Eid Special! Pahadi Kebab Skewers!

Hey from EL The Cook!

Wishing everyone a Happy Eid!

For today's recipe, we recollect our travels to Kashmir, where we experienced our first Pahadi Kebab!

"Pahadi" means mountains in Hindi, and the recipe is inspired by the simple herbs used by the local people living in the mountains, where spices are scarce.

This recipe is truly a reflection of the ingenuity of the Kashmiri folk, to create delicious food out of locally sourced fresh herbs such as mint and coriander. They add lovely green hues to the meat, giving it a colour which you wouldn't normally associate with a great tandoori kebab.

This recipe is usually cooked in a tandoor which infuses real smoky flavours into the dish, however for simple home cooking a hot griddle pan does a wonderful job of caramelisation of the meat and adds a distinct flavour of its own.

Here's what you need to make this lip-smacking kebab recipe!

INGREDIENTS: (Serves 2)

(Marinade Overnight + Cook Time : 15 minutes)

• 500 gm diced boneless chicken

Marinade:

• 1 cup coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• 3 green chilies 
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons hung curds
• 1 tablespoon fresh cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Kebab Sticks:

• 1 Diced tomato
• 1 Diced green bell pepper
• 1 medium red onion diced
• 1 tablespoon salted butter for basting
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 4-6 wooden skewers 

KITCHEN EQUIPMENT:

• Mixer/ Blender
• Large bowl
• Chefs knife
• Cling Film
• Cutting board
• Griddle pan
• Serving Plates

METHOD:

Marinade:

• Mix all the ingredients mentioned in the marinade above, in a blender, to a fine paste.
• In a large bowl, add the diced chicken and throughly marinade with the paste from the blender.
• Wrap the bowl tightly in cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.

Kebab Sticks:

• Remove your marinated chicken from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
• Take your wooden skewers and soak them in a water for 5 minutes, this will prevent the chicken from sticking to them
• For assembly, take a skewer and gently add a chicken piece and then an onion dice, followed by another piece of chicken and then add a dice of tomato. Continue this till the skewer is interlaced with chicken and veggies.
• Assemble all the skewers before frying.
• To a griddle pan on high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil an allow the pan to get hot.
• Add the skewers quickly to the pan and cover.
• Fry on each side for 2 minutes on high heat, till the meat has got a good caramelisation.
• Cover the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes on low heat.

Storage:

Pahadi Kebabs can easily be stored in the fridge for 3 days. They can also be added to a quick gravy and instantly makes a to-die-for chicken gravy.

Eid Mubarak everyone!

This recipe is fit entree, lunch or dinner. EL The Cook recommends this simple & fragrant recipe with a side of  freshly prepared flatbread!