Chicken Kabab Masala, the short-cut way!

What is a poor, tired woman to do otherwise, if not rely on short-cuts? I had reached home late that day, totally worn out, and willing to settle for just about anything for dinner. And then I remembered my bowl of chicken mince (keema) lying in the fridge, marinated in sauces. I had bought a little mince to make kababs for my son who till date refuses to chew his food, or even bite into hard objects. I thought that perhaps if I prepared something different, he would be lured into chewing his food. Wishful thinking, indeed.

Anyways, I could not let the mince go waste. If not his tummy, then ours instead. Best part was, it was ready to be fried into kababs. I then realized that if I made some gravy and dunked the kababs in it, we shall have a substantial main dish for dinner. But I was not ready for the chopping, slow cooking, continuous stirring and the works. Hence, out came my trusty mixer-grinder! 

The recipe may look lengthy since there are actually two of them clubbed together (kabab+masala) but they are actually quite simple. You can, nevertheless, make a show of coming out of the kitchen with the load of kababs, wipe your brow and slump down on the sofa with an accusing eye on the husband who would be cozily reading a book. That should make him cringe and grin at you guiltily.

So, here are the recipes.

Chicken Kabab Masala

Ingredients for the kababs:

350 gm chicken, minced (keema)
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1 carrot, grated (optional, I had put it for my son)
1 teaspoon each of soya sauce and worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 egg, whisked well
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for frying

Method (for the kababs):

Put the chicken mince into a mixie and give it a whir. Now, combine together all the ingredients (including the mince) and keep aside for some time to marinate. Then, make small cutlet-shaped kababs and shallow fry them on both sides. I did not want to use my hands in making the kababs, since I was doing other stuff as well, and so just scooped out one spoonful of mince and flattened it on the pan using the back of my spoon. The shape looked funny but the work was done! And oh, I covered the kababs with a lid so that they would cook faster and retain the moistness of the meat. 

Remove kababs from the pan, once done, and in case you are overcome by an urge to chomp on one, you shall not be held guilty of gluttony. 

Ingredients for the gravy or masala:

1 onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste 
2 green chillies
2 tomatoes, quartered
½ teaspoon each of turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and chilli powder (optional), mixed with little water so that it resembles a paste
½ cup coconut milk
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil for cooking

Method (for the gravy or masala):

Throw together the onion, ginger garlic, green chillies and tomatoes into the mixie and blitz them mercilessly. Then, heat oil in a pan and pour in the contents of the mixie. Fry this mixture till they lose the raw smell. Add the spice paste and stir some more. 

Now, pour in a cup of water (or more, if required) and let it bubble up. Slide in the kababs carefully and let them submerge into the watery gravy. Season with salt and cover the pan so that the kababs can soak up all the tomato-flavoured spicy gravy.

At this stage, I felt the need to add a little something so that the dish is complete. I considered adding whipped yogurt but then realized the tartness of the tomato might overshadow it. So, finally I decided to add coconut milk, simmer it covered for another 5 minutes, switch off the gas and ring the bell for dinner! 

My dinner looked really impressive that night. And tasted alright, too. Unfortunately, I could not take better photographs as the electricity resolved to pull out just at the moment I had finished my cooking. I somehow arranged the kababs and the gravy on a plate and clicked it, using the camera flash. So, I hope you won’t go by the horrible images of my short-cut kabab masala and relish this easy dish to your heart’s content!