“- incredible heat, humidity, crazy traffic, pollution, crowds...yet...a true sense of belonging! It’s good to be back”. This is what my facebook status said. And I cannot say it any better.I was visiting India after 3 long years, and it felt like I never left.
The instant connection is what truly makes you feel “at home”. With a baby in tow this time, I was definitely nervous. I had heard a few scary stories from friends of their kids falling sick, and I was praying our trip stayed rather uneventful. Meher was a trooper, after all. She did great and we had a fabulous trip!
What was the highlight of our trip? Food...and more food, of course! After all, what good is an India trip if you don’t indulge shamelessly! We ate...and ate...and some more. After my initial hesitation to try roadside treats, I readily gave in...And tried very objectionable and questionable foods off the street :) thankfully, the immune system cooperated well.
Oh wait, wait, wait!! How can I possibly forget our FANTASTIC world cup victory! What a high! That was the perfect icing on the cake. See, I’m still thinking food :)
Anyhow, I got back here a few (??) pounds heavier and exhausted with eating Indian cuisine day in and day out. I said to the hubby – that’s it! No more Indian cooking for a month now. And barely 2 weeks later, here I am, craving Indian food (go figure!) and missing home...
So, I thought Tiranga* kebabs will be the perfect, healthy way to celebrate Miu’s 10 month birthday (wow, 10 months! Time sure flies. Happy 10 month birthday, my darling baby!)
Ingredients:
2lbs Boneless Chicken Breasts
Yoghurt
I can’t believe it’s not butter (you can skip this if you like)
Ginger
Garlic
Red chilli powder
Shaan Tandoori masaala
Almonds
Cashews
Sour cream
Black peppercorn or white peppercorn (if you have it)
Green chillies
Fresh Coriander
Mint Leaves
The recipe:
* Cut the boneless chicken in cubes.
* Rub salt and lime and refrigerate for a few hours.
(Tip: while making the marinade, use as much little water as possible)
The Saffron Kebab:
* Melt 1tbsp ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter’ in a microwave for 5 seconds.
* Mix the butter, 3 tbsp plain yoghurt, 2 garlic cloves, 1 inch ginger cube, salt (add less than usual since you’ve already rubbed the chicken with salt), 2tbsp of Shaan tandoori masaala, more red chilli powder (to taste) in a mixer.
* Marinate 1/3rd of the chicken cubes in this mix and refrigerate for 30 mins.
The White Kebab:
* Mix 1tsbp of plain yoghurt, 2 garlic cloves, 1 inch ginger cube, 10-12 almonds, 10-12 cashews, 1 tbsp sour cream, 8-10 black pepper seeds (white peppercorn is preferred) in a mixer.
* Marinate 1/3rd of the chicken cubes in this mix and refrigerate for 30 mins.
The Green Kebab:
* Mix 1 bunch of fresh coriander, 4-5 leaves of fresh mint, 2-3 green chillies, 1 tbsp yoghurt, 1 tbsp sour cream, 1 inch cube of ginger and 2 garlic cloves in a mixer.
* Marinate 1/3rd of the chicken cubes in this mix and refrigerate for 30 mins.
The Chutney:
* Mix 1 bunch of fresh coriander, 4-5 leaves of fresh mint, 1-2 green chillies, 3 tbsp yoghurt, 1/2 inch cube of ginger, 1 garlic clove, ½ tbsp of tamarind pulp, ½ tbsp of sugar in a mixer.
* Marinate 1/3rd of the chicken cubes in this mix and refrigerate for 30 mins.
(The chutney is very similar to the green kebab marinade. You want to tone down the ginger-garlic since the chutney is not getting cooked. The tamarind and sugar gives a good sweet-sour flavor).
* Preheat oven to 350 F
* Arrange the kebabs on a skewer in a tricolor fashion
* Spray pam nonstick on the kebabs and the baking tray (baking tray is not necessary)
* Bake for 15-20 minutes and broil at 400F for last few minutes so it gets a glaze.
* Check repeatedly to ensure chicken is not getting overcooked.
Serve hot. Tastes great with mint-coriander chutney and grilled pearl onions.
India won the world cup and the celebration that followed on the streets was unbelievably euphoric! I screamed out aloud “Bharat Mata Ki Jay”!! It felt GREAT.
(If you are an Indian reading my blog, you should try it too…and the recipe as well :))
Tiranga* refers to the national flag of India. The term Tiranga means tri-colored – deep saffron, white and green.
