Kebab Platter- Hara Bhara Kebab, Dahi Ke Kebab, Soya Shammi Kebab & Rajma Galouti Kebab

Hi foodie friends 🙂 Today we are back with our favorite, the kebabs. You all might be surprised to know our love for kebabs 🙂 Ever we are out for serving ourselves with Indian cuisine Kebabs are a must for the starters 🙂 And the irony is that our love for kebabs makes us stuck on to them so badly that there is hardly any space for the main course 😉 We have always loved kebabs and so we realized and questioned ourselves as to why haven’t we posted any kebabs recipe till now. So while getting back to our blogging this time we tried to get back to making some kebabs too 🙂

It all began with just a thought for the post but soon landed up as a need at home. With the onset of this festive season here in India which we are enjoying to the fullest, we were indeed thinking of something that can be served to our guests too 🙂

Foodies as we are heading towards one of the biggest festivals “Diwali” (Diwali, popularly known as the “festival of lights,” is a five-day Hindu festival) and also the wedding season, number of guests visiting homes is just endless 🙂 Be it for Diwali greetings or wedding invites 🙂 And yes the card parties this season are indeed keeping us busy. Hope you all agree 🙂

Foodies we love hosting parties at home, like most of you. And when we talk to fellow-hosts, we find that they are almost always worried about what snacks to serve – the main course and desserts are easier to finalise! It so happens that after much thought they usually settle for common, tried-and-tested dishes such as Paneer Tikkas. Hmmm, there will be a time when your guests would have had enough of it!  Trust us 🙂 Keeping the same in mind we have come up with this amazing kebab platter on our menu today 🙂

A compilation of four delicious and innovative kebabs 🙂 And well, there is something for everybody, from the live-for-the-day eater to the more discerning health-conscious ones.

That said, variety alone does not ensure that the starters/snacks served during your party become a huge hit with the guests. A major part of the planning involves combining these snacks appropriately into what is today popular-known as a “platter”. Platters are a dominant phenomenon today – they ensure guests a well-chosen selection of snacks replete with rotis, a salad or two and suitable chutneys and sauces. A well-planned platter is wholesome and nutritious and capable of serving as a meal in itself for the snack-lover (while serving as a starter for the rest).

Foodies Innovation is the key! Go ahead and put together one of the recommended platters on your menu today. The delightful kebabs to make your guests praise you this entire festive season 🙂

 

Starting with the first kebab on the platter –Hara bhara kebab. Hara Bhara Kebab gets its name and green colour from the healthy spinach in it 🙂 A tasty alternative for those who love kebabs but are vegetarian. The crispy hara bhara kebab is a vegetarian kebab recipe full of aromatic spices, healthful ingredients and an amazing taste. A recipe which is so easy to prepare. These kebabs have been on the menu list of couple of north Indian restaurants. We love them and seems like having them since ages 🙂 Making them in our own kitchen and seeing everyone in the family enjoying them was like a treat 🙂 They came out to be just perfect.

So when you have a lot of spinach for making sarson ka saag, and there is still leftover, making these kebabs is the most apt decision. These make an amazing snack and trust us appreciations would remain endless 🙂

Now true to its name hara bhara kebab boasts of green health. Made from spinach, peas and cottage cheese, it is nutritious as well as delicious. To go with the kebabs we had made a green garlic chutney from mint and coriander. This is a great dip to go with kebabs.

Foodie’s hara bhara kebabs are an easy finger food that can be served as a brunch or also as a starter. One which is light and not heavy 🙂 can also be stuffed into sandwiches or burgers. It’s a great way to disguise the spinach, so that kids can have it too 🙂

Foodies moving on to next, have you ever thought of making kebabs using dahi (yoghurt)? Do try this recipe for a great starter.This is an unusual recipe of Dahi ke kebab. Here dahi or yogurt is mixed with cottage cheese and then made into tikkis 🙂 Soft tasty vegetarian kebabs made from hung curd and cheese with the crunchiness of onions and the flavors of ginger and pepper.

These grilled yogurt kababs are extremely delicious and melt in the mouth. Dahi kebab is a special recipe belonging to awadh. Savouring taste of hung curd having light spices and served with green coriander or mint chutney, you will surely like it J It is full of Awadhi taste but also full of Awadhi softness too. So while cooking dahi kebab, handle them with care.

Dahi Ke Kebab is a classic Indian appetizer which can make you a star. There are many versions of the recipe and we have adapted ours keeping in mind the softness and great taste of main ingredients that is curd as major and bit of cottage cheese. Many present these as deep fried crisp outer with filling of curd but we don’t like that form much. Firstly it doesn’t give it an appealing look and secondly the deep fried covering is too oily. So our version of kebabs is authentic round form made of just the right ingredients 🙂

Foodies you can enjoy this tempting crispy dahi kebab recipe with sauce of your choice as starter or snack. It is a delicious healthy and protein rich snack item that melts in your mouth leaving a satiating taste in your mouth 🙂

Foodie friends now raise your hand, those of you who love Soya 🙂  Oh my! I can see almost all of you including Parul, sitting right next to me 😉  with both hands up one for herself and one on my behalf while I am busy writing 😉 So next in our platter are these delicious kebabs made from soya and chana dal popularly known as Soya Shammi Kebabs.

Texturally, soya has quite a close resemblance to meat and that comes to the advantage of the vegetarians who want to indulge into non-veg delicacies, in a vegetarian way 🙂

In process of making this kebab platter we indulged into a very popular kebab, the Shami Kebab. Shami kebab literally means Syrian kebab (Sham) in Arabic. This kebab almost appears like a patty or cutlet which is pan fried and served with mint or coriander chutney, sliced onions and lemon juice. It is a nutritious and healthy kebab. This kebab is extremely popular in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A typical shami kebab  is non vegetarian dish made of minced mutton, ground Bengal gram (chana dal) and spices. It can be made with any meat either the beef, chicken or mutton but a traditional Shami Kebab is made from mince meat and  are round patties filled with spicy surprises and the tangy `kairi’ or raw green mango. The uniqueness of this kebab is the masala which is a zealously guarded family secret and prepared by women in the royal family. Shami kebabs are royally prepared during the Iftar parties during the Ramzan season or on Eid days along with sheer kurma.

There are various theories regarding it’s origin. Firstly some are of the opinion that these kebabs were introduced to South Asia during the Mughal Era by Muslim emigrants from the Middle East. They had employed cooks from all over the Muslim world to serve in the royal kitchens. Some of the cooks were from Syria as well. The second theory states that the word Sham is evening in Hindi and Urdu and Sham-e-Awadh means an evening in Lucknow of yore since the time of Nawab regime.  The third theory says that  ShamiKababs had originated from the famous village of Sham Churasi in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab.

Since it is authentically made using meat, this is our take on making a veg and vegan version. We have avoided the use of clarified butter in cooking the kebabs but those who do not mind indulging in more calories, do not hesitate to use the ghee 🙂 The veg kebab might not be as succulent as the non veg version as soya does not have any fatty tissues to it plus it cannot be ground as fine as the meat, but flavour wise this kebab rocks.

These are healthy, quick and delicious. Surely a vegetarian’s delight 🙂 The one important step when using soya granules is that it has to be boiled properly because soya has a peculiar smell which you can get rid of after boiling it. After it’s boiled, squeeze the water out of it thoroughly. Nutrela High Protein Soya Granules can also be found at your local Indian grocery store. We serve this with green chutney or tomato ketchup.

Soya shammi kebab a variety India kebabs, involving soya granules, Chana dal and various spices Soya shammi kebab recipe requires some time to  prepare but can be thought as the healthiest of Kebab because of the number of vegetables involved. Especially soya itself is full of protiens, iron and calcium. Also considered an amazing source to make your hair healthier and stronger 🙂 For all the reasons and unending love for soya, Soya shammi kebab is our favourite and can become your favorite too 🙂

Foodies what clicks you first when we talk of Nawabs (The word Nawab was given to Muslim rulers just as Maharaja was given to Hindu rulers.) and as we are talking of kebabs. Seem quite rhymed and related 🙂 Hope you guessed it right. A delectable vegetarian version of the traditional galouti kebab, where meat has been replaced with rajma. So the fourth one in the platter is all about nawabi food- Rajma Galouti Kebabs.The food of nawabs is rich in dry fruits, saffron and ghee cooked on slow fire to get those fine aromas of whole spices. Among nawabi food kebabs have always been our favourite and so on our menu today 🙂 The mughlai kebabs are made in tandoor while the Awadhi ones on tawa. Galouti kebabs are from lucknow- the city of nawabs. These are normally non vegetarian but to make the veg version rajma( Beans) is used. While eating these delicious kebabs which are made into tikkis and shallow fried you don’t get the taste of beans. The flavour is dominated by rich spices as is popular in Awadhi cuisine. The cardamoms, black and green lend a wonderful aroma to these mouth-watering kebabs. The nuts and khoya make it rich. So here we are with these absolutely delicious kebabs, thereby giving our platter a perfect finish 🙂

