Jimikand Kebab

Some of my Sundays are spent with friends like Sanjeet and his wife Nidhi, good friends and Nidhi being a wonderful cook, i get to learn a lot from her. Since they too come from Delhi, I share some common memories and an equal passion for street food. Last weekend when I visited them, she gave me lessons on kebab making. Kebabs…the name itself makes you believe that they can only taste good either in kebab factory or in Hyderabad. But Nidhi’s jimikand (Indian yam) ke kebabs were sure above all that. Crispy exteriors and tender from inside.

Yesterday, the same kebabs were tried in my kitchen. On my way back from work, I bought cut vegetables and pack of cut yam. Although I avoided deep frying and instead opted for shallow fry but it still tasted good.

Ingredients for making six to seven kebabs

Yam Cubes (1 inch) 1 ½ cup

Besan/ Gram Flour 1 tbl spoon

Ginger and Garlic Paste 1 tea spoon

Jeera/Cumin Powder ½ tea spoon

Garam Masala 1 tea spoon

Dry Red Chili Flakes 1 tea spoon

Aamchur/Dry Mango Powder ½ tea spoon

Salt to taste

Finely Chopped Onions ¼ cup

Chopped Coriander Leaves ¼ cup

Finely Chopped Green Chilies 3-4
Melon Seeds 2 tea spoons
Cooking Oil 3 - 4 table spoons

Preparations

1. Boil yam pieces in a pressure cooker for few minutes. For 1 ½ cups of yam you may require 3 cups of water. I use an Indian style cooker and it takes only two whistles for yam to cook. Don’t over cook it. It should be soft yet not pulpy. Using a colander drain the water and wash the cubes under running water. This will remove some starch.

2. While yam is boiled, you can prepare the filling. In a small bowl, mix chopped coriander, melon seeds, chopped onions, chopped green chilies and a pinch of salt.

3. On a medium heat, add some oil in a pan and sauté the boiled yam cubes for one or two minutes. Being a starchy veggie, keep stirring otherwise it will stick. Keep it aside for cooling.

4. Once the cubes cool down, mash it by using either a wooden masher or with your hands. I prefer hands. To this, add besan, ginger-garlic paste, jeera powder, garam masala, chili flakes, aamchur powder, and salt as per your taste. Mix well until you get a dough consistency.

5. Make small bolls with the dough, slightly smaller than a plump tomato. Make slight hole in the middle of each ball using your thumb and fill it with the onion, coriander, melon seed, and green chili filling - press the filling into the hole and cover the filling and reshape it back into a ball shape. Once that is done, gently flatten the boll to give it a cutlet shape.

6. Heat the remaining oil over high heat, slide the stuffed kebabs and shallow fry them until they are golden and crispy on each side. Transfer it on a paper towel to drain the grease. Squeeze some lemon juice on top and serve immediately with hot cup of chai.