You don't always have to go to a restaurant for delicious sizzlers or kebabs. Now, impress your guests with Chicken Shashlik, Masala Prawns and more, all prepared at home. We bring you easy-to-follow recipes from Get Ahead reader Sheetal Mahurkar, a 28-year old software professional working with an American media house in Pune.
Go right ahead and try these deliciously delectable recipes. What's more, you can share your recipes too.
Masala Prawns
~Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
8-10 dry red chillies
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoon cumin seeds
8-10 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
2 tablespoon malt vinegar (you can use tamarind pulp, in the same quantity, as a substitute)
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
3 tablespoon oil
Salt as per your taste
Chopped coriander to garnish
~Method
Wash, clean and de-vein prawns. Apply a half teaspoon of turmeric powder to them and keep aside.
Soak whole red chillies in warm water for half an hour. Make a paste of cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, whole red chillies and coconut with vinegar.
Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and cook for about five minutes until light brown. Add prawns and saute well until the prawns turn round. Be sure to saute the prawns gently.
Add ginger paste, garlic paste and ground masala. Add 3/4 cup of water and cook on a high flame for four to five minutes or until the prawns are tender. Garnish with chopped coriander.
Tip: Do not overcook prawns as they tend to become tough.
Malai Kebab
~Ingredients
750 grams minced mutton
150 grams mutton fat
1/4 cup onions
1/4 cup ginger
8 green chilies
1/3 cup coriander
75 grams cashewnuts
2 eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
2 teaspoon garam masala powder
Butter for basting -- as required
Salt according to taste
~Method
Mince the mutton fat and peel.
Wash onions and finely chop them. Scrape and chop the ginger finely. De-seed the green chillies and finely chop them. Clean and chop the coriander finely. Pound the cashewnuts coarsely. Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Add the chopped onions, green chillies, coriander, ginger, white pepper powder, cashewnuts, garam masala, salt and whisked eggs to the mutton mince and mix well.
Keep aside for 15 minutes, then divide into 12 portions and shape into balls. Using wet hands, spread the balls by pressing the mince along the length of the skewers, two inches apart, making four-inch-long kebabs.
Roast in a charcoal grill for eight minutes. If you are using an oven, roast it in a pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes.
Remove and hang the skewer to let the excess moisture drip off. Baste with butter and roast again for two minutes. Serve hot with sliced onions and lemon.
Chicken Shashlik Sizzler
~Ingredients
500 grams boneless chicken (cut into large cubes)
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
5-6 black peppercorns
2 green cardamoms
1 black cardamom
1 medium stick cinnamon
Salt to taste
2-3 capsicums
2 onions
3-4 tomatoes
Skewers
Oil to brush
Chaat masala to garnish
~Method
Prick chicken cubes with a fork and set aside. Roast coriander seeds, black pepper, cinnamon stick, green and black cardamoms. Grind them to a fine powder. Mix garlic paste, ginger paste, vinegar, chilli powder, powdered ingredients and salt. Add a teaspoon of oil to this marination.
Add marination to the pricked chicken cubes and mix well. Leave them for seven hours or, if possible, overnight so they marinate well. Cut the capsicum, onion and tomatoes in cubes matching the size of the chicken cubes.
Thread a piece of tomato, onion and capsicum each, into the skewer and follow with a piece of chicken. Repeat this until all the pieces are taken care of. Pour the leftover marination mix on the prepared shashlik and place over a drip tray.
Brush with oil. Pre-heat oven to 450 °F/ 220 °C. Bake for 20-25 minutes, till the pieces are cooked through and browned at the edges. You can also cook over a barbecue pit or grill. Once done, brush again with a little oil. Sprinkle some chaat masala over cooked shashlik.
Heat the sizzler plate to very hot. Place fried rice or any rice of your choice on the plate. Place hot shashlik over the bed of rice. Arrange some french fries, sauted mushrooms, french beans and green peas around it. You can also use blanched green spinach leaves if you like.
Splash some water and oil on the sizzler plate to get the fumes started.
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