These are definitely for the ones who fall in category of live-for-the-day eaters 🙂 As undoubtedly these kebabs are pretty heavy, involve a lot of spices along with cashew nuts and insisted for being shallow fried in ghee 🙂

So foodies without much more wait let’s have a look at nutritious, tempting Kebab platter recipe 🙂

Method

1. Pressure cook the chana dal, ginger, garlic and green chillies with ¾ cup of water for 2 to 3 whistles or until the dal is cooked. Drain out and discard any excess water.
2. Combine the spinach, green peas and cooked dal mixture and blend to a coarse paste without using any water.
3. Add the paneer, chaat masala and garam masala and mix well.
4. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and shape them into flat kebabs.
5. Roll the kebabs in the bread crumbs.
6. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and cook the kebabs on both sides till they are golden brown in colour.
7. Serve hot.

Method:
For the kebabs

1. Combine all the ingredients for the kebabs, except the cashewnuts, in a bowl and mix well.

2. Divide the mixture into 10 equal portions and shape each portion into a small round kebab.
3. Press a little in the centre of each round to make a depression, place half a cashewnut and again shape them      into flat kebabs.
4. Roll each kebeb in bread crumbs so that the kebabs are evenly coated from all sides.
5. Heat the oil in a kadhai and deep-fry the kebabs a few at a time. Drain on an absorbent paper and keep aside.

For the masala coating

1. Heat the ghee in a kadhai, add the ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder and kitchen king masala and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the browned onion paste and salt and sauté for 2 minutes on a low flame. Keep aside.

How to proceed

1. Add the kebabs in the pan with the prepared masala and toss gently so that the masala coats all the kebabs well.
2. Place the kebabs in a serving dish, sprinkle milk on top and serve immediately.

Method:

1. Soak the soya granules for 15-20mins and Bengal Gram for an hour in water. Drain the water from the lentils. Take a muslin cloth and transfer the soya granules to it. Press and squeeze out all water.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add all the whole spices. Keep the flame low, so that all flavors infuse into the oil.
3. Add the chopped onion and sauté.
4. Add the soaked and drained Bengal gram, mix.
5. Add the soaked and drained soya granules and mix on high flame to remove all the remaining water.
6. Add the garam masala, chili powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix and cook for two more minutes.
7. Cool and add bread slice and lemon juice.
8. Remove all whole spices and put them in the mixer and grind. Add the soya mix and grind to a smooth paste. While grinding add one or two slices of bread. This helps in binding. Add 2tbsp oil to the mix, this helps to avoid the dryness of the soya and makes the kebab more succulent.
9. Add the cornstarch to small portions of the mix at a time. Add enough cornstarch so that the kebabs do not disintegrate while frying. The quantity of cornstarch will completely depend on the moisture content in your mix, hence have not specified the quantity.
10. Take small lemon size portion of the mix and with oiled hand make patty with smooth edges. Shallow fry in medium hot oil. While shallow frying ensure that the pan has enough oil to submerge half the height of the patty. Fry on both sides and remove on a kitchen towel.
    Serve hot with green chutney, onion slices, lemon wedges and some chaat masala, sprinkled on top. Else roll it inside a roti with some chutney and onion for a filling kathi roll.

Method

1. Soak rajma (beans) in five cups of water preferably overnight. Boil in sufficient quantity of water until soft. Drain and set aside.
2. Dry roast cashewnuts, chironji and khus khus. Grind to a fine paste using a little water.
3. Dry roast shahi jeera, green and black cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. Cool and grind to a fine powder.
4. Soak saffron in kewra water.
5. Heat two tablespoons of ghee in a pan, add ginger and garlic and saute for a few seconds.
6. Add green chillies and saute for one minute.
7. Add rajma and cook for three to four minutes.
8. Add cashewnut paste and stir-fry for four to five minutes.
9. Add khoya, white pepper powder and salt, stir-fry for four to five minutes.
10. Remove from heat.
11. Cool and mash rajma to a smooth paste. (In case rajma paste is not firm, then cook paste further with addition of ghee till firm.)
12. Sprinkle powdered spices and soaked saffron.
13. Adjust salt. Add lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Divide mixture into equal balls and press them lightly.
14. Heat pure ghee in a frying pan and shallow fry tikkis until lightly coloured on both sides.

Foodie friends the next time you plan a party or are attacked by a sudden hunger pang, fret not, prepare these easy-to-follow kebab platter recipe and watch the platters empty while the diners faces light up 🙂

Cheers!

Parul n Sakshi