Sheek Kebab, Chicken 1
Sheekh Kabab, Murge ka 1
Mamta Gupta
Sheekh Kebabs (pronounced ‘Ka-bab’ in Hindi, can be served as a side dish with an Indian meal, as a starter or as a main meal with salad. They are good for a barbecue too. The name Seekh/Sheek comes from being cooked on a seekh or a stick (a skewer). Do not be frightened by a long list of ingredients, they are very easy to make.
Also see BBQ Selection and Marinade Selection.
Ingredients
450 gm. chicken mince
1 large onion
1 tbsp. ghee or olive oil
1/2 inch piece of ginger
4 cloves of garlic
2-3 green chillies (according to tastes)
6 mint leaves
A small bunch of fresh coriander
1 egg
2 slices of fresh bread crumbs or 2 tbsp. besan (chick pea flour)
A few strands of Saffron or kesar, soaked in 1 tbsp. of warm milk
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. chilli powder to taste
Whole spices:
1 tsp. cumin seeds*
2 cloves*
4 green cardamom pods or illaichi* (small ones)
1/2 blade of mace or javitri*
1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick or dalchini*
Instructions
Roast all whole spices together in a hot pan for a few seconds, cool & grind in a coffee grinder. Keep aside. If in a hurry, use 2 level tsp. garam masala (see recipe) in place of all the whole spices marked*.
Peel, wash and roughly chop onions, ginger and garlic.
Clean and wash mint and coriander leaves.
Put onion, garlic, ginger, mint, coriander leaves, green chillies and spices in a food processor and grind coarsely.
Add the egg and give it another quick whizz in the food processor.
Place Chicken in a large bowl, add bread crumbs and pour the spice & onion paste over it.
Add saffron, salt and chilli powder. Mix and leave in the fridge, in an airtight container, for a minimum of 4-6 hours. Overnight is better for flavours to infuse into the Chicken.
Shape the mix into sausage shapes on a thick skewers if possible, with dampened hands. This is to stop the Chicken from sticking to your hands. Gently slide off each kebab and place on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil. If you have enough skewers, you can leave them on the skewers, until after they are cooked. Bamboo skewers can also be used but try to find the thick ones. Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before using, it will stop them from burning.
Cook the kebabs under a grill, turning over once or twice, until nicely browned on all sides. They can also be cooked on a barbecue or in a very hot oven (230º C), for 15-20 minutes, until browned on all sides but not overcooked. Overcooking will toughen the Chicken.
Serve hot, with Serve hot, with Green Mango Chutney or Garlic and Mint Chutney..
If you do not have an oven, make them into flat rounds, like hamburgers, and shallow fry in a little oil, on both side, in a heavy bottomed frying pan or griddle, until nicely browned.
For a party, keep them ready on an oven tray, before the guests arrive and cook just before serving.
Kebabs look very nice when served on a bed of finely shredded crisp lettuce, with thinly sliced red onion rings and wedges of lemon as garnish.
Long Sheek Kebabs can be served wrapped in tortillas or Chapatties, along with shredded salads.
Notes
They can be made in bulk in advance and frozen uncooked. To do this, spread out kebabs on baking trays and freeze. Once frozen, place in airtight boxes or freezer bags. If you place aluminium foil between each layer of kebabs, it stops them sticking. This way, when you need them, just take a few out and cook from frozen.
