Kakori Kebabs

Continuing with the Kebabolicious evening week at Aysha's Kitchenette, I am back again with another succulent Kebab recipe which has its origin from a place called Kakori near Lucknow in North India.

Kebabs these days have moved from food to art....and the trend is here to stay. Trendy or not, I particularly love making them at home for the fabulous aromas wafting around the house. The lure of warm, bite size Kebabs straight out of the oven is too overpowering for me to resist.

Let us hit the recipe now.

These melt in your mouth kebabs are a great dinner party option. Minced lamb or mutton grilled with a range of Indian seasoning and flavors.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups minced mutton/lamb

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp powdered black pepper

2 tbsp chopped green coriander

Chopped green chillies to taste

2 Tbsp chopped raw papaya

4 cloves

1 black cardamom seeds

1/8 tsp powdered cinnamon

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 blade mace

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

2 cups onions - sliced thin, and browned crisp in 1/2 cup ghee

1/4 cup roasted chickpea(chana) - powdered

1 egg

Butter/Oil for brushing

Onion rings and lemon wedges for garnish

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Mix all ingredients except butter/oil and garnishes to marinate for about 4 hours, then grind to form a smooth, thick paste.

2) Knead this mixture well and mix in the roasted gram and the egg. Cover and refrigerate for another hour.

3)  About 25 minutes before serving, shape the meat around the skewers and place the kebabs on to a grill over a drip tray, or in a pre-heated oven (also on a drip tray).

4)  If cooking them over a charcoal grill, you will have to keep rotating them so that they brown and cook evenly.

5) They should take 15-20 minutes to cook at a temperature of 220 degrees Celsius..

6)  Brush with butter and cook another 2 minutes. Serve garnished with chaat masala onions and the lemon and serve with green chutney.