A Home-made Kebab for vegetarians

Have you ever seen those mouth-watering Shami Kebabs and wondered if they could have been prepared using vegetarian ingredients than mince chicken or mutton?

Don’t worry I may have a solution.

Do you know that you can use lentils to prepare a similar looking Kebab?

Not only do these kebabs look similar but they can also deceive you in taste. This means that you will not be able to distinguish between a mince chicken/mutton kebab and a lentil kebab.

Today I present to you a home-made kebab suitable for vegetarians. It is called Hara Bhara Kebab (in English, it literally means a lush green kebab).

Ingredients

Peas-1 cup

Chana Dal (Split Chick Pea) -1/2 cup (soaked in water for at least 4 hours)

Chopped Garlic-4 cloves

Chopped Ginger-1 inch

Garam Masala (mixture of common Indian spices)-1/2 teaspoon

Tip: If you can’t get ready-made garam masala mixture from a nearby Indian store, you can make yours by using 1 black cardamom, 3 green cardamoms, 4 cloves, and 1 inch cinnamon-all ground together for this dish.

Red Chilli Powder-1/4 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Cooking Oil-2 tablespoon

Method

In a wok, add ½ tablespoon cooking oil and put it on your heat source.

As soon as the oil becomes warm, add the crushed garlic and ginger and roast for a minute.

Add the green peas and the soaked chana dal (split chick pea) without the water.

Stir well.

Now add the garam masala, red chilli powder and salt to taste.

Reduce the heat and cover the wok.

Cook till the split chick pea and peas become soft but not overcooked. Otherwise, you cannot make good kebabs.

Turn off the heat source and grind the mixture in a grinder.

Make small patties with this mixture and keep it aside.

In a non-stick pan, add the left over cooking oil and put it on your heat source.

As soon as the oil becomes hot, add the patties and gently roast on both sides.

Your Hara Bhara Kebab (Lush green Kebab) is ready.

Prep time: 5 minutes (in addition to the four hours required for soaking the split chick peas)

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Feel free to share your views with me on this recipe, or with any other recipe that you experimented at home and loved it or about any of my cookbooks.

[This Excerpt forms a part of my upcoming book: “The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Lentils the Indian Way”].

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