LAMB SEEKH KABAB (serves 8)

These are long, finger shaped kababs of lamb mince. These may be served whole or cut into bite sized pieces

1 lb/500 g mince of lamb

2 onions - sliced, deep fried to a crisp brown color and crushed

2 tbsp garlic-ginger paste

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp thick sour cream

1 tbsp ground coriander

½  tsp salt (or to taste)

4 tbsp oil for shallow frying

chat masala to sprinkle (optional)

• Wash the mince.  Check that all the water is drained out well (otherwise the balls will not bind well and tend to break while cooking).

• Put the mince in a bowl. Ad all the other ingredients. Mix and knead.

• Keep aside for 2 hours.

• Heat a gas oven or an electric oven with the skewers.

• Take a big ball of the mince mixture and hold a hot skewer carefully in the other hand. Press the mince on to a hot skewer. The mince will immediately stick to the hot skewer. If the skewers are cold, the mince does not stick properly.

• Repeat with left over mince on all the other skewers. Place the skewers in the oven.

• Keep rotating the skewers occasionally. When cooked, gently remove the kababs from the skewers.

• To serve, sprinkle some chat masala and lemon juice on the hot kababs.

PANEER TIKKA (serves 4)

Soft pieces of paneer cheese are smeared with flavored yoghurt paste and put in a tandoor or grill in an oven to get a crisp and succulent snack.

8 oz/250 g paneer - cut into ¼ inch/6mm thick x 1inch /2.5 cm square pieces

2 capsicum (red, green or yellow) - cut into small pieces

8 small white mushrooms

1 clove of garlic

1-2 dried, whole red chilies

ginger 1 inch/2.5 cm

2 tbsp sour cream

1 tbsp yoghurt

pinch of turmeric

1 tbsp lemon juice

4 tbsp oil

½ tsp rock salt (kala namak)

1 tsp tandoori masala

salt to taste

½ tsp cumin powder

1 tomato - cut into slices to garnish

• Grind ginger, garlic and chilies to a paste.

• To the paste add yoghurt, sour cream, cumin, lemon juice, oil, salt, rock salt, tandoori masala, turmeric. Marinate paneer, capsicum and onion pieces in it for at least 2 hours.

• Arrange paneer pieces on greases skewers with the capsicums pieces, onions.

• Heat a grill or oven. Place the skewers on a grill or wire rack brushed with some oil. Grill for 15 minutes turning once in between.

• Cook till paneer pieces start getting crisp from the sides.

• Serve hot sprinkled with some lemon juice or chat masala on a bed of either plain boiled rice or Pulao Rice accompanied with cooling Mint Raita.

(Wide flat bamboo skewers help keep food items in place while grilling, no spinning as with traditional skewers.)

SHAMI KABABS (serves 8)

1 lb mince of lamb (keema)

1/4 cup yellow split peas (soaked for 15 minutes in water and drained)

1 onion (sliced)

1 tbsp finely chopped garlic

2 inch/5cm piece ginger chopped

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 green cardamom

½ inch/1 cm stick cinnamon

1 bay leaf

4-6 peppercorns

2-3 dry, whole red chilies

salt to taste

• Wash the mince.  Check that all the water is drained out well.

• Add all the ingredients to the mince.

• Grind the mince either on stone grinder or in a food processor till smooth without adding any water.

• To prepare kababs make tiny balls. Flatten them into small discs. Shallow fry in a non stick pan on medium heat, till brown on both sides.

CHICKEN MALAI KABAB

1 lb/500 g boneless chicken breast (cut into pieces)

½ cup sour cream

1/4 yogurt

1/4 cream cheese

2 tbsp garlic ginger paste

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

salt to taste

• For the marinade mix all ingredients together.

• Add chicken breast and leave for 2-3 hours

• Heat a gas oven or an electric oven with the skewers.

• Put pieces of chicken  on  skewers carefully.

• Keep rotating the skewers occasionally. When cooked, gently remove the kababs from the skewers.

• Sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve hot.

LAMB BALLS    (serves 4)

1 lb mince of lamb (keema)

2 tbsp garlic-ginger paste

1-2 green chilies - finely chopped

1 tsp garam masala

4 -5 tbsp gram flour (besan)

1 tbsp ground coriander

½  tsp salt (or to taste)

½ tsp chili powder

4 tbsp oil for shallow frying

chat masala to sprinkle (optional)

2 tbsp lemon juice

• Wash the mince.  Check that all the water is drained out well (otherwise the balls will not bind well and tend to break while cooking).

• Put the mince in a bowl. Add all ingredients. Mix and knead well.

• Take a heaped tbsp of mince in the palm of your hand and bind  tightly into balls. Make balls a little big, as mince tends to shrink while cooking.

• Take pressure cooker. oil its bottom well. Arrange them at the bottom of the pressure cooker.

• Do not add water, as the mince will leave water. Pressure cook to give 2 whistles and simmer on low heat for 2 minutes.

• Remove from the heat. Let the pressure drop by itself. Alternatively steam balls in a steamer till cooked.

• Remove the meat balls and keep aside.

• At serving time, add 4 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and fry the steamed balls on medium heat till brown. Sprinkle chat masala.

• Remove on serving plate and garnish with green coriander and lemon wedges. Serve with coriander and mint chutney.