How to bake hara bhara kabab
1. Preheat the
oven for 10 minutes at 180 degrees celsius. use both the top and bottom
heating rods of the oven while preheating as well as baking.
3. Brush some oil on top of each kabab.
2. Place kababs in a tray that has been sprayed or greased with some oil.
4. Place the kebabs on a tray or wired rack in the center of the oven.
5. Bake the patties at 180 degrees celsius for 20 to 25 minutes or till the
kabab gets browned from the top. You can even change the sides after 10 to 15
minutes of baking. Better to bake both sides of these green patties.
How to make hara bhara kabab
Cooking potatoes and peas
1. Rinse well and take 2 medium-large potatoes (200 to 215 grams)
in a 2 litre pressure cooker. Add 2 cups water.
I have cooked both potatoes and green peas
in a pressure cooker. You can even steam them in a pan or electric
cooker/Instant Pot or boil them in a pot.
2. Place a steel bowl containing ½ cup green
peas (fresh or frozen) on top of the potatoes. Do not add any water in the bowl
containing green peas.
3. Cover the pressure cooker. Pressure cook
on medium flame for 10 minutes or 6 to 7 whistles.
4. When the pressure settles on its own in
the cooker, then only open the lid. The potatoes would have cooked and become
fork tender. The green peas also will be steamed well and softened.
5. Remove the bowl with the help of tongs
and place the peas in the strainer – so that all the water is drained.
Blanching spinach
7. Rinse 2 cups spinach leaves (100 grams spinach) in water very
well. Place them in a colander so that the extra water gets drained.
You can use only the leaves and not stems if you prefer. Stems add
some crunch in the kabab. Since stems give a nice crunch thus I add them. If
you prefer the crunch, you can use the stems. But use only tender stems.
Note: It
is best to use organic spinach or home grown spinach if possible. The spinach
available in the market usually has a lot of pesticides. To remove some of the
pesticides, soak the spinach in a bowl containing water, baking soda and
vinegar for about 4 minutes.
Later using a strainer or colander rinse the spinach leaves very
well in clean water a couple of times. Drain all the water from the strainer
and keep the leaves aside.
8. Boil 1.5 to 2 cups water with some salt (optional).
9. When the water comes to a rolling boil, then switch off the
flame. Add the spinach leaves and immerse them in the hot water for
2 minutes. This step is blanching the spinach leaves.
10. After 2 minutes remove the leaves with the help of pasta tongs
and place them in a bowl of cold water for 1 minute. This is done so that the
spinach retains their greenness.
11. After 1 minute, remove the spinach leaves in a colander. Drain
the water very well. Squeeze the blanched leaves lightly between your palms if
there is extra water.
12. Place the spinach on a chopping board. Do squeeze spinach lightly and then place on chopping board.
13. Then chop the spinach finely and keep aside. Instead of finely
chopping, spinach can also be pureed – but then you will need to add some more
roasted besan which is the binding ingredient used in this recipe.
Moreover with a spinach puree there is a high possibility of the mixture becoming sticky.
14. Take 1 green chilli and 1 to 1.5 inches
ginger (peeled and chopped) in a mortar-pestle.
15. Crush to a paste. Paste can be semi-fine
or fine.
16. Take 4 tablespoons gram flour (besan) in
a pan or kadai. Swap gram flour with chickpea flour.
17. Keep flame to a low and roast besan
stirring often.
18. Roast besan till you get a nutty fragrance
and the besan changes its color.
19. Keep roasted besan aside.
Making hara bhara kabab mixture
20: In a mixing bowl add the finely chopped spinach and steamed
green peas.
21. Grate the boiled potatoes over it.
22. Add the roasted gram flour.
23. Then add the ginger-chilli paste and the spice powders – 1
teaspoon chaat masala powder, 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) and
¼ teaspoon garam masala powder. Also add salt as per taste.
TIP: If you don’t have dry mango powder, then you can replace it
with ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
24. First lightly mix with a spoon.
25. Then with a potato masher, mash the
kabab mixture.
26. Mix again and bring the entire mixture
together.
27. Take a small or medium or large
sized portion of the kabab mixture and shape into a small or medium or large
sized patties. Your hands will be sticky if there was moisture in the spinach.
In this case, apply some oil to your palms when shaping the hara bhara kabab.
28. Place a halved cashew in the centre of
each kabab and lightly press it. So that it sticks on the kabab. This step is
optional and can be skipped.
Pan-frying
29. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in tawa or pan. Spread the oil all
over the tawa with a spoon. When the oil becomes medium-hot, place the
kabab. if you are using a large tawa or griddle then you can fry all the
kababs in 2 to 3 tablespoons oil.
I fried in two batches. So fried the first batch in 2 tablespoons
oil and then fried the second batch in 1 tablespoon oil.
Use any neutral oil for frying. You can also pan fry these patties
in ghee (clarified butter) for a richer flavor and taste.
30. When one side is golden, turn over
gently each patty with a spatula.
31. When the second side is golden, then
flip again gently.
32. Turn over and fry once or twice for an
even crispness and uniform golden color.
33. Place them on kitchen paper towels. The
recipe yields 8 large hara bhara kabab and 10 medium sized hara bhara kabab.
This recipe can be halved or doubled or tripled as well.
34. Serve hara bhara
kabab hot or warm with mint chutney or coriander
chutney or tomato ketchup or sweet tamarind chutney.
