Veg Galouti Kebab

A kebab is a delicate recipe said to originate in the Middle-East and carried to multiple parts of the world. The Middle-Eastern versions are usually very mildly spiced and rely on the natural smoky flavour the process induces along with the meaty juices. The versions cooked in the Indian region, however, are always fiercely spiced - cooked on high-flame to bring about that crispness. Also, in India, kebabs are not restricted to the grilled versions. The famous Lucknowi Galouti kebabs are made with minced meat cooked on a pan. We have always been fascinated by that melt-in-your mouth kebab and been wanting to recreate some of that magic in our kitchen. That is where we had the next thought - "Why should Non-vegetarians have all the fun?"

So we cooked a vegetable version of that recipe using an ingredient we had rarely ever used before - Yams. The result was as hoped - melt in your mouth kebabs with very delicate flavours. Try it !!

Ingredients

500 gms yam
150 gms fresh coriander
3/4th cup roasted chana
1/2 tsp freshly crackled black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp clove powder
3 green chilles
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp gram flour (optional)
2 tbsp bread crumbs (optional)
oil for frying
salt

Method

1. Peel yam and cut in cubes. Pressure cook yam till soft (2-3 whistles)

2. Drain yam and mash well with the help of spoon

3. Grind roasted chana into fine powder.

4. Now grind green chillies and fresh coriander.

5. Mix yam, chana powder, coriander and chilles paste and all the spices and salt.

6. Put some oil on your hand to make flattened balls of the mix easily. In case the mixture is not workable, you may add gram flour and bread crumbs

7. In a non stick pan, heat oil and add flattened balls. Cook untill they just start to get brown but are still relatively soft and then turn over. You should cook on medium-low heat so they cook from the inside without losing their softness

Serve hot with roomali roti and green chutney!