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DAHI KEBABS



    When you think of kebabs your mind is mostly associating it with meats and you would hardly think of their vegetarian cousins.


    Dahi kebabs are the most delicious vegetarian kebabs which are soft, creamy, and delicate in flavor that simply melt in your mouth. The prime ingredient of this kebab is yogurt...Yes, you heard it right it’s made with yogurt.

    Basically the yogurt is hung in muslin cloth to remove the whey, and the cream left is called hung yogurt, which is used for making these kebabs. Crumbled paneer and bread crumbs are added along with some condiments to enhance the flavors of this delicate kebab, shaped in discs and deep fried.


    I like serving these kebabs with tamarind chutney and the green chilli coriander chutney which was made with freshly plucked green chillies growing in my garden.


    It’s a typical North Indian starter perfect to serve in dinner parties as an appetizer. Plan ahead if you want to serve this dish, as it takes time to prepare the hung yogurt.


    And don’t forget to read the cook’s notes for some alternatives!


    YIELDS: 16-18 pieces

    PREP TIME: 30 minutes

    COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

    PASSIVE TIME: 8 hours or overnight



    INGREDIENTS


    • 350g hung yogurt (made from 1kg yogurt)

    • 6-8 slices white bread, fresh

    • 175g fresh paneer, finely grated

    • 2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

    • 1.5” piece ginger, finely chopped

    • 3-4 green chillies, finely chopped

    • 1 tsp jeera (cumin) powder

    • Salt to taste

    • Oil for frying



    METHOD


    1. To make hung yogurt, in a deep bowl, place a sieve, spread muslin cloth on top and drop 1 kilo yogurt into it. Knot the muslin cloth loosely and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. Squeeze out any more excess whey and remove ready hung yogurt in a separate bowl.

    2. Remove crust from bread slices and save it for later. Blitz the slices in food processor and make fine bread crumbs.

    3. In a bowl of hung yogurt, add 1 cup (50g) bread crumbs, grated paneer, ginger, green chillies, coriander, cumin powder and salt, mix them well together. With the help of two spoons make 16 dollops.

    4. Blitz the reserved bread crusts in a blender and mix it with remaining breadcrumbs. Drop a dollop into crumbs, roll it gently with your fingers to coat well from all sides. Shape it into flat round discs (about 1.5cm thick). Repeat with the rest of the mix. Refrigerate the prepared discs for 30 minutes or until ready to be fried.

    5. Heat oil in a deep pan, drop 3 to 4 kebabs at a time and fry on medium high heat until its golden brown. Remove on absorbent paper and serve with tamarind and coriander chutney.



    COOK'S NOTES:


    • You can also prepare the hung yogurt in muslin cloth (cheese cloth) tied to the sink tap and letting the water drain in your sink.

    • I have added bread crumbs based on the consistency of the hung yogurt, but if you hung it too long and yogurt has become too dry, add less quantity of bread crumbs and paneer. On the contrary, if the yogurt is still bit soft, add more bread crumbs and paneer and adjust the seasoning.

    • Deep fry only at medium high temperature of oil, because on slow heat these will break.

    • Do not fry all kebabs at once as the temperature of oil will drop and your kebabs will break.

    • Kebabs can also be shallow fried or air fried.

    • Do not keep tossing the kebabs in oil as they are delicate and can easily break.

    • If you are in a hurry, you can also use labneh instead of hung yogurt to prepare the kebabs. Labneh is a typical middle eastern condiment which is like a cream cheese made with hung yogurt cream. It is used to eat with lavash, khubz or pita breads or as a spread on any bread with olive oil, za’taar etc.


    SHAHI BHUNA GOSHT (LAMB CHOPS)



      This is an exotic and very succulent lamp chop curry made with yogurt, saffron and special blend of aromatic spices. This scrumptious lamb curry recipe has become a recent favourite as the meat is so tender and its rich fragrant flavours just burst in your mouth.


      Generally lamb dishes are something which we don’t cook very often in our family, especially the curries...usually we love kebabs and burgers etc. made with mince... I was watching the masterclass of chef Ranveer Brar where he was making the recipe of lamb shank and that totally inspired me to make this beautiful lamb chop curry in a rich comforting gravy. I paired it with my newfound love of Khoba roti (a bread which is a delicacy of royal Rajasthan).


      Now this curry is a must try, super simple to make but you need to be bit patient while you wait for the meat to tenderise overnight in marination. My husband, who is a bit skeptical about lamb curries, just fell in love with it instantly. I didn’t have to put in that extra effort of my convincing bone to make him eat this super succulent lamb dish. In fact I packed it for his office lunch also and he was very happy to take without any second thoughts about it.

      SERVES: 4

      PREP TIME: 30 minutes

      COOKING TIME: 45 minutes

      PASSIVE TIME: 12-24 hours



      INGREDIENTS

      • 600g lamb chops

      • 2 shavings of green papaya skin, 4”x1” long each

      • 2 Green chilli

      • 4 cloves garlic

      • 1 1/2” piece ginger, roughly chopped

      • 2 tbsp ghee

      • 12-15 black peppercorns

      • 1 large onion, thinly sliced

      • 1 tbsp galouti kebab masala (follow the link for full recipe of galouti masala)

      • 1/2 cup yogurt

      • 1/4 cup roasted cashews

      • 1 tsp degi mirch (Kashmiri red chilli powder)

      • 1/2 tsp turmeric

      • 2 pinch saffron

      • 3-4 drops kewra essence

      • Salt to taste

      • 1 tbsp chicken stock powder/lamb stock powder

      • 2 cups water



      METHOD

      1. Wash and pat dry the lamb chops and keep aside.

      2. In an electric blender, grind papaya, garlic, ginger, green chilli and little oil, make it into fine paste and marinade the lamb chops with the mixture coating well on both sides.

      3. Cover and refrigerate to marinate overnight.

      4. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over a medium low-heat.

      5. Add black peppercorns and marinated chops in the ghee and sear it on both the sides on medium-high heat about 8-10 minutes turning the sides in between.

      6. Now add sliced onions and let them cook while the meat is getting seared. After 2 minutes, reduce the heat and remove the seared lamb chops on a plate and let the onions roast bit more until dark brown in colour.

      7. Add galouti kebab masala, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt, sauté for few seconds and add, whisked yogurt to the onions. Mix them all together stirring constantly.

      8. In an grinder, grind cashew nuts to a smooth paste adding little water and add it to onion masala. Stir them all together and cook for 2 minutes until oil separates from the masala.

      9. Now add the lamb chops back to the onion masala, add saffron, pour water and give a quick stir, cover and let the lamb braise for 20-25 minutes on low heat until the meat is tender.

      10. Remove from heat, add kewra drops and stir to mix. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. I served this curry with Khoba roti which is a Marwari delicacy.



      MILAGAI PODI (GUNPOWDER MASALA)



        Gunpowder (podi), as the name suggests is a fiery dry powder which is basically a blend of spices and lentils. It’s a popular southern Indian food condiment typically served as side dish with idli as a dipping condiment along with ghee or sesame oil.


        This Milagai podi is a traditional recipe especially from the state of Tamilnadu. Each state of south India has their own variations of podi recipe. Podi is used as a substitute for the traditional chutneys served for breakfast with idli, dosa, appam or even uttapam.


        Every household in the south of India has their own podi recipe, but I’m sharing the one which I learnt from a friend from Tamilnadu. This particular recipe which I'm sharing is a traditional one, but sometimes I make different variations by adding flax seeds or peanuts.


        To see one of the ways I use the Gunpowder masala in a dish, click here!

        YIELDS: 200g approx.

        PREP TIME: 5 minutes

        COOKING TIME: 12 minutes

        KEEP TIME: 1 month



        INGREDIENTS

        • 1/2 cup urad dal

        • 1/4cup chana dal

        • 10-12 dried red chillies

        • 3 stalks curry leaves

        • 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)

        • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

        • 1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

        • 3 tsp oil (vegetable oil, sesame oil or coconut oil)

        • 1/2 tsp salt or to taste



        METHOD

        1. In a pan, dry roast the sesame seeds on medium low heat until lightly golden. Put it aside.

        2. In the same pan, warm 1 tsp of oil, add chillies and curry leaves, roast them on medium low heat for about 3 minutes, until the curry leaves are crispy. Put them aside to cool.

        3. In the same pan again, add rest of the oil, warm up slightly and add chana dal and urad dal, toast them for 3 minutes on medium low heat.

        4. Now add asafoetida, turmeric and salt and roast them for 3 more minutes on medium low heat until its toasted and turns golden brown.

        5. Transfer all the prepared ingredients in a blender and blitz to a coarse powder.



        COOK'S NOTES:

        • If you don't like too much heat in the podi powder, substitute the normal red chilies with Kashmiri red chillies which are mild in taste.

        • You can make days in advance and preserve it in an airtight jar for up to a month.

        • It’s bit dry on the throat on its own so it must be eaten with ghee (clarified butter) or sesame oil.

        • Serve these with steamed idlis, uttapam or appams. I even sprinkle on my toast with cottage cheese and avocado, it tastes delightfully delicious! Or learn the recipe of my Cocktail Idli Skewers that I made with this Podi by clicking here!


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