Gosht Kebab aur Pudhinay ki Chutney (Beef Kebabs with Mint Chutney)

We've made most of the beef curries in the book at this point. But this one in the appetizer section caught my eye. It's really meant to be made on skewers and grilled (on the barbecue), but I chose to leave mine loose and cook it under the broiler indoors. Definitely not as flavourful, but it was very easy!

Gosht Kebab aur Pudhinay ki Chutney

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Kebabs

• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 6-8 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies
• 6-7 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 450g stewing beef
• 1 tsp. ground Deggi chilies (or 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne + 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika)
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Sauce

• 1/4 c. water
• 1/4 c. firmly packed fresh mint
• 1/4 c. firmly packed fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies

Directions

1. Combine the yogurt, green chilies, garlic, and ginger paste and a blender and purée.
2. Pour the yogurt mixture over the beef.
3. Add the ground chilies, salt, turmeric, and ground cloves and stir to combine.
4. Cover and chill for at least one hour (or as long as overnight).
5. Add the water, mint, cilantro, sugar, salt, tamarind, and chilies to the blender and purée.
6. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for an hour or two before cooking.
7. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill or oven broiler to high heat.
8. Pour into a small pot and keep warm while beef cooks.
9. Lightly oil the grates of the grill or broiling pan.
10. If using skewers, thread the beef (with all of its marinade) onto the skewers and arrange them on the grill over direct heat (or on the broiler pan ~5cm under the element).
11. Grill until medium-rare (~6-10 minutes), turning once or twice.
12. Serve the skewered meat topped with the mint sauce.

Malai Methi Kebab (Creamy Fenugreek Kebabs)

I ended up making this with some "soya chaap" that I had on hand in the pantry. This made for very easy prep. Sadly, I found the texture of the soy-wheat kebabs to be somewhat lacking. I think, in future, if I want to make a vegetarian version of this dish, I'll just go with seitan or, failing that, maybe an extra-firm tofu. Still, I'm glad I at least gave the "chaap" a try. And, to be fair, they're weren't awful, they just weren't great either. And I think this recipe could've been great with the right protein.

The original recipe called for skinless, boneless chicken breasts, and I've written it up that way here. That said, feel free to experiment with other proteins if you'd like.

Malai Methi Kebab

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips 2-3cm wide
• 1 Tbsp. ghee¹
• 1/2 c. tomato sauce (canned or homemade)
• 2 Tbsp. dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), soaked in water and skimmed off before use
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne or kashmiri chilies
• 1/4 c. half-and-half (10% M.F.)

Directions

1. Soak some bamboo skewers (or just use metal ones).
2. Whisk the yogurt, cilantro, coriander, cumin, ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala, and salt together.
3. Add the chicken and toss/stir to coat.
4. cover and chill for 1-6 hours.
5. Preheat a grill or broiler to high.
6. Meanwhile, heat the ghee (if using) over medium heat.
7. Add the tomato sauce, fenugreek, and cayenne and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for ~5 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to low and stir in the half-and-half.
9. Place kebabs on a lightly greased rack and grill or broil for ~8 minutes, turning occasionally.
10. Once kebabs are done, slide the meat from the skewers and pour the sauce over.
11. Serve with rice and/or flatbread of your choice.

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¹ If you'd like to cut a bit of fat and a few calories, simply omit the ghee. The sauce will lose a bit of richness, but be a bit more diet-friendly. ^Back