Low Fat Chicken Kebabs
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Having people over but don’t want to toil in the kitchen to make some yum finger-food? Having ‘one of those days’ at work and dread the prospect of oily, greasy takeout?
My low-fat chicken kebabs are not only easy to make, but will satisfy your deepest craving for great-tasting fried food, that can be eaten as a snack, an appetizer at a home party or potluck, and even as a quick healthy meal for your children when had as a sandwich. Best enjoyed with a cuppa hot chai on a rainy evening 🙂
Chicken kebabs
You will need:
* ½ cup of finely chopped cilantro
* ¼ cup of grated pepper jack cheese
* 3 tbsp of tomato paste
* ½ tbsp of finely chopped garlic
* ¼ tsp of cumin powder
* ½ tsp of Indian chilli powder
* ½ tsp of coriander powder
* ½ tsp of Shaan Sheekh Kabab masala (is available at any Indian grocery store or can be omitted if not available and can be replaced with ¼ tsp of garam masala)
* ¼ tsp of freshly ground black pepper
* Vegetable oil for frying
* 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
* Salt to taste
How to prepare:
- Mix all the ingredients above and make small round chicken balls. Similar to the size of spaghetti meat balls.
- Refrigerate the kebabs for at least 2 hours. This helps in marinating the spices and helps the kebabs bind together, so that they do not fall apart during the pan frying process.
(Special tip for busy moms: When planning your menu for the week, you can marinate the chicken and store in the freezer to cook the next day)
- Shallow fry each kebab with a little canola oil for 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
Shallow-fry kebabs in a non-sick pan
Fry till kebabs are golden-brown each side
- Serve hot with coriander chutney or spicy Sriracha sauce on side. I usually serve the kebabs with hot, buttered baguette slices when I have children over.
Tindora Bateta – Tropical vegetable with potato
When I was a child, I despised eating all vegetables. I remember how my mother used to spice up common veggies in interesting preparations, just to make them more palatable for me and my sisters. Tindora Bateta, eaten with fresh chappati’s, was one such veggie dish that I ate, simply because my mother made it taste so good!
Tindora Bateta is a vegetarian dish common in the Western, Southern & North-East parts of India. Growing up in Mumbai, I often saw my Gujarati & Maharashtrian friends bring it to school for lunch. Bateta, is Gujarati for Potatoes. The Tindora is a tropical vegetable that grows widely across India’s coastal regions. As is with most vegetables, the Tindora has nutritional properties, that are believed to reduce blood glucose levels, and is hence highly recommended to diabetics.
Tindora
The Tindora essentially, when eaten cooked, and without any seasoning, has a bitter taste. To make many Indian veggies palatable (such as the Karela & the Parwal), they are usually fried, cooked with potatoes, and seasoned with a range of spices. I learnt how to make Tindora Bateta from the ultimate cook on the planet – my Mother. It is a quick, simple and no-nonsense method. Hope you enjoy it!
You will need:
* 1/2 pound of Tindora – available in any Indian grocery store
* 3-4 medium sized potatoes, boiled, peeled and diced
* 1/2 medium sized onion, finely chopped
* Vegetable Oil for frying
* 1 tsp cumin seeds
* 1 pod of Garlic, minced
* 1 small thai green chili – sliced half lengthwise
* 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste (available, bottled, in all Indian grocery stores)
* 3/4 tsp chilli powder
* 1 tsp Dhania-zeera (Corriander & Cumin seed) powder
* 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
* 1/4 tsp Chaat masala powder
* Salt to taste – abt 1 tsp
* Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 a lemon
* A handful of Corriander leaves, finely chopped, for garnishing
The Method:
- Slice the Tindora like so:
Sliced Tindora
- Heat Oil in a shallow frying pan, for deep frying
- When the oil is well heated, Deep Fry the sliced Tindora in 2 batches, on high heat, till they are golden brown
- Drain the oil from the fried Tindora on a kitchen towel
- In a separate pan, spoon in 3 tbsp of oil, from the oil you used for deep frying
- When the oil is well heated, put in the whole cumin seeds
- When they start to splutter, throw in the sliced green chili, minced garlic and chopped oinion
- Let the onion fry till they are slightly browned
- Once browned, lower the heat and put in the ginger-garlic paste
- Let the paste fry in for abt 30 secs, before adding all the dry spices
- Mix the spices well into the onions and add in the diced boiled potatoes and the fried Tindora slices
- Mix very well, add salt to taste and turn off the heat
- Garnish with Corriander leaves and mix well again
- Before serving, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon
Tindora Bateta
- Eat with fresh hot chappati’s, or as an interesting side dish to the quintessential Daal-Chawal
Aloo Gobi (Potato & Cauliflower)
This simple vegetarian recipe is a quick, healthy fix, and is one of the most commonly known Indian recipes in the west. Tastes best with fresh Rotis or Parathas.
You will need:
* 3/4 head of a cauliflower – separate and wash the florets
* 3-4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
* 1 clove of Garlic – chopped
* 2 green chilies – sliced half
* 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
* 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
* 1 medium sized red onion – finely chopped
* 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
* Vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 2 teaspoon Cumin & Coriander powder (Dhania – Zeera powder)
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
* Salt to taste
* 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
* 1/2 teaspoon Chat masala powder
Method:
- In a medium sized pot, fill fresh water till it is half full and put to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, cook the separated and washed Cauliflower florets in it for exactly 8 minutes
- After 8 minutes, drain the cauliflower in fresh cold water in a strainer
- While the Cauliflower boils, in a frying pan, put about 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to heat. Once well heated, fry the potatoes till they are crispy and light golden in color.
- Place the fried potatoes on a kitchen towel, to absorb any extra oil
- In a large pan / pot, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil
- Once heated, add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds
- As soon as they begin to crackle, throw in the chopped garlic and slit green chilies
- After a few seconds, add in the chopped onion
- Allow the onion to fry on medium heat till they brown a little
- Now add in the ginger garlic paste and all the dry spices
- Mix well and allow the spices to temper for about 30 seconds
- Finally, add in the fried potatoes and the boiled cauliflower
- Mix well and allow the veggies to fry in the pot for another minute or so
- Turn off heat, and garnish with a handful of fresh chopped Coriander leaves
One Life to Eat 