Sarson "Murghi" Kebab (Grilled "Chicken" with Mustard Greens Sauce)

This recipe shows up in the appetizer section of 660 Curries, although Iyer notes that you can easily make it into a main course by doubling the chicken. (No need to double anything else.) I decided to try for a vegetarian main course and substituted tofu for the chicken. I followed the same procedure I normally use for Extra Delicious Tofu but switched up the seasonings a bit to try to bump up the umami and get it to look and taste even more like chicken. I'm quite happy with the results!

Sarson "Murghi" Kebab

Adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

"Chicken"

• 2 (350g) packages extra firm tofu
• 6 dried black mushrooms
• 1/2 c. boiling water
• 2 Tbsp. mushroom ketchup
• 2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. ketchup
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• 10-20 grinds black pepper
• 1 tsp. nutritional yeast¹ (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. Scallion Oil
• 1 Tbsp. chickpea flour (besan)
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Sauce

• 200-250g mustard greens
• 3 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. dill seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. Punjabi Garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
• 1/2 c. chopped red onion
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 medium-sized tomato, chopped

Directions

"Chicken"

1. Freeze the tofu.
2. Thaw and drain the tofu.
3. Cut into four thin slabs. (One vertical cut, then slice each brick in half horizontally.)
4. Wrap in tea towels and press for at least half an hour.
5. Cut into bite-sized pieces and freeze.
6. Meanwhile, pour the boiling water over the mushrooms and set aside.
7. Thaw the tofu again, place on a tea towel, and press out as much additional moisture as possible. (There shouldn't be much at this point.)
8. In a small bowl, combine mushroom ketchup, soy sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, garlic, paprika, and pepper.
9. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking water.
10. Add 3 Tbsp. of the soaking water to the ketchup-soy mixture.
11. Trim the stems off the mushrooms and discard. Coarsely chop the caps and set aside.
12. Pour the ketchup-soy mixture over the tofu and toss to coat.
13. Add nutritional yeast (if using) and toss again.
14. Drizzle scallion oil over the seasoned tofu and toss to coat.
15. Sprinkle with chickpea flour and toss.
16. Sprinkle with cornstarch and toss.
17. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.
18. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Sauce

1. If you have a food processor, use it to finely mince the mustard greens. (You will likely need to work in batches.) Otherwise, simply chop the mustard greens and finely as you can.
2. Stir in 1 Tbsp. of the oil.
3. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, ground dill seeds, salt, garam masala, and cayenne and mix well.
4. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add onion and cook until lightly browned (2-3 minutes).
6. Add mustard greens and reserved mushrooms (from preparing the "chicken") and reduce heat to medium-low.
7. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for ~10 minutes.
8. Add 1/2 c. water and the chopped tomato and bring to a boil.
9. For a smooth sauce, either transfer to a blender jar or use an immersion/stick blender to purée the mixture at this point. If you prefer a chunky sauce, you may skip this step.
10. Pour the sauce over the "chicken" and serve.

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Variants

Sarson Murghi Kebab (with actual chicken)

Ingredients

• bamboo or metal skewers
• 200-250g mustard greens
• 3 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. dill seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. Punjabi Garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
• 900g boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" strips (or 450g if dish is to be an appetizer)
• 1/2 c. chopped red onion
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 medium-sized tomato, chopped

Directions

1. If using bamboo skewers, place them in a bowl of water to soak for at least an hour or two.
2. Prepare sauce through to the end of step 3 as above.
3. Add chicken strips to the sauce and stir to coat.
4. Cover and chill for at least half an hour, but not longer than six hours.
5. Preheat grill or broiler to high.
6. Remove chicken strips from sauce and thread onto skewers in a zigzag manner.
7. Cook the sauce as above. (Steps 4-9) There will, of course, be no mushrooms to add in this version.
8. If you are grilling the chicken, lightly grease the grill and cook (with the lid closed), turning occasionally, for ~8 minutes. If you're using the broiler, position rack so that top of chicken is 5-7cm (2-3") below the element. Lightly grease rack of broiler pan and broil chicken, turning occasionally, for ~8 minutes.
9. Remove chicken from skewers.
10. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

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¹ I had intended to add a bit of nooch to my tofu. I was sure I had some in the cupboard. But, when I went to get it, it wasn't there. So I ended up just going ahead without the yeast. Still plenty tasty! ^Back