Sheekh Kebabs

Kebabs were not my specialty and I kept trying different recipes each time I made them but was never ever happy with the outcome.

 The kind of flavour and taste that came to my mind did not in any way match the recipes I found.   The rich taste of the ground meat should be in perfect harmony with the spice bland, the subtle flavour of the whole spices playing in the background with nothing overpowering anything.  All the recipes I came across used raw eggs for binding. Of all the things I hate the smell of raw eggs in cooking. Kebabs actually don't need any binding as long as the meat and fat ratio percentage is right. Then comes the technique of cooking which plays an important role in the taste, texture and flavour. I tried my best to incorporate everything. And at last they turned out exactly as I had imagined them.  Thanks to the Almighty, these kebabs were so flavourful that I couldn't believe that these were the best kebabs I ever made!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Lean ground beef - 1 kg (80% beef + 20% fat)

Onions - 1 large sliced, 1 medium chopped.
Green chilies- 4-6 (deseeded)

Ginger garlic paste -  1 tbs

Cloves -  6

Green Cardamoms - 6

Black Cardamom -1
Roasted cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon bark - 2 x 2 inch sticks

Veg oil - 3  - 4 tbs

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder -  1/2 tsp

Fresh mint leaves - 1/4 cup chopped

Fresh cilantro - 1/4 cup chopped

1. Rinse the ground beef under the tap in a strainer quickly and let the water drain. 

2. Slice the large onion and deep fry till golden and crispy. Do not let them darken as they would taste like coal. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

3. When the onions cool down add the whole spices and grind them. 

4. Chop the medium sized onion, green chilies, mint and cilantro separately. 

5. Heat one tsp oil and add the ginger garlic paste, red chilly powder and turmeric. Stir a bit till the raw smell goes and remove. and finely chopped green chilies, chopped mint and cilantro to the hot pan. Keep aside.  

6. Sprinkle 1 tsp salt on the ground beef, mix well. Add the ground brown onion mixture, fried masala, chopped onion, green chilies, mint and cilantro and mix everything well.  Allow to marinate for at least a couple of hrs.
 7. Oil the metal skewers. Take a small ball of the ground beef mixture and with clean wet hands shape it into a kebab on the flat metal skewers till it holds together. Repeat with the rest of the meat. 

8. Grill them on a hot barbeque until just done. They should be soft tender and juicy. Do not over cook. Enjoy with yogurt mint chutney.