In my opinion, there’s never a bad time to have kebabs. Whether as a snack or the star of a meal, they’re food for every situation. Seekh Kebabs have different identities depending where in the world you are but they first came to India from the middle east, namely from Turkey.
Before they made the journey, they were originally known as Shish Kebabs. In Turkish, the word Shish means a ‘sword’ or skewer, referring to implements on which they were traditionally cooked and the word ‘kebab’ means to roast so Shish Kebab literally meant food roasted on a sword. This is down to the fact that it was invented by Turkish soldiers who improvised under harsh conditions to cook meat around their campfires while marching to war.
Over time, the seekh kebab has evolved to be much more than just meat over a flame, and in India, they gave it a new life with complex spices, vegetables and paneer for a creamy, delicious treat.
These Veg Seekh Kebabs are sure to be a showstopper at your next party or just a treat at the end of a busy weekday. Made from ingredients that most of us have in the store cupboard this is a surefire crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp asofoteida (hing)
- 2 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 100 gms fresh paneer
- ¼ cup cheese
- 2 medium potatoes
- ¼ cup onion (chopped)
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1 green chilli
- ¼ cup carrot (chopped)
- ¼ cup green beans (chopped)
- ¼ cup sweetcorn
- ¼ cup capsicum (chopped)
- 1 tbsp besan
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi
- Handful of coriander leaves (chopped)
- Salt to taste
Method:
- On a tawa or pan, add some oil, add cumin, hing, onion, ginger, garlic and chilli, and saute well for 3-5 minutes until the onions turn translucent.
- Add in the carrots, beans, corn and capsicum. Feel free to add more veggies if you have them. Meanwhile peel and boil the potatoes until fork tender.
- Sprinkle in the chilli powder, coriander powder and salt to taste.
- Add the boiled potatoes, mashing them well and thoroughly mixing them with the vegetables. Add the paneer and repeat the process.
- Mix in the kasuri methi and coriander and let it cook well.
- Add in the cheese, fold it into the mixture and sprinkle in the besan. Mash it until it comes together into a thick batter.
- Take a ball of the kebab mixture and shape it onto a skewer.
- In a deep pan, add half an inch of oil and heat it. Gently slide your kebabs into the oil and cook evenly on all sides.
