Friday, July 08, 2011

Kalmi Kabab



Kabab, Kebob, kabob or kebab or whatever variation you may have tried of this all time hit, you gotta admit this must be the oldest celebrity meat dishes in this world. The word itself is so old (from Akkadian:kababu - "to burn, char"), it makes you think - people of this world probably started enjoying this delicacy long before the advent of the written word. Perhaps one of the most loved, most customized, most delicious and the most simple non vegetarian stuff there ever was, is and will be!

No wonder I am a fan of kababs. So I set about making one of my personal favorite variants - the "kalmi kabab" - and it turned out super! So here's the secret folks. Well, no secret really - it's way too simple. Indian spices, yogurt, all purpose flour, egg and you are done!

You need:

(For four chicken legs) 
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Shahi jeera (roasted and ground) - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon stick - 2 inch
Yogurt (set dahi) - 1 cup
Lime juice - 6 tbsp
Egg (beaten) - 1 no
All purpose flour (maida) - 1/4 cup
Saffron - 1 pinch
Salt to taste
  1. Wash and dry the chicken leg pieces and make small incisions at a few places with your knife. This will make sure the marinade stays in.
  2. Take 1 tbsp of milk in a small bowl and warm it up in the microwave for 3-4 seconds. Add the pinch of saffron into the warm milk and mix well.This releases all the color and flavor really well.
  3. Mix all the ingredients above, and the milk and saffron from step 2.
  4. Coat the chicken thoroughly with the marinade and set aside for 2 hours
  5. Pre heat oven to 450 F for 10-15 minutes
  6. Place the chicken pieces on a rack with a drip tray beneath so it does not get sticky and gooey as water oozes out during the grilling process.
  7. Spray some oil/butter/ghee on the chicken pieces (or just drizzle if you don't have a cooking spray)
  8. Grill for 15 minutes, turn the pieces over, spray some oil/butter/ghee on the other side, and grill for 15 more minutes to ensure its done well from all sides.

Serve with onion, lime, thinly shredded cabbage and mint chutney, eat well and come back and tell me about it!

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