Veg Seekh Kabab / Vegan Kabab

01 Oct Veg Seekh Kabab / Vegan Kabab

Seekh Kabab traditionally makes use of minced meat and grilled in a skewer in charcoal or tandoor oven or baked or roasted on a tawa. But, this Veg Seekh Kabab is the vegetable version of seekh kababs.

The word ‘Seekh’ is derived from the Turkish word Shish, meaning Skewer and hence the name. Firstly, tradition has it that medieval soldiers invented this dish who used their swords to grill meat over open-field fires. That means that no oil is used in making these kababs.  As a result, these veg seekh kababs are never deep fried or shallow fried and hence are healthy option for a snack.

In the absence of skewers, however, I have used toothpicks to make small individual sized kababs. This way, they make delicious starter / snack. Finally, I have roasted them in my heavy cast iron pan. Hence did not require oil for roasting.

To conclude, Veg Seekh kabab is generally served with mint chutney, onion and lemon wedges.

How to make Veg Seekh Kabab?

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ cup each finely shredded cabbage, carrot & French beans
• 3 green chillies minced finely
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 1 tsp each chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder
• ½ tsp each cumin powder, chat masala
• 2 tablespoon Chatni dal powdered finely / roasted gram flour
• 1 tablespoon cashew powder (optional)
• 3 tablespoon powdered poha (red or white) for binding (I used poha as a gluten free substitute for bread crumbs)
• Salt to taste

Direction:

1. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet and add 1 tsp oil & add cumin
2. Once the cumin splutters, add the green chilli and ginger garlic paste.
3. Add cabbage and sauté for few minutes.
4. Then add carrots and beans and sauté for few minutes.
5. Do not over cook the vegetables. Make sure they retain their crunchiness and the moisture content becomes less. Do not dry it out.
6. Add them in a bowl and allow them to cool.
7. Pulse in a mixer to a coarse consistency, not a paste. Do not add water.
8. Add mashed potatoes, all masala powders, besan, cashew powder and salt and mix well
9. Next, add the poha powder to bind. The mixture should not be too dry nor too soft. You should be able to make balls in your hands.
10. Make small balls (grease your hands if required). Insert the balls into toothpicks. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet / cast iron pan. Place the kababs and start roasting on a low flame. Keep turning them in between so that all sides get equally roasted.
11. These do not require oil to roast. If necessary, add a tsp oil around the kababs.

Serve with onion rings and green chatni  (optional)

Tips:

1. Use vegetables of your choice.
2. You can also bake or grill the kababs .
3. If the vegetable mix is too sticky, add a little more poha powder to thicken.
4. If you do not have skewers / toothpicks, just roll them into oblong shape and roast them / grill them / bake them.

You can check for more such healthy snacks here