Seekh Kabab (Vegetarian)

The word “seekh” means skewer and “kebab” means grilled. So “Seekh Kebab” means grilled on skewer.

I am sure most of you must have either heard or tasted Seekh Kabab at least ones (if not more) in your lifetime. They are generally made out of meat. However, this one is purely vegetarian.

I got this idea from watching one of the TV cookery shows. Though the exact measures of each ingredient were not shown, I noted the ingredients and tried it in my own measures. It tasted really fantastic - (tried it on my husband, daughter and my son-in-law and they were unanimous in their comments- they gave me the thumbs up!). By the way, they are the guinea pigs for my culinary experiments!) The only flaw, I experienced, was that the a few of the kababs fell off the skewer when it was nearly done!  So I have now tweaked it slightly by adding gram flour and the end result was really good and here it is for you all to see and try.

I thank my daughter for taking the trouble of getting me the Bamboo skewers.

 

 Vegetarian Seekh Kabab

Ingredients:

Boiled mixed vegetables	1 cup
Boiled and mashed potato	1 medium
Panner  (cottage cheese) crumbled	About 125 gms.
Salt	As per taste
Garam Masala	1 tsp
Chily powder	½ tsp
Gram Flour (chick pea flour)	2 tbsps
Bamboo skewers	1 doz.
Seasonng ingredients:
Oil	1 tbsp
Panch Phoran (five seed ingredients-1 tsp each)	Mustard, Jeera , Methi, Saunf and Kalonji
Garlic (chopped)	3-4 cloves
Ginger  (grated or finely chopped)	½” pc
Green chilies (chopped)	2

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the “panch phoran” ingredients and when it starts spluttering, add garlic, ginger and green chillies. Fry it for a minute or two.
2. Next add the boiled vegetables, mashed potatoes, and paneer. Saute it for a while.
3. Then add gram flour. Sauté it for a while again and then add salt, chilly powder and garam masala powder. Mix well and stir for a few minutes and remove from flame. Keep aside to cool.
4. When cooled, take a small quantity of this mixture and press it against the bamboo skewers and place it in an oven-toaster at 350 degrees centigrade. Place it across a baking tray without it touching the bottom of the tray. Brush a little oil on top of each kebab.  Roast it for about 5-7minutes or till golden brown.
5. Follow the same procedure for the remaining mixture.
6. Serve these hot with coriander-mint chutney. It tastes good with tomato ketchup too.

Makes: 12 Seekh Kababs

 Ingredients for Veg Sheekh Kabab

 Veg mixture - ready for pressing on to the skewers

Seekh Kababs ready for roasting

Note:

• For mixed vegetables, I used frozen green peas, carrot and cauliflower.
• You can also keep the skewers on a greased baking tray to prevent it from sticking in which case you may have to keep a watch and turn it on other side too for even browning.
• Panch-Phoren is a blend of five seeds namely : mustard, cumin (jeera), fenugreek (methi), fennel (saunf) and Nigella seeds (kalonji). 
• You can adjust the temperature as per your oven.

Red Pumpkin Bhakri (pancake)

“Bhakri” is a term used for round, flat Indian bread and is generally thick and not very soft. Different parts of India prepare their own variety of "Bhakri".

The GSB community or the Konkani speaking community of Mangalore and Udupi are familiar with “rawa bhakri” which we normally have for breakfast or for evening snack.

Unlike chapattis, these Bhakris are made by flattening the dough by hand directly on the hot tawa or the griddle.

Red Pumpkin Bakri is very similar to “Rawa Bhakri”. The addition of the red pumpkin not only gives a good texture to the Bhakri but also lends a subtle sweetness without the addition of sugar and makes for a healthy and a tasty breakfast.

Ingredients:

Grated Red Pumpkin	4 cups
Grated coconut	½ cup
Fine Sooji (semolina)	21/2 cups
Wheat flour	½ cup
Asafoetida	½ tsp
Green chilies (chopped)	3-4
Salt	As per taste
Oil	For shallow frying
Water	For dough

Method :

1. In a bowl, crush green chilies, asafetida and salt together.
2. Add the grated coconut and mix well with your hands.
3. Next add the grated pumpkin, semolina and the wheat flour. Mix all these ingredients well and add water a little at a time to form a soft pliable dough. Keep it aside.
4. Heat a griddle or a tawa. Smear it with oil.
5. Now, take a small ball of the dough and place it on the tawa/gridle and flatten it with your hands evenly. To prevent the dough from sticking to your hand, dip your fingers in a bowl of water and then flatten them into small “bhakris” or pancakes.
6. Dribble a little oil on the sides and fry on both sides on a medium flame until brown spots appear.
7. Follow the same procedure for the remaining dough.
8. Serve hot.

Serves: 4
Makes : 16 Bhakris (depending upon the size)

Ingredients for Red Pumpkin Bhakri

 Grated Red Pumpkin

 

 Red Pumpkinn Bhakri Dough

Note :

• This is an excellent breakfast dish. It has to be eaten hot. It is generally eaten with a dollop of white butter. But any chutney of your choice also goes well with it.
• Before grating the pumpkin, wash it and remove the seeds. Peeling the skin is not necessary.
• The size of each bhakri that I prepared was roughly 3'' in diameter. 
• You can increase the quantity of grated coconut if you so desire.

"Misal" with a twist

First of all wish you all a very Happy & a prosperous New Year!

Many of you may be aware of this tasty Maharashtrian dish that is normally eaten for breakfast. “Misal” meaning mixture in marathi. When served with pav (bread) it is known as Misal Pav.  Traditionally, “Misal” is made from  matki (moth beans) or sprouted green gram with a thick gravy using “goda masala”. This is topped with “Bombay Mixture” (or farsaan as it is called), onions and tomatoes. When curd (yoghurt) is added, it is known as “Dahi Misal”

For me, the word “misal” brings back fond memories of my childhood days in Mumbai.

Our summer vacations were mostly spent at my Grandma’s place. We would have our cousins for company too. If and when we have behaved well and helped Grandma with some household chores, Grandpa would take us all out to a neighbourhood restaurant for a “Misal” treat. The taste of that misal still lingers in my mouth!

Since “misal is a very versatile dish, I have prepared this with a slight twist. Instead of  using “matki” or “sprouted moong”, I have made use of our regular south Indian “Sambhar” with vegetables. Believe me, it turns out really delicious. Try it out and see for yourself. This is my version of "misal" or you can also call it the south-indian “chaat”!

Most South Indian homes prepare Sambhar at least once or twice in a week so it will be easy for them to prepare this misal in a jiffy.

 Misal

Misal ingredients

Ingredients :

Sambhar	4 cups
Bombay mixture (Chivda)	100 gms
Onion (chopped)	1 medium
Tomato (chopped)	1 medium
Corriander leaves (chopped)	2 tbsps
Curds (optional)	About 1 cup
Lemon juice (optional)	2 tsps

Method :

1. First prepare your regular sambhar with any mixed vegetables of your choice.
2. Next keep all the other ingredients (Chivda, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, coriander leaves) ready.
3. Ladle the sambhar into the serving bowl. Add a tablespoon each of chivda, onion, tomato and coriander leaves and finally ½ tsp of lime juice. Add these items just before serving.
4. Serve hot.

Serves : 4

Note:

• It is eaten as a snack. 
• In this recipe, I used corn mixture and ‘sev’.
• If you want to make “Dahi Misal”, add curds to the above prepared bowl, in which case, you may omit the lemon juice.
• Try it out with any curry of your choice and prepare “misal”.