Hara Bhara Kebab
A Kebab is a versatile cutlet/patty dish that can be made with a number of ingredient variations. It’s common in the northern part of India and parts of middle eastern countries. There are different methods of cooking kebabs too. They can be deep fried, shallow fried, pan seared or grilled. The name Hara Bhara Kebab literally means a kebab filled with green coloured ingredients. It’s shallow fried, crispy and just an all round crowd pleaser. Try this at your next party!
Ingredients
Spinach leaves – 20 medium sized, blanched
Coriander leaves – a handful
Green chillies – 5 (or according to taste)
Ginger – 2″ piece
Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
Potatoes – 2 medium sized, boiled and mashed nicely
Green peas – 1 handful, boiled and mashed
Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Garam masala – 1 teaspoon
Whole cashews – 20 pieces
Corn flour – 1 tablespoon
Bread crumbs – 2 tablespoons
Roasted bengal gram powder – 3 tablespoons
Oil – to shallow fry
Yield
20 pieces
Prep time
25 minutes
(to make the green paste, boil and mash the potatoes)
Cook time
20 minutes
Method
1) In a large bowl take the boiled, mashed potatoes.
2) Grind to a paste the following – spinach, coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger and lemon juice. Add the green paste to the potatoes and all the other ingredients excepting the oil and the cashews.
3) Mix nicely and shape into smooth balls. Flatten it and roll on your palm to smoothen out any cracks on the sides of the kebabs.
4) Just press one cashew in the centre of each kebab for presentation purpose. You can replace this with blanched almonds too.
5) Now take the oil in a shallow/flat pan and bring it to medium heat. Shallow fry in batches according to the pan capacity. Make sure not to overcrowd to avoid breaking them while turning them around, until crispy and golden on both sides. Use kitchen paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
6) Serve your Hara Bhara Kebab hot with chutney of your choice or simply with tomato ketchup.
Notes
- These kebabs can be made until the stage before frying and stored in the refrigerator one day prior. Remove from the fridge half an hour before you want to make and fry in any method of your choice.
- If you choose to deep fry these, then dust the kebabs once more in cornflour to make sure it doesn’t break while frying.
- These can be served as a snack straight away or used as a patty in a sandwich along with some fresh cucumber and tomato slices.
Beginner’s tips
- As all the ingredients are almost precooked it takes only 5 to 6 minutes for each batch to become crisp, if the oil is in medium heat.
- Turning around the kebab too often can actually break them because they are very soft on the inside. So wait for each side to become golden and turn around the kebabs gently with a flat spoon/spatula.
2 Comments
MotherOfNOMS
Waiting to taste the kebabs Shyamala!! Try it and I’m sure you will enjoy.
Shyamala Venkatesh
I will make these and call you over to share it ( along with your masala chai :)! Way to go Sudha!