around, complete with their pressure cooker and casseroles with tasty gravies around. There were also some with sandwiches and burgers around. I have always been somewhere in between, Picnic on a cold wintery afternoon (it was the coldest day in New Delhi in 6 years) for me means having a nice chaat,some bread pakoras or samosas, ending with some warm carrot halwa. There should be hot tea for company throughout the meal and a leisurely walk to digest the food later. For the chaat we decided to have a twist by making a Corn Chaat instead. It was really quick to make and stays well during tavel. You have an option of either mixing the Tamarind (Imli) chutney during the making of the chaat or give it alongside as an accompanying dip. I have tried both and found both working fine taste wise.

Corn Chaat
Makes 4 Portions


Ingredients:
American Corn - 3 Cups
Onion(large), finely chopped - 1
Tomato (Large), Chopped - 1
Coriander, finely chopped - 1/2 Cup
Green Chillies, finely chopped - 2
Peanuts - 1/2 Cup
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Black Pepper Powder - 1 Tsp
Anardana - 1/2 Tsp
Amchoor Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Black Salt - 1 Tsp
Tamarind Chutney - 1 Tsp
Mint Chutney - 1 Tsp
Lemon Juice - 1/2 Tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/4 Tsp
Cloves, powdered - 2
Potato Chips, crushed - 1/2 Cup
Potato, cubed - 1 (Optional)
Coriander - For Garnish

Method:
1. Steam the corn till soft and done. (Believe me, I have tried boiling it and it just doesn't taste right. Steaming does take a little longer but worth every single minute spent.)
2. Roast the peanuts till they begin to change color. About a minute on high flame.
3. Add all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. NOTE: You have the option of either adding the Tamarind and Mint Chutneys straight away or serving them on the side with the chaat.
4. Serve in individual plates or bowls.

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Street Foods of India - Kulle Ki Chaat (Delhi)

The charm of being a true blue Delhi resident is the exposure one has to chaat ...different kinds of chaat. Chaat derives its name from the hindi word 'Chaatna', literally meaning licking ones fingers. Since most of the chaat items ensure you will end up licking your fingers, the name is very apt. Chaat has now spread its tentacles to various parts othe country and it is not uncommon to find chaat stalls in South India, where they hawk something called a Delhi Chaat. The key differentiators of all chaats boils down to the use of ingredients and their freshness. The freshness of yogurt used, the freshness of the spices, the crispness of the papdi, the freshness of the fruit ...the freshness.

I was in Old Delhi last to last Saturday to sample the chaat fare on offer and try out the kulle ki chaat which sadly is not commonly available, atleast, not in the area I'm in. I love my chaats and my better half more than me, but we had both never had a kulle ki chaat ever. So it was a pleasant experience and the glee on both our faces while we were sampling this was a moment to freeze.

Post my return back home, I knew this was one chaat I had to do for this blog. More than that, this was one for keeps as a great appetizer for parties. It's simple, fresh and so different. The first challenge was to source the variety of bengal gram used in the chaat. Since, it is not used in the chaats in my area, I had to request someone to get it from me from Khari Baoli. Next was the conceptualization. For kulle ki chaat, you need to make a kulla out of Potatoes, cucumber, chunk of watermelon, bananas,tomatoes and then fill them and spice them. Kulla is a scooped out vegetable or fruit. I used only three, Watermelon, Potato and Cucumber, despite protests from my better half to use bananas as she loved the banana ka kulla. The result was the same expression on both our face as we had our plate of watermelon, potato and cucumber ka kulla and enjoyed a wonderful Noida sunset from our rooftop.

Kulle Ki Chaat
(For 4 People)


Ingredients
Potatoes,big - 2
Watermelon, seedless (I didn't get one) - 1
Cucumber - 2
Cumin - 3 Tblsp
Black Salt - 2 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste
Lemon - 2
Bengal Gram, the zero size variety (soaked overnight and boiled) - 1/2 Cup
Pomegranate seeds - 1 Cup

For the Masala (alternately, use 3 Tblsp chaat masala)
Black Pepper Corns - 2 Tsp
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon Stick - 1
Mango Powder - 3 Tsp
Ginger Powder - 1 Tsp
Ajwain - 1/2 Tsp
Dry Mint Leaves - 1/2 Tsp

Method:
1. Parboil the potatoes and peel and cut them into half (breadthwise). Scoop out the middle to make a empty barrel.
2. Peel the cucumber and cut into 4 inch pieces. Hollow them out too.
3. Take a small chunk of watermelon and hollow it out.
4. Arrange them on a plate.
5. Dry roast the ingredients for the masala and powder them.
6. Dry roast the cumin seeds and powder them with a mortar and pestle.
7. Sprinkle half the salt, black salt, cumin powder, chaat masala on the hollowed cups.
8. Add the pomegranate and bengal grams and fill the cups till they are half full.
9. Sprinkle the rest of the salt, black salt, cumin powder, chaat masala.
10. Squeeze lemon juice on the cups.
11. The chaat is ready to go.

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Cocktail Samosas with a twist

I had a plan to visit Old Delhi this Saturday only to sample the food. The huge downpour on Thursday prompted me to postpone that trip by a week and not wanting to sit at home, I made a short trip to Central Market, Lajpat Nagar. After stuffing myself with chaat, samosas, bread pakoras and a lot more, I decided to do some of my own on Sunday. It was going to be samosas, but with a different filling.
Samosas are a very popular snack in India. I, for one have loved samosas since my childhood and some of my close friends know of this craving. It was fairly routine in my grandfather's house to have samosas and pakoras for evening tea every other day. I can't wait for winters to arrive so that me and my co-workers can walk across the office on foggy Delhi mornings to the local kiosk (more of a make shift shed) where the streetside vendor is busy frying fresh samosas and bread pakoras. You can find a crowd of people from various offices who have made this morning walk to bond over samosas, hot chai (tea) and discuss cricket (if not the office).
Simply put, Samosas are deep fried/baked stuffed pastry, mostly triangular in size, but other variations in shape do exist.
It's origins are widely debated and it is known by various names in various regions of India, Asia and Africa where it is widely eaten. Though some say say that it originated in Central Asia and was introduced to India in the 13th & 14th century by traders from Central Asia, renowned culinary historian K. T. Achaya differs (or maybe I misconstrued what he meant) while writing about Samosa in his 'A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food'. He quotes Amir Khusrao (1300 AD) describing the foods of the Muslim Aristocracy in India consisting of the 'samosa', which is prepared from meat, ghee, etc.Also, Ibn Batuta (14th Century traveler and explorer in the court of the Tughlaq dynasty in Delhi) during the same century describes the samosa ( which he calls a samusak), as a snack cooked with minced meat cooked with dry fruits such as almonds, pistachios alongwith onions and spices etc.(Per him it was served before the third course, the Pulao). Also, quoted is the Ain-i Akbari, which lists the samosa as the qutab (and states that the people of Hind call it sanbusa). Based on these historical inputs Achaya believes that the samosas were something that these travelers did not bring from their parent lands but indigenous to India. Apart from the historical works quoted by Achaya, the samosa is also listed by an Iranian historian Abolfazl Beyhaqi(10th Century) in the works called Tarikh-E-Beyhaghi. Irrespective of where it originated, the samosa has remained a popular snack. In North India,it consists of a filling of mashed potatoes and peas. As you travel to Pakistan you can find the version with meat filling. The samosa is also known as the Singhara in West Bengal (Eastern State of India) and in Hyderabad, India you can find a square shaped version called the Lukhmi.
For Samosa addicts, here is a great site which you have to see (unless you are faking it). It is called the Samosa Connection and has the history, origins, types and avatars listed. They even have a mail ID for you to contact them and submit your comments and suggestions. Now that is cool.

Thyme Cocktail Samosas with Cottage Cheese
(16 Samosas)

Ingredients:
For the Samosas
Flour - 200 gm
Oil - 40 ml.  Replace with Ghee below
Ghee - 50 gm (I used Oil, but had a good suggestion from Sidharth Bakshi to replace oil with ghee. Helps to remove the blisters from the final product).
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Thyme - 1 tsp.
Flour - To Dust
Oil - To Deep Fry
Water - 1 Cup ( You may not require more than 4-5 tblsp.)

For the Filling
Paneer (Cottage Cheese), grated - 200 gm
Corn Kernels, blanched - 200 gm
Olives, sliced or chopped - 7
Cheddar /Processed Cheese, cut into 0.5 cm cubes - 40 gms
Shallots, finely chopped - 1/2 Cup
Garlic, finely chopped - 6 cloves
Black Pepper, freshly ground - 1 Tsp.
Mixed Herbs - 1 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Olive Oil - 1 Tblsp

Method:
Dough for the Samosas:
1. Sift the flour and salt together. Add in the thyme.
2. Make a well in the centre and pour oil into it.
3. Start mixing the flour mixture with the oil gradually.
4. Once the oil is fully mixed, add in the water and knead to form a semi-hard dough.
5. Cover with a moist cloth and rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.

The Filling:
1. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.
2. Add in the chopped shallots. Cook them till they turn translucent. Add in the chopped garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Add in the paneer, mix well and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add in the corn kernels. Mix well and cook for 3 more minutes.
5. Add in the herbs, seasoning and olives. Mix well and cook for an additional minute.
6. Switch off the flame and add in the cheese cubes and stir the mixture.

Making the Samosa:
1. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and make a ball.
2. Divide the mixture into 16 equal portions. (each ball of dough will yield 2 samosas, hence twice the filling to the balls).
3. Place a ball on a lightly floured surface. Keep a bowl of water nearby (You will use it later).
4. Flatten it with a rolling pin and roll it into a round shape (3" in diameter).
5. Cut the circle into half.
6. Take one half of the circle (semi-circle) and place it in your palm. Position the straight edge to align along the forefinger.
7. Dip the forefinger of your other hand in water and use the wet forefinger to line the straight edge.
8. Fold the semi circle into a cone.
9. Stuff the filling into the cone (Do not fill to the brim - leave a portion vacant on top).
10. Line the edges of the open side with a wet forefinger.
11. Seal the open portion together by pressing firmly.
12. Arrange on a lightly floured tray.
13. Repeat the procedure till all samosas are prepared.
14. Heat oil in a wok.
15. Deep fry the samosas on medium heat till they are golden brown.
16. Drain the excess oil on absorbent paper.
17. Serve hot with chutney.

Note: Traditionally Samosas are served with mint chutney. Since these were different in their filling, I made an orange chutney to accompany the samosas.

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Butter Chicken Quesadillas

Quesadillas is a dish which is mexican in origin and derives its name from the spanish word for cheese (Queso). Don't let the name fool you, its a simple corn or flour tortilla filled with cheese and other ingredients, which are generally savory in nature and then folded in half (into a half moon shape). This filled mixture is then toasted or fried until the cheese melts. It is then cut into wedges or slices and served.

Quesadillas have undergone a lot of changes throughout history and numerous variations exist not only in different parts of the world, but even in different parts of Mexico.

Purists differentiate between a quesadilla froma taco or burrito by stating that in a quesadilla, the ingredients are filled and then it is cooked, whereas for the taco or burrito the ingredients are cooked before and then added.

I just added my own twist to the variations by bringing in an Indian angle to the quesadilla, and though, my ingredients for the filling were cooked before, I still prefer to call it a Quesadilla. It is a little more time consuming to make, however, it is a very good recipe if you are out to impress and the look and compliments make up for the time spent preparing this. For starters, I have used Chilla (Indian chickpea flour pancake), instead of the flour or corn tortilla. Since you do not get Chillas in the marketplace of the shelves (as you would in the case of tortillas), this will require preparation. Also, you need to ensure the chillas prepared are thin, else they will break once filled and folded. The filling being used is the traditional butter chicken with a thick gravy and Monterrey Jack cheese. Butter Chicken requires grilling chicken first and then cooking in a tomato based gravy.

This requires both time and rolling up your sleeves, but then this is a show stealer and a damn good one at that.

Butter Chicken Quesadillas

4 Portions ( 9 wedges)

Ingredients:

Chillas - 3 No.s (Check recipe here. make the chillas thin)

Butter Chicken - 250 gms

Cheese, grated - 2 Cups

Oil - 4 Tblsp

Method:

1. Prepare Butter Chicken as given here. The only variations to the preparation are as follows:

- After grilling the chicken pieces, cut them into small 2 cm pieces.

- Simmer sauce before addition of cream and kasoori methi, till sauce almost coats the chicken pieces. Reduce cream to quarter.

2. Take each chilla and lay it flat on the working surface.

3. Spread the thick butter chicken mixture on one semi circular side of the chilla.

4. Sprinkle grated cheese on that side on top of the butter chicken mixture.

5. Fold the other plain side to cover the fully and form a folded semi circle. Press lightly.

6. Heat a flat plate/tawa and add 2 teaspoons of oil.

7. Add the semi folded chilla with the stuffing and cook lightly. Flip it over to cook the other side.

8. The cheese will melt and bind the 2 halves of the chilla.

9. Take off the hot plate/tawa and cut into 3 wedges (or 2 as you desire).

10. Repeat with remaining chillas.

11. Serve hot with your choice of dip or sauce.

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Street Foods of India - Ram Ladoo (Delhi)

Come winters in Delhi and a very different foodie tends to emerge. One that longs for a nice mid morning drive to pick up some Chhole Bhature, get it packed and rush home so that all can have a heavy brunch. Or, some hot aloo tikki in the evenings at the roadside chaat shop. Parties tend to get lively around the grill, with hot tikkas and kababs coming straight off it onto the waiting plates. I long for getting my share of ram ladoos during winters, and my perfect haunt for getting them - Lajpat Nagar market. Garnished with some freshly grated radish and generous helpings of coriander-mint-green chili chutney, they make for the perfect roadside snack for me.
I don't know why they are called Ram Ladoo. Some even call them Gulgullas, but these moong dal dumplings somehow take you back to the old world Delhi, when little money could buy you a good lavish evening, weekends were spent with people and not TV sets, life was far less complicated and snacks like these were the McBurgers for us.

Ram Ladoo

Ingredients:

Moong Dal, washed - 200 gm

Chana Dal - 100 gm

Soda BiCarb - 1 Tsp

Salt - To Taste

Green Chillies, finely chopped - 1

Oil - For Deep frying

Radish, peeled & grated

Cilantro, finely chopped

Mint Chutney

Method:

1. Wash the dals and soak the dals in water separately for 6 hours alongwith soda bicarb.

2. Drain the water and coarsely grind the dals without any addition of extra water. Note : Do not grind the dal to a smooth paste else the batter will not form into ladoos.

3. Add in salt and finely chopped green chillies. Beat the mixture till it gets a light and frothy.

Note: To check doneness of consistency required, drop a small ball of batter into a bowl of water. If it rises to the surface it is done, else, get back to beating it more.

4. Heat oil in a wok till it gets hot.

5. Using wet finger Lift a small amount of batter and drop into the hot oil. Fry till golden.

6. Remove from wok onto paper napkins to drain excess oil. Repeat till al batter is used or you have fried the ram ladoos required.

7. To Assemble : Put 2 ladoos in a bowl and top with grated radish, mint chutney and some chopped cilantro. (P.S. : I have added less of the chutney. Usually it is flooded with the chutney :) )

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Paneer Ki Seekh ( Skewered Cottage Cheese)

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.

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.

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Harissa Rubbed Chicken Kababs

I'm sitting in Minneapolis as I write this post and the temperature outside is -13 degrees celsius. Probably not a good temperature to grill outside, but I just cannot stop thinking of the nice grill party I had at my place in New Delhi a few weeks back.

I first discovered Harissa a few years back at a friends place and over time have tried both making Harissa at home (it is really easy to make) and also try out other things with Harissa, the Harissa rubbed chicken kababs being my favorite ( Harissa mashed potatoes the other favorite). Of late, I have sourced out a vendor who stocks up harissa and I usually take the easy route of buying harissa tubes from him.

So what is Harissa? Harissa is a North African ( mostly Moroccan, Algerian & Tunisian cuisine) hot sauce made with chillies and paprika, flavored with caraway & cumin seeds. Different versions of making this sauce exist. Types of chillies can be played around with to arrive at the hotness of the Harissa sauce. I personally use red ancho chillies and paprika to make my Harissa.

Harissa

Ingredients:

Dried Red Chillies - 10-12

Paprika - 2 Tsp

Garlic, minced - 4

Corriander seeds,ground - 1 Tsp

Cumin seeds, ground - 1 Tsp

Caraway seeds, ground - 1 Tsp

Olive Oil - 2 Tblsp

Sea Salt - 1/2 Tsp

Tomato Paste - 1 Tsp

Method:

1. Soak the dried chillies in warm water for half an hour. Drain them and remove stem & seeds.

2. Blend all the ingredients in a blender to form a smooth paste.

3. Store in a air tight container. NOTE: Harissa stays well in the refrigerator. Drizzling a few drops of olive oil on top of it while storing will keep it fresh.

Harissa Rubbed Chicken Kababs

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes - 200 gm

Lemon Juice - 3 Tblsp

Ginger -garlic paste - 3 Tblsp

Onion paste - 2 Tblsp

Harissa - 3 Tblsp

Mixed Herbs - 3 Tsp

Olive Oil - 1 Tsp

Sea Salt - To Taste

Olive Oil - For Basting

Method:

1. Wash & clean the chicken cubes. Rub with ginger garlic paste and marinate in lemon juice for 30 minutes.

2. Prepare a second marinade by combining olive oil, harissa, onion paste, mix herbs and sea salt. Add the chicken cubes to this marinade. Rest for another 30 minutes.

3. Heat grill to moderately high temperature.

4. Thread the chicken cubes on skewers and grill till done. Turn around regularly and baste them with olive oil to prevent drying.

5. Serve hot.

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Afghani Murg Tikka

The mercury seems to be dipping every day in Delhi and the fog has ensured that venturing out late evenings or early morning is a big mistake. It makes a good excuse to stay at home and cook on the grill.
Having tried many kinds of chicken kababs and tikkas to experiment with, this recipe came as a big relief, more so to my family members who were in no mood to become guinea pigs and try out something out of my head.

Other chicken tikkas/kababs on this blog:

Sheesh Tavouk

Kasturi Kabab

Tangdi Kabab

Achari Chicken Tikka

Murg Malai Tikka

Afghani Murg Tikka Ingredients:

Chicken, cut into 1 inch dices - 500 gm
Ginger Garlic paste - 3 Tsp
Vinegar - 1 Tblsp
Cashewnut, blended with 2 Tblsp of milk and made into a paste - 3 Tblsp
Cheese, grated - 2 Tblsp
Cardamom powder - 1 Tsp
White Pepper Powder - 2 Tsp
Eggs - 2
Cream - 2 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste
Oil - To Baste

Method:
1. Rub the chicken pieces with ginger garlic paste, vinegar and salt. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. Mix cashew paste, cardamom powder, white pepper powder, cheese, eggs and salt to make a smooth paste.
3. Add the chicken pieces to this second marinade and keep aside for 3o minutes.
4. Put the chicken pieces on skewers and grill on a hot tandoor/oven/charcoal grill.
5. Baste regularly and turn the skewers to ensure even cooking.
6. Grill till done.
7. Serve hot with mint chutney.

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Sheesh Tavouk

Sheesh Tavouk or Chicken Skewer as it is it's literal translation (Sheesh meaning Skewer and Tavouk meaning Chicken in Turkish) is a traditional Turkish dish but known more as a Lebanese dish thanks to the many Lebanese Kabab houses around the world. It is simple dish of skewering cubes of marinated Chicken and grilling them. Though many different variations of this dish exist, I usually make it the simplest way. It is much preferred since it is subtly spiced and therefore is a big draw with kids.

Sheesh Tavouk

Ingredients:
Chicken, boneless (preferrably breast) - 500 Gm
Lemon Juice - 3 Tblsp
Garlic Cloves, finely chopped - 1 Tblsp
Olive Oil - 1 Tblsp
Cumin Powder - 1/4 Tsp
White Pepper Powder - 1 Tsp
Cayenne Pepper - A pinch
Salt - To Taste

For garnish:
Pita Bread - 1
or
Rice - 1 small bowl


Method:
1. Wash & cut chicken breats into 2.5 inch cubes.
2. Blend the chopped garlic, lemon juice, salt, white pepper powder, cumin powder and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.
3. Slowly add Olive oil and whisk to form an emulsion.
4. Marinate the chicken pieces in this mixture.Keep aside for 2 hours.
5. Thread the chicken pieces on the skewers. Note: You can also use Bell Peppers cut into 2 inch cubes and alternate between bell peppr cubes and chicken pieces while threading.
6. Grill the skewered chicken for 15-20 minutes or till they are done.
7. Keep rotating while they grill and baste with olive oil to prevent drying up.
8. Serve hot on a bed of rice or pita bread. ( I use mint chutney)

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Seekh Kabab (Skewered Lamb Mince Kababs)

No Tandoori platter is complete without the Seekh Kabab. Not only is a nicely made Seekh Kabab juicy & delicious but also a nice test of the chef's skill. The balance between the ingredients is of utmost importance which I have learned over the intial years through hit and miss. A lot of people prefer either the use of gramflour as a binding agent or using egg. The catch with using gramflour is that it tends to make the kabab bitter if used excessively. Egg, also if used excessively, can make the mixture too wet to hold onto the seekh (Skewer) and fall into the tandoor or grill. I prefer to use both egg and gramflour in little quantities to arrive at the right mix to bind the mixture and hold onto the seekh. Another key is regular basting to ensure the kabab is juicy and not a dried up item.

The origins to this can be traced to Babur's time, when royal cooks used to wrap ground beef around iron rods and grill them on open flames.



Seekh Kabab



Ingredients:

Lamb/Mutton Mince - 500 gm

Egg, lightly beaten - 1

Gramflour (Besan) - 2 Tblsp

Onion, finely chopped - 1

Green Chillies, finely chopped - 1

Red Chili Powder - 1 Tspsp

Ginger, finely chopped - 1 Tsp

Garam Masala - 3 Tsp

Garlic, Minced - 1 Tsp

Lemon Juice - 1 Tsp

Salt - To Taste

For Garnish

Lemon Wedges

Chaat Masala - 1 Tsp



Method:

1. Combine all ingredients (Except for garnish) in a bowl. Mix and knead well.

2. Rest for 2hours.

3. Divide the mixture equally into balls.

4. Wet hands and Skewer each ball and make a 2 inch long kabab shaped like a cigar.

5. Put the skewers either in the tandoor or the grill and cook for 6-7 minutes.

6. Take the skewers out and baste them with some oil. Put it back into the tandoor or on the grill. Cook for 6-7 more minutes. Repeat till Kababs are cooked.

7. When done, remove the kababs from the skewers gently.

8. Serve hot on a platter sprinkled with some chaat masala and lemon wedges on the side.

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Sarsonwaali Grilled Broccoli ( Mustard flavored grilled Broccoli)

Travelling across the globe for work has never made me miss home so much as it did this time. The reason was simple. December is the time to be in Delhi. The weather is perfect to grill out and spend time with close friends. Nothing can beat some nice cold weather and a group of friends huddled around the grill, cooking and talking. Moreover, the atmosphere is so festive that staying away can seem like a punishment.

When it comes to grilling, vegetarians typically tend to get a little ignored. While you take pains to make something new with the meat and chicken products, vegetarians are given the same tandoori paneer, gobhi and stuffed aloo dish everytime. It is a little different for me though. Having a better half who is vegetarian makes me ensure I have a menu planned out for her in detail. While sampling some vegetarian items for the upcoming new year'e eve, I tried out a little brocolli. Must say, it was a refreshing change from the usual fare of tandoori bharwan aloos and paneer tikka's.

Sarsonwaali Grilled Broccoli

Ingredients:
Broccoli, washed & cut into thick florets - 200 Gm
Mustard Paste - 5 Tsp
Hung Curd - 1 Cup
Yellow Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Cream - 2 Tblsp
Cumin Powder - 1 Tsp
Mustard Oil - 25 Ml.
Salt - To Taste

For Garnish:
Chaat Masala - 1/2 Tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 Tsp

Method:
1. Blanch the broccoli in boiling water. Refresh.
2. Prepare a marinade out of hung curd, mustard paste, yellow chili powder, red chili powder, cream, cumin powder, mustard oil and salt.
3. Rub the marinade into the broccoli covering all florets. Keep aside for 45 minutes.
4. Heat the grill and place the broccoli florets when it is hot. Cook till it is cooked and crisp.
5. Serve hot, garnished with chaat masala and garam masala sprinkled on top.

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Kasturi Kabab (Dried Fenugreek flavored Chicken Kababs)

I start this post by wishing my elder son a Very Happy Birthday. Garv turns 5 today. Life has been so much more fuller having him around.
A few weeks back I cooked up some Burra Kabab quoting my visits to Bukhara at the Maurya Sheraton and my love for that Kabab. This weekend I cooked up another of my favorite from Bukhara - Kasturi Kabab. I planned to cook this Kabab many times, but always thought it was a tad bit tedious for a weekend cooking and kept postponing its arrival at our dining table.

A nice foggy morning with not a worry in a world and every bit of my body wanting to cook the whole day, I finally cooked up the famed kasturi kabab.
Other kababs that have found their way into our hearts, our dining table and this blog are:

Lamb / Mutton
Burra Kabab (Mutton/Lamb)

Vegetarian
Nadur Seekh
Achari Paneer Tikka
Tandoori Gobhi
Lachhedar Aloo

Chicken
Tangdi Kabab
Achari Chicken Tikka
Murg Malai Tikka

Seafood
Jhinga Samarkand

Kasturi Kabab

Ingredients:

Chicken, boneless, cut into 2 inch pieces - 600 gm

First Marinade -
Ginger-garlic paste - 3 Tsp
Vinegar - 1 Tblsp
Salt - 1/2 Tsp

Second Marinade -
Refined Oil - 2 Tblsp
Gram flour (Besan) - 2.5 Tblsp
Garlic, finely chopped - 1 Tsp
Egg -1
Cardamom Powder (Elaichi) - 2 Tsp
White Pepper Powder - 2 Tsp
Salt - 1/2 Tsp

Final Coat -
Breadcrumbs - 1 Tblsp
Egg - 1
Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi) - 1 Tblsp

Method:
1. Rub the chicken pieces with ginger-garlic paste, salt & vinegar. Keep in the refrigerator for an hour.
2. Heat oil in a wok. Add in the chopped garlic and fry till starts to brown.
3. Add in the gram flour and fry. Keep stirring continuously for about 10 minutes or till the oil separates. Remove from flame and allow to cool.
4. Mix together the gram flour mixture with 1 egg, cardamom powder, salt and white pepper powder in a big bowl.
5. Remove the chicken pieces from the refrigerator and add to this mixture.
6. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
7. Skewer the chicken pieces and grill on a tandoor or oven for 8-10 minutes. Turn after 5 minutes and baste the kababs with oil.
8. Once it is nearly cooked, remove the kababs from the tandoor/oven/grill and coat with a mixture of breadcrumbs, 1 egg and dry fenugreek leaves.
9. Cook again for 5 minutes.
10. Serve hot with mint chutney and onion rings on the side.

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Burrah Kabab

It has been a long and hot summer. The hot weather has been a factor in staying away from the kitchen and I missed staying away from my grill. The last two weeks you can feel the chill in the air during evenings and early mornings. The winters are here finally, though sadly we skipped monsoons here in Delhi. I have greeted this change in weather by taking out my grill and cooking up some tandoori fare. The Burra Kabab was one of the things I cooked. It had been on my mind for the last few months and this was a perfect occasion to try out the delicious kabab.

On my last few visits to the Bukhara I had found myself relishing the burrah kabab more than any other kababs and tikkas on the menu. Surprisingly, even some of the counterparts and visitors from overseas whom I had gone alongwith found a special liking for this kabab. Literally meaning the 'Big Kabab', the burrah kabab demands time for the preparation. The secret in the taste apart from the mild spiciness is the fact that the kabab should just melt in your mouth. This translates to marinating the pieces overnight or for atleast 6 hours if using a tenderizer. Having worked in the Bukhara for some time and knowing some of the old timers there helped in getting to know the recipe.

Burrah Kabab

Ingredients:
Lamb/Mutton, chops and leg pieces, cut large (It is of course the Big Kabab) - 1 Kg ( I use mutton)
Red Chili Powder - 2 Tblsp
Mace (Javitri) powder - 1/4 Tsp
Nutmeg (Jaiphal) - 1/4 Tsp
Garam masala - 1 Tblsp
Shahi zeera (Black cumin seeds) - 2 Tblsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 6 Tblsp
Raw Papaya paste - 2 Tblsp
Malt vinegar - 1/2 Cup
Juice of 1 lemon
Hung yogurt - 1/4 Cup
Oil - 1 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste

Oil for basting

Method:
1. Make a marinade out of red chili powder, mace, nutmeg, garam masala powder, shahi zeera, ginger-garlic paste, raw papaya, lemon juice, malt vinegar and hung yogurt.

2. Marinade the lamb/mutton in the above ingredients for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight). Cover and put the marinated meat in the refrigerator.

3. Skewer the pieces an inch apart from each other.

4. Grill on a charcoal fire for 15-20 minutes or till half done.

5. Take the skewers off the grill and let them stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

6. Baste with oil and grill again till fully done ( 20 more minutes)

7. Serve hot garnished with chaat masala and lime juice sprinkled on top alongwith some mint chutney.

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Nadur Seekh with Mint Chutney

Last week we discovered Lotus Stem at our local mandi and I have since gone gaga on it. It's been ages since I had eaten lotus stem and I have been going back every week to get some more of this stuff. After trying out some traditional dishes with Lotus Stem which were mostly Kashmiri delicacies ( Lotus Stem is called Nadur or Nadru in Kashmiri language), I decided to get innovative. The seekh is a product of that "let's try something different"mode.

Nadur Seekh

Ingredients:

Lotus Stem ( Kamal Kakri) - 200 gm
Chana Dal - 100 gm
Ginger, finely chopped - 2 Tsp
Garlic, minced - 2 Tsp
Pistachio - 2o gm
Almonds- 20 gm
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 2 Tsp
Fennel Powder - 2 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Oil

Method:
1. Peel and wash the Lotus stems. Take care as there is a lot of dirt trapped in between.
2. Chop the lotus stems into slices. Keep aside.
3. In a flat pan, heat oil. Add in the ginger and garlic. Saute till they start to turn a little pink.


4. Add in the lotus stems. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add in the chana dal. Saute for 3 more minutes.
6. Add in the pistachios and almonds. Mix well.
7. Add in the spices and water. Mix well. Let it cook till all water has dried up. Take off flame.
8. Add in the salt and pass this mixture through a blender.
9. Holding a skewer in one hand, take a ball of this minced mixture in the other hand.
10. Press the mince to the skewer and shape into a sausage like kabab.
11. Heat up the grill or tandoor. Grill the kababs, regularly basting them.
12. Serve hot with mint chutney.


Mint Chutney

Ingredients:
Mint - 1 Bunch
Coriander - 1 Bunch
Green Chillies, roughly chopped - 2
Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped - 1" piece
Garlic, peeled and washed - 4 cloves
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Wash mint and coriander. Cut off their roots.
2. Put them in a blender along with all other ingredients and blend into a smooth paste.
3. Adjust seasoning. Chill and serve.

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