When in doubt make kababs...

Image courtesy Amrita Rana of Life Ki Recipe

The logic has somehow always worked for me. Whenever I plan to throw a party or have to go to a pool lunch/dinner I tend to turn to my dad's recipe of these amazing shaami kababs. As I have mentioned before in one of my blog posts that these kababs can beat the famous Tunday Kababi of Lucknow anytime. Over the years I myself have mastered the recipe. It's quite simple, all you have to do is stick to the right proportions. And, oh! these kababs go best with the green chutney.

Mutton shaami kababs
Ingredients
750 gms mutton keema (preferably from raan)
300 gms chana dal
4 medium sized onions (peeled and sliced)
10-12 cloves of garlic
2 inch long piece of ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp shah jeera
8-10 pods of kabab chini (allspice or pimenta)
8-10 black pepper pods
6 cloves
8-10 whole red chillies or Kashmiri chillies
3 black cardamoms
5 green cardamoms
2 inches long stick of cinnamon
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Wash the keema properly in a sieve and let all the water drain out.
• Mix all the ingredients except oil in a pressure cooker and cook till at least 5-6 whistles are blown.
• Once the mixture cools down grind it into a paste.
• If the consistency of the paste cover it with a foil and keep it in the freezer for half an hour. This will thicken the paste up.
• Heat oil in a non stick flat pan, make small patties with the paste and shallow fry them till they turn golden brown on both sides.
• Serve the steaming hot kababs with onion rings, green chutney and parantha or pav.

Green chutney

Ingredients

250 gms fresh coriander

250 gms fresh mint leaves

6 green chillies

2 medium sized onions (cut into four pieces)

6 cloves of garlic

1 inch long piece of ginger

2 lemons

Salt to taste

Method

• Take all the ingredients except salt and lemon in a mixer pot.
• Add half cup water and grind the mixture into a fine paste.
• Add salt and squeeze both lemons in it.
• Serve chutney with kababs, pakodas, sabudana wadas, sandwich and practically anything you need a dip with.