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An Enticing Parsi Snack
Aromatic and addictive, these Indian-spiced kababs are a great back-pocket recipe to have. Kavabs are the Parsi version of a kabab/kebab, and their Persian based cuisine is loved by Parsis and non-Parsis alike. For more information about this religion, Peri Avari of Peri's Spice Ladle has an excellent Parsi food blog with a post about Parsi food.
Mini or supersize
Based on Peri Avari's Parsi kavab recipe can be baked or shallow fried. Because these kebabs are bound with mashed potatoes, they make a healthy snack or meal and doesn't require much additional fat for moisture.
You can triple the size and sandwich it into a bun, freshened up with slices of tomato or thin, crisp slices of cucumber. Slather with your favorite chutney or ketchup, serve my Indian-ish coconut cabbage on the side, and you have a satisfying weeknight meal.
I have changed the method of cooking the meat before shaping it into kebabs. Rather than using raw meat, I've cooked it before mixing it into the potatoes, so that I don't have to get the kababs up to a safe temperature. The other tweak I made was to temper the spices in ghee. I hope Ms. Avari is not horrified by these changes.
Some choices
Besides being tasty, I love this recipe because it is so flexible. You can use any ground meat you have, and you go veg by using firm tofu crumbles. I tend to be impatient so don't always wait for a stay in the refrigerator, but it certainly helps the kababs hold together.
This kabab recipe works well as a make-ahead meal and it freezes well, making it a lifesaver when you are in life's crazy whirl. I hope you give this healthy recipe a try and let me know it goes.
Happy Cooking!
~ Alonna
See the Notes below before you cook.
Indian-Spiced Kabab Recipe
Ingrediants
- 1/2 pound potatoes ~ Washed and peeled
- 1 pound ground meat ~ See Notes below to make vegan
- 1 tablespoon ghee or oil
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup onion ~ Minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste ~ Homemade or 1 tablespoon each minced or grated ginger & garlic
- 2 small Indian chilies ~ 1 teaspoon minced. Serrano or jalepeno. More to taste!
- 3/4 teaspoon Kashmiri ground red chili ~ Or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro ~ Or mint, or a combination, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea or table salt ~ Substitutions; more or less to taste
- 1/4 cup flour ~ AP wheat flour, chickpea flour (besan), or rice flour
- 1 large egg ~ Well beaten, or 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil ~ Divided as needed for baking or shallow frying
Optional garnishes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- chutneys ~ Your favorite, buy or make
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a sauce pan and cover with cold water. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Cook the potatoes until they are just tender, testing with a sharp knife or fork. Drain and let cool.
- While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon ghee or oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and sauté for a minute or two, until they turn a shade darker.
- Immediately add the onions and cook until translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the ginger garlic paste and the green chilies. Cook another 2 minutes, or until the paste no longer smells raw. Add a little water if needed to prevent sticking.
- Stir in the red chili, coriander, cumin, and turmeric, and cook for another two minutes.
- Mix in the ground meat or tofu, and sauté until cooked through. Move mixture to a large bowl and add the mashed potatoes, salt, lemon juice, and cilantro (and mint, if using). Stir well.
- At this point you would ideally cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. I typically skip this step, but it does make the kebabs hold together better. This meat mix can be made up to a day in advance.
- Right before cooking, add the flour you are using and a well-beaten egg to the meat mixture.
- Using your hands or a cookie scoop, shape 2 tablespoons size balls of the mixture, and flatten them into a round disk. Or make 4 to 6 burger sized kababs!
Pan Fry or Bake
Pan Fry:
- Add one tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry on each side for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy on the outside.
- If you are frying the small appetizer-sized kebabs, you will need to do this in 2 batches. After the first batch, wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Add another tablespoon of oil and fry the second batch.
Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and generously oil a baking sheet.
- Place kebabs on a baking sheet and brush them on both sides with oil. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the kebabs are nicely browned.
Garnishing
- Drizzle with lemon juice, or sprinkle of chaat masala, as you wish.
- Serve with your favorite chutneys.
Burger Idea
- Toast the buns in butter in a large pan. Brush date and tamarind chutney and/or mint chutney on both sides of the buns and layer with thinly sliced tomatoes or cucumbers, thinly sliced red onion (lightly pickled or not), and pile on some sev (or even potato chips) for crunch. A slice of tomato would not go amiss. Makes 4 to 6 burgers depending on how large you want them.
Notes
- This recipe requires that you refrigerate the meat and potato mixture for shaping, so plan accordingly. You can also make it up the day before if that works better for your schedule. I have skipped the refrigerator step and the kababs are a bit more fragile and crumbly, but if you are short on time, it is still a workable mixture.
- To make this kabab vegan, use well-drained firm or extra firm tofu and substitute the egg with 2 tbsp plant-based yogurt.
- Depending on whether you use meat or tofu, and you may want to swap out the cilantro for fresh mint; especially when using ground lamb.
- Cook the potatoes until just soft, you don’t want them waterlogged.
- The recommended binder for these kababs is semolina flour, and since I didn’t have that I used regular flour. If you want to go gluten-free, use chickpea flour (besan) or rice flour.
- The nutritional information is for a small snack-sized kabab.
- Indian-spiced kabab recipe is one of the Top 20 Dishes in India, enjoy!
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