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Food talk
Allure of taash kebab
This dish, modified for a
vegetarian lookalike, is lighter, healthier, faster to cook but no
less attractive, says Pushpesh
Pant
 The
first time we had taash kebab was almost half a century ago and
it must be confessed that the magical spell it cast over us has never
been really broken. It was thin, aromatically spiced pasanda
layered one over another—like playing cards in a deck—that
explained the name. It was marinated patiently and then slow cooked
over dum that created such a powerful impact.
It was a ‘dry’
delicacy retaining enough moisture to regale with delightful
succulence. Since, we have encountered the recipe at a dozen odd
places on different occasions under varying names. The last time our
brilliant friend scholar, author, teacher, translator friend Alok Rai,
then at IIT Delhi, cooked it for us—a very pleasant surprise indeed.
The recipe, inherited by
him from his mother, has been modified here for a vegetarian look
alike that is lighter, healthier, much faster to cook but no less
attractive. It can be served as a main dish, accompaniment or even a
tasty nutritious snack. Just one word of caution—stay with fresh
cottage cheese and consