Dal & Sabz Seekh Kabab

As the climate starts getting warmer, grills start getting hotter!! Yes, it is time to get out of the house and BBQ. My favorite part of BBQ is cooking on charcoal. Red hot charcoal, smoky flavor, and food cooked to perfection in a very short period of time. Yes that's the fun of BBQ. 

People feel there are immense BBQ options for non-vegetarians and vegetarians can only enjoy grilled vegetables and corn on the cob. Surely, marinated and grilled veggies taste heavenly and corn on the cob smeared with salt and lime are delicious, but wait till you see all my BBQ posts. As vegetarians we enjoy cooking on charcoal and our little terracotta grill is perfect to store and clean and perfect size for BBQing in our balcony! This grill was bought from World Market (my favorite shopping place) and is perfect to carry it for outdoor BBQ or to the campsites.

Seekh are metal skewers used in kabab making. Seekh kabab gets it's name from the fact than minced meat is wrap around metal skewers and then grilled to perfection. Charcoal cooks the food quicker and evenly. Inspired by non-vegetarian seekh kababs, I tried my hands on vegetarian version by using nutritious dals/lentils and veggies.

So why should you wait?? Turn on your grill and get BBQing!

Ingredients to make 20-25 Seekh Kababs (for a BBQ party)

2+1/2 cup mixed dal (yellow moong dal, chana dal, and masoor dal)
2 cups carrots minced
2 large boiled potatoes
2-3 green chillies (or to your spice)
1 tsp. turmeric
2 tbsp. chilli power
2 tbsp. coriander seeds (dhania seeds)
4-5 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger
4-5 spring onions
2 fresh limes
3 tbsp.oil
Salt to taste
Around 1 cup poha (flaked rice)
Around 1/2 cup rawa (semolina)
Around3-4 tbsp. cornstarch

• Soak dals in double the amount of water for 2-3 hours or overnight if you want to make the kababs in the morning.
• Remove excess water from the top. Just keep enough water for dals to be submerged in it. Add salt and turmeric and boil for 10-15 minutes till tender and water evaporates.
• In a food processor mince carrots, ginger, garlic, green chillies, spring onions, coriander seeds. 
• Add softened dal and coarsely grind it.
• Add boiled and mashed potatoes.
• Remove in a mixing bowl and add chilli powder and garam masala powder to taste.
• Add juice of fresh limes and oil.
• Mix well and give a taste test, Add salt, spice or lime juice.
• Add poha and rawa to the mixture. This will absorb all the moisture and help to bind the mixture.
• Add cornstarch the the mixture and mix well. You might have to adjust the amount of poha, rawa and cornstarch depending on how moist the mixture is. The mixture should stay well on the seekh without falling. If it does not, add more poha, rawa, and cornstarch to the mixture.
• Dip your palm in water or oil. Spread handful of dal and sabz mixture on the seekh/skewers and lightly press it.Water or oil will prevent the mixture on sticking onto your palm.
• When done, immediately put on a charcoal grill or electric grill or griddle. cook on all side for 2-3 minutes on charcoal grill.
• Remove in a plate. Sprinkle chaat masala and squeeze fresh lime juice. 
• Serve with sliced onions and cilantro and min chutney.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Soak dals in double the amount of water for 2-3 hours or overnight if you want to make the kababs in the morning.

Remove excess water from the top. Just keep enough water for dals to be submerged in it. Add salt and turmeric and boil for 10-15 minutes till tender and water evaporates.

In a food processor mince carrots, ginger, garlic, green chillies, spring onions, coriander seeds. 

Add softened dal and coarsely grind it.
Add boiled and mashed potatoes. 

Remove in a mixing bowl and add chilli powder and garam masala powder to taste.

Add juice of fresh limes and oil.

Mix well and give a taste test, Add salt, spice or lime juice.

Add poha and rawa to the mixture. This will absorb all the moisture and help to bind the mixture.

Add cornstarch the the mixture and mix well. You might have to adjust the amount of poha, rawa and cornstarch depending on how moist the mixture is. The mixture should stay well on the seekh without falling. If it does not, add more poha, rawa, and cornstarch to the mixture.

Dip your palm in water or oil. Spread handful of dal and sabz mixture on the seekh/skewers and lightly press it.Water or oil will prevent the mixture on sticking onto your palm.

When done, immediately put on a charcoal grill or electric grill or griddle. cook on all side for 2-3 minutes on charcoal grill.

Remove in a plate. Sprinkle chaat masala and squeeze fresh lime juice. 

Serve with sliced onions and cilantro and min chutney.

Enjoy Vegetarian BBQ!!

Tawa Bhindi

'Mid-week'...today was that tiring day when I wanted to cook and enjoy some delicious dinner without much effort. I did not want to go to a restaurant either.  Since I had a bag full of bhindi/okra that I had purchased over the weekend, it came to rescue. I thought of making my favorite tawa bhindi.

I just enjoy rustic food... bhindi/orka stuffed with spice mixture and cooked on an iron griddle or skillet till it is slightly crisp, goes so well wrapped in freshly made rotis. As soon as my husband entered the house through the garage door, I heard him say "Yummy'.  He had no idea what the dinner was, but just the aroma triggered his brain to express it that way!  :)

You could use various veggies for Tawa Vegetable. I like to use eggplant, cauliflower, bitter gourd, bell peppers, and okra. This recipe is ideal for BBQing too. just stuff veggies, coat them with oil and toss into a grilling skillet. The smokey, charcoal flavor will enhance the flavors of the veggies and will be perfect with tandorri roti or naan.

Here is how I make Tawa Bhindi
1 lb. Okra
4-5 tbsp. Tawa Masala (either homemade or MDH Tava masala)
4-5 tbsp. Oil

To make Tawa Masala (can be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator)
1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
4-5 cloves
1 inch cinnamon
2 tbsp. coriander seeds
2 tsp. kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tbsp. red chilli powder
1 tsp. Amchoor (dried mango powder)
1 tsp. Chaat masala
1 Tsp Salt

To make Tawa Masala

• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard and cumin seeds. When they start to crackle turn off the heat.
• Add all other ingredients to the same pan and roast for a minute or two. Cool
• Grind to form a powder.

To make Tawa Bhindi

• Cut the edge of bhindi/okra
• Make a long slit lengthwise through the entire bhindi.
• Stuff with a pinch of two of Tawa Masala. You could also use store bought Tawa Masala. I really like MDH Tava Masala. 
• Once all okras have been stuffed, keep them aside.
• Heat 4-5 tbsp. oil in a skillet or a wide pan. (you can add more oil if needed)
• Add stuffed okra and toss well.
• Toss them occasionally and cook till they are done.
• Serve with rotis.

Here is step by step pictorial recipe

Cut the edge of bhindi/okra
Make a long slit lengthwise through the entire bhindi.
Stuff with a pinch of two of Tawa Masala. You could also use store bought Tawa Masala. I really like MDH Tava Masala.

Heat 4-5 tbsp. oil in a skillet or a wide pan. (you can add more oil if needed)
Add stuffed okra and toss well.
Toss them occasionally and cook till they are done.
Serve with rotis.

Enjoy Tawa Bhindi!!

Cauliflower Kabab

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! Our weekend was great...woke up early to go to the gym, did some gardening, cleaning up and planting new flowering plants and veggie seeds, cooked delicious food, watched movie (Piku which was house full thrice when we went there), shopping and prepping food for the coming week. Basically it was a relaxing weekend :)

On the days when I go to the gym and want to eat healthy but delicious food, I normally make veggies or paneer kababs. I love the taste of rustic kababs, plus they are not greased, but are super delicious.Cauliflower, paneer, mushrooms, bell pepper, onions, zucchini, all are my favorite kabob veggies.

Kababs are normally cooked in a Tandoor, which is a clay oven with a high temperature charcoal heat. So our Saturday lunch were these deliciously flavored spicy cauliflower kababs cooked in my oven instead of cooking it on charcoal. I will surely post my charcoal cooking recipe soon.

Here is the recipe to make Cauliflower Kababs:

1 medium cauliflower head
1+1/2 cup plain yogurt
1-2 tbsp. red Chilli garlic paste or my Schezwan Sauce (Click here for the recipe)
1 tbsp. kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tbsp. garam masala powder
Salt the taste

• Remove florets from cauliflower head keeping stalks intact. Soak in salt water or clean them well and pat dry. Keep in aside.
• Put yogurt in a strainer for an hour to remove excess water. You can use any plain yogurt or even plain Greek yogurt.
• Remove thickened yogurt in a large container. Add 1-2 tbsp. red chilli and garlic paste or my Schezwan sauce. This gives delicious taste and flavor to the kababs. Add kasoori methi, salt and garam masala powder. Mix well and taste for salt. 
• Add cauliflower florets to the yogurt marinade. Mix well and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
• Gently add each floret into a skewer.
• Preheat oven to 400F. 
• Cook kababs in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes and then broil for 5 minutes to give and charred look.
• Sprinkle some chaat masala over it and serve on the bed of onions.
• Enjoy with Naan bread or as is as appetizers. 
• Delicious and healthy food for dieters.

 Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:
Remove florets from cauliflower head keeping stalks intact. Soak in salt water or clean them well and pat dry. Keep in aside.
Put yogurt in a strainer for an hour to remove excess water. You can use any plain yogurt or even plain Greek yogurt.

Remove thickened yogurt in a large container. Add 1-2 tbsp. red chilli and garlic paste or my Schezwan sauce. This gives delicious taste and flavor to the kababs. Add kasoori methi, salt and garam masala powder. Mix well and taste for salt. 

Add cauliflower florets to the yogurt marinade. Mix well and keep it aside for 30 minutes.

Gently add each floret into a skewer.

I really like my kabab rack. It comes with six metal skewers and a stand so that the kababs do not touch or stick to the base. 

Click here to buy kabab rack.  

Line a regular cookie sheet or baking pan with aluminum foil and grease it lightly with oil/oilspray. Place kabab rack over it so that and droppings can be caught and cleaning becomes easy.

You should grease the foil so that kababs do not stick in case they touch at the bottom.

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Cook kababs in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes and then broil for 5 minutes to give and charred look. Keep an eye on the kababs while they broil to prevent them from over cooking.

I also make the Paneer Tikka Kababs on this rack.

Sprinkle some chaat masala over it and serve on the bed of onions.

Enjoy with Naan bread or as is as Appetizers.