Radish in my kebab!

Pushpesh Pant

Mooli Shakar Ke Shami

Shami is the quintessential kebab. It has many renderings — and each with a distinct regional imprint and interesting variations. Lucknow is proud of its melt-in-the-mouth fares like mince patty and Delhi is happy with the shallow fried, not grilled, version. Bhopal, true to the tradition of the Rohilla-Afghan ancestors, prefers them with a bite and hotter than elsewhere. For years, the vegetarians had to remain content with hara bhara kebab or break the monotony with rajma or zimikand k tikki. Rarer still were kathal or nadru ke shami. We have also enjoyed kachhe kele and masoor ke, but mooli? Well, one lives, learns and makes new friends. Very recently, chef Vijay Garg at Le Meridiene in Jaipur, stunned us with his creation — a delightfully delicious shami fabricated with (yes!) mooli and shakarkand. Try it and you will not miss the meaty old friend for a while.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Radish 500g

Shakarkand 500g

Garam masala 1tsp

Cumin powder 1/2tsp

Red chilli powder 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Onion 1 (medium sized, peeled and finely chopped)

Ginger 1 inch piece (scraped and diced)

Green chillies 2 (deseeded and chopped

Coriander leaves A sprig (chopped)

Cardamom powder A pinch

Cinnamon powder A pinch

Nutmeg powder A pinch Ghee

Method:

Roast or boil the shakarkand. Peel and mash well. Wash and scrape the mooli. Grate it. Press between palms and squeeze out all water. Blend with shakarkand mash and mix the powdered spices along with salt. Put a non-stick pan on flame. Line it with a film of oil and stir fry the mixture for a minute. Allow the mixture to cool and then shape into small balls. Flatten and make a hole in the middle. Pack it with a small portion of onions, ginger and chillies. Reshape into balls and patties. Heat ghee in a non-stick frying pan and pan grill the kebabs till a brown crust adorns both the sides. Serve with green chutney if you like, though we like it as they come off the pan!