Ok it's the longest autumn in London ever and you won't see me complaining. The leaves are still turning hues of orange and the trees are still not completely bare and Christmas is just 7 weeks away... Eid is around the corner too. My only fear is that the winter will be equally long and true to its form- snowly, cold and long..... Maybe winters in Karachi are the one thing I really do miss as nothing compares to excitement it brings. It's not just the relief from the hot summer months but the excitement of wedding and party season - the colours, the festivities. It's really quite wondrous and alive. I think back to the days when I lived with my parents and the excitement of winter meant my mother would take me '
shaadi' (wedding party) shopping so I could buy new '
joras' (outfits) and '
churri's' (traditional glass bangles) to match - I always did want to be the belle of the ball! For some nostalgic reason the aroma of this recipe and the taste of the potato as it mingles with the crispy coating and the spicy mince just reminds me of cold, exciting winters in Karachi with the smell of soot in the air....maybe it's the sensory memory of Mummy's kitchen that takes me to a place that warm, safe and wholesome.
Ingredients:For the mince mixture:1/2 kilo beef mince1 large oniona tbsp of ginger and garlic paste1 tbsp cumin1-2 chopped tomatoes1 tbsp gheeTo add after cooking: 1 inch or so or grated fresh ginger, 1/4 bunch of chopped fresh mint, 1/2 bunch of chopped fresh coriander leaves.For the mashed potatoes:2-3 large potatoes, peeled and boiled then mashedsalt to tastepinch of red chilli powder
Serves about 3-6 people and takes about 1 hr to make including all preparations.
Method:1. In a saucepan add the beef mince with all the ingredients above for the mince except the ingredients that need to be added after cooking. Now add a little water, about a cup or so, you can add some more later if needed. Now boil the meat until it dries out and smells cooked and gets slightly brown, keep moving around and fry by adding about 1 tbsp of ghee. Now add the fresh ingredients above for the mince and do not cook further.2. Once the mince is ready, add the salt and chilli to the mashed potato and take a bit of potato in your hand and flatten it into a round shape and then add a teaspoon of the mince mixture and then add a bit more potato to form a nice round flat kebab. Keep making until mixtures are used up.3. In 3 separate bowls, add flour in one, beaten egg in another and breadcrumbs in the last. Now heat some oil in a shallow pan and keep on low heat. Coat the kebabs one by one in flour first, then egg and lastly in breadcrumbs. Fry on either sides until light brown and then serve immediately. Best eaten with green coriander chutney or by themselves!TIP: These freeze quite well so you can pop them in the freezer before frying them and then completely defrost and then coat and fry.
Ok it's the longest autumn in London ever and you won't see me complaining. The leaves are still turning hues of orange and the trees are still not completely bare and Christmas is just 7 weeks away... Eid is around the corner too. My only fear is that the winter will be equally long and true to its form- snowly, cold and long..... Maybe winters in Karachi are the one thing I really do miss as nothing compares to excitement it brings. It's not just the relief from the hot summer months but the excitement of wedding and party season - the colours, the festivities. It's really quite wondrous and alive. I think back to the days when I lived with my parents and the excitement of winter meant my mother would take me 'shaadi' (wedding party) shopping so I could buy new 'joras' (outfits) and 'churri's' (traditional glass bangles) to match - I always did want to be the belle of the ball! For some nostalgic reason the aroma of this recipe and the taste of the potato as it mingles with the crispy coating and the spicy mince just reminds me of cold, exciting winters in Karachi with the smell of soot in the air....maybe it's the sensory memory of Mummy's kitchen that takes me to a place that warm, safe and wholesome.
Ingredients:For the mince mixture:1/2 kilo beef mince1 large oniona tbsp of ginger and garlic paste1 tbsp cumin1-2 chopped tomatoes1 tbsp gheeTo add after cooking: 1 inch or so or grated fresh ginger, 1/4 bunch of chopped fresh mint, 1/2 bunch of chopped fresh coriander leaves.For the mashed potatoes:2-3 large potatoes, peeled and boiled then mashedsalt to tastepinch of red chilli powderServes about 3-6 people and takes about 1 hr to make including all preparations.
Method:1. In a saucepan add the beef mince with all the ingredients above for the mince except the ingredients that need to be added after cooking. Now add a little water, about a cup or so, you can add some more later if needed. Now boil the meat until it dries out and smells cooked and gets slightly brown, keep moving around and fry by adding about 1 tbsp of ghee. Now add the fresh ingredients above for the mince and do not cook further.2. Once the mince is ready, add the salt and chilli to the mashed potato and take a bit of potato in your hand and flatten it into a round shape and then add a teaspoon of the mince mixture and then add a bit more potato to form a nice round flat kebab. Keep making until mixtures are used up.3. In 3 separate bowls, add flour in one, beaten egg in another and breadcrumbs in the last. Now heat some oil in a shallow pan and keep on low heat. Coat the kebabs one by one in flour first, then egg and lastly in breadcrumbs. Fry on either sides until light brown and then serve immediately. Best eaten with green coriander chutney or by themselves!TIP: These freeze quite well so you can pop them in the freezer before frying them and then completely defrost and then coat and fry.
