Authors: Neelam Batra

1,000 Indian Recipes (107 page)

1 (2-foot-long) piece of cheesecloth

4 bay leaves

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

10 cloves

2 (1-inch) sticks cinnamon, broken into 2 to 3 pieces

4 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

6 to 8 green cardamom pods

3 tablespoons
Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste
(or store-bought)

1
¹⁄
₂to 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, all visible fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

5 to 6 cups water

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

¹⁄
₂teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

¹⁄
₂teaspoon garam masala

³⁄
₄to 1 cup bread crumbs

¹⁄
₂cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

¹⁄
₂cup vegetable oil for pan-frying

1.
Fold the cheesecloth twice, so you have a 5- to 6-inch square with 4 layers. Place the bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, and both kinds of cardamom pods on top. Tie the seasoning pouch closed with kitchen string. Crush the contents lightly with a pestle or meat pounder to coarsely break all the spices.

2.
Prepare the ginger-garlic paste, and place in a large nonstick pan along with the lamb, seasoning pouch, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, and boil over high heat about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook until all the water has been absorbed and the meat is very tender, 50 to 60 minutes. (If the meat is not tender, add up to 1 cup more water and continue cooking.) Watch carefully that the pan doesn't boil over.

3.
Let cool, then add the eggs, cayenne pepper, garam masala,
³⁄
₄cup bread crumbs, and cilantro, and mix well. The meat should be completely dry. If not, mix in another
¹⁄
₄cup bread crumbs.

4.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and fry the lamb pieces, adding as many as the skillet can hold at one time, turning a few times with a slotted spatula, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Flattened Lamb Kabaab Skewers with Cardamom Seeds

Pasindae Illaichi

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Here, boneless strips of flattened lamb (called
pasinda
or
pasanda
) are marinated and grilled. Because they are thin, they marinate and cook quickly, though flattening them is quite a job.

2 tablespoons
Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste
(or store-bought)

1
¹⁄
₂pounds boneless leg of lamb, all visible fat trimmed

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹⁄
₂cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

1 tablespoon ground unsweetened dried coconut

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon ground green cardamom seeds

¹⁄
₂teaspoon ground black cardamom seeds

6 to 8 metal or bamboo skewers, soaked in water at least 30 minutes

Chopped cilantro, lemon wedges, and scallion whites

1.
Prepare the ginger-garlic paste. Cut the lamb into thin 1-by-1
¹⁄
₂-inch pieces. Place the pieces on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and, with the flat side of a meat mallet, pound them until they are at least 2 inches long and about
¹⁄
₄-inch thick. (These are the pasindas.)

2.
In a small non-reactive bowl, combine the ginger-garlic paste, garam masala and salt, and rub it well into the lamb pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator about 2 hours.

3.
In another small bowl, mix together the yogurt, lime juice, coconut, paprika, and both the cardamom seeds, and add them to the lamb. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and marinate at least 4 more hours in the refrigerator.

4.
To skewer, fold each pasinda in half and poke the skewer through the center. Then pull both the sides away from one another to make a small curve.

5.
Preheat a grill to high heat (400°F to 425°F) and grill, turning the skewered lamb pieces until they are seared on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Then move the skewers to the sides where the heat is slightly lower and continue to grill, turning, until the lamb is golden brown and very tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with chopped cilantro, lemon wedges, and scallion whites, and serve.

Variation:
Grill in a preheated broiler 10 to 12 inches from the source of heat. Baste and turn the skewers over a few times. If placed closer, the thin pieces will burn.

Flattened Lamb Kabaab Skewers with Nuts and Poppy Seeds

Maeva-Khaskhas Pasindae

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This is a variation of the
Flattened Lamb Kabaab Skewers with Cardamom Seeds
. The preparation and cooking are the same—only the marinade is different.

2 tablespoons
Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste
(or store-bought)

1
¹⁄
₂pounds boneless leg of lamb, all visible fat trimmed

1 tablespoon
chickpea flour (besan), dry-roasted

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cashews

2 tablespoons blanched raw almonds

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

¹⁄
₂teaspoon garam masala

¹⁄
₂teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

¹⁄
₂cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1.
Prepare the ginger-garlic paste. Cut the lamb into thin 1-by-1
¹⁄
₂-inch pieces. Place the pieces on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and, with the flat side of a meat mallet, pound them until they are at least 2 inches long and about
¹⁄
₄-inch thick. (These are the pasindas.)

2.
Dry-roast the chickpea flour. Then, in a food processor, process together the cashews, almonds, poppy seeds, chickpea flour, garam masala, and cayenne pepper until finely ground. Add the onion, yogurt, and lime juice, and process again to make a smooth paste.

3.
Place the pasindas in a large non-reactive bowl, add the marinade and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap or the lid of the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 and up to 24 hours.

4.
Skewer, grill, and serve according to the directions for
Flattened Lamb Kabaab Skewers with Cardamom Seeds
, starting from Step 4.

Deep-Fried Lamb Kabaab Patties

Shaami Kabaabs

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Made with boneless pieces of lamb that are simmered with yellow split chickpeas (
channa dal
) and spices (a pressure cooker does this quickly), ground until they are really fine, then shaped into round patties, and fried. They may look like unpretentious patties, but
shaami kabaabs
are a culinary tour de force.

Make sure that the
kabaab
mixture is completely dry or the
kabaabs
will disintegrate in the oil while frying. If that happens, add 1 to 2 tablespoons chickpea or all-purpose flour to the unused mixture. The flour will absorb the excess moisture.

Serve the
kabaabs
with a side of
Lemon-Marinated Red Onion Rings
.