Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to:
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Kebab and tikka are hugely popular in this part of the world. Freshly grilled chunks of meat in varied flavours can be a good appetizer. Imagination is all that you need to make your own kebab. One such kebab is the methi malai kebab. Tandoori chicken or chicken tikka makes regular appearance in almost all Asian restaurants.
The malai kebab is little different from more popular orange-coloured counterpart and is unique on its own. It simply melts in mouth. The unusual ingredient in its preparation is the cheese which makes this dish stands out from the other tandoori dishes which usually use yoghurt or cream. Succulent and tender, methi malai kebab leaves a hint of fenugreek in the mouth.
Methi malai kebab
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
Chicken boneless 1kg
Ginger garlic paste 4 tbsp
Green chili paste 1 tsp
Garam masala 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Dried fenugreek leaves 1 tbsp
Hung curd ½ cup
Mozzarella cheese, shredded 2tbsp
Cream ½ cup
Egg yolk 1 no
Roasted channa powder 2tbsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Clarified butter 2 tbsp
Onion 2 no (optional)
Bell peppers 2 no (optional)
Method
Wash and pat dry the chicken, cut into cubes and keep aside.
Marinate with salt, pepper, garam masala and lemon juice and refrigerate overnight or at least 2-3 hours.
Prepare a marinade using ginger garlic paste, chilli paste, fenugreek leaves, hung curd, cheese, cream, egg yolk, roasted channa powder, oil and mix until smooth.
Marinate the chicken in this mixture and refrigerate for another 2 hours to tenderise the meat and allow the chicken to absorb the flavours.
Thread the chicken pieces on a skewer, you can also alternate chicken pieces with onion and bell peppers if you like.
Grill or barbecue skewers turning them from one side to other and brushing with the marinade using brush.
Once the chicken is almost half cooked, baste using clarified butter to moisten the meat and char the meat.
Check by piercing a chicken piece with knife, if the juices run clear the chicken is cooked.
Once cooked serve with choice of bread and salad.
Kataif
Kataif are thin Arabic pancakes cooked from one side only filled with nuts, cream, cheese or kishta and either deep fried or served fresh sweetened with sugar syrup or honey. You will easily spot them in hypermarkets near the bakery section. There are two sizes to offer — regular and mini, also known as kataif asafiri.
The regular ones are filled with cheese or nut filling, then sealed and baked or fried and then they are served drizzled with sugar syrup. The mini kataif is served without cooking. They are usually filled with sweetened cream, then dipped in grounded pistachio and served with a drizzle of sugar syrup or honey.
Both the variants offer you a delectable taste of their own — the regular one gives you the crunchy and crispy exterior and then you taste the filling of cheese or nuts. The mini kataif, on the other hand, are soft and velvety, and gives you the goodness of the cream.
The cream is then garnished with pistachio and served. This is one of the most commonly eaten sweet during Ramadan.
Ingredients
Kataif pancakes 250g
Akawi cheese 200g
Pistachio 50g
Oil for frying
For sugar syrup
Sugar 300g
Water 200ml
Rose water (few drops)
Method
Grate akawi cheese and dip in cold water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt.
Change the water and repeat this 4 times to remove excess salt from the cheese.
Strain the cheese and allow to stand for another 10 minutes to remove water.
Mash the cheese and fill in the kataif pancakes and seal by pressing the edges with fingers.
Prepare thick sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water and sprinkle rose water, keep aside.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and deep fry the prepared Kataif and dip them in prepared sugar syrup when the crust is golden brown.
Remove after five minutes and garnish with grounded pistachio and serve.
Methi malai kebab
