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 brow coloru 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 grilled 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 rice.

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.

MUTTON 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.