The word “Kebab” has its origins in the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Persia, and has always been synonymous with meat. Even today it is largely seen as being a non-vegetarian food lover’s delight. But there is one traditional Kebab that is specially meant for vegetarians – the Hara Bhara Kebab that gets its name from its rich green ingredients, spinach and peas (Hara means green).
In today’s post let’s explore an exciting homemade version of the Hara Bhara Kebab. You won’t need a charcoal tandoor and skewers for this recipe. It has been adapted to suit a modern kitchen – but no compromise has been made in terms of flavour, authenticity and enjoyment.
The ingredients that you will require are listed below.
Ingredients:
- Spinach (Saag): 100 grams
- Potatoes: 2, medium sized
- Peas: 150 grams
- Gram Flour (Besan): 4 tablespoons
- Mustard Oil: 6 tablespoons
- Green Chilli: 1
- Ginger (Adrak): A small one-inch piece
- Dry Mango Powder (Amchur): 1 teaspoon
- Chaat Masala: 1 teaspoon
- Garam Masala: Just a pinch
- Salt: To taste
The quantities mentioned above are for serving four persons with two kebabs each. Adjust the quantities proportionately to suit the number of servings you require.
Preparation:
Take around 500 millilitres of water in a pan and chill it in the refrigerator.
Boil around 500 millilitres of water in another pan. Once the water starts boiling, turn the flame off. Put the spinach in the hot water for around two minutes, making sure it is fully immersed. Carefully remove the spinach from the hot water (it is best to use tongs for this) and place the spinach in the chilled water for a minute or so. Then remove the spinach from the cold water and drain thoroughly to remove all the water. You could use your hands to gently squeeze any residual water out. When this is done, finely chop the spinach and keep aside.
Lightly dry-roast the gram flour in a pan and keep aside.
Wash, boil and peel the potatoes. Use a fork to check that they are done.
Boil the peas – to save time you can do this in the same pan along with the potatoes.
Grate the boiled potatoes and then mash the potato pieces and peas using the back of a tablespoon or a ladle.
Finely chop the ginger and the green chilli. Then use a mortar and pestle to make a paste of the ginger and green chilli.
Method:
In a mixing bowl add the spinach, the mashed potatoes and peas, and the ginger-green chilli paste. Mix well.
Next, add the roasted gram flour, dry mango powder, chaat masala, garam masala and salt. Mix well to ensure that the spices mix evenly with the mashed potato-peas mixture.
Divide the mixture into eight equal portions. Use your hands to shape each portion into a round shape like a Tikki (croquette).
Heat the Mustard Oil in a frying pan on a Medium flame. When the oil reaches its smoking point and starts emitting puffs of aromatic whitish smoke, reduce the flame to Low.
Fry each Tikki till it takes on a golden brown colour. At regular intervals turn the Tikki over to ensure even frying on both sides. Repeat the same process for the remaining Tikkis. Depending on the size of your frying pan you can fry two or three Tikkis at the same time – but make sure they don’t get burnt.
Your Hara Bhara Kebab is now ready. Serve them hot with tomato ketchup or any chutney of your choice. It’s a great idea for a teatime snack – or you could even serve them as a side dish with meals.
You can find more recipes at : https://www.purioilmills.com/recipes-in-english/
The Mustard Specialist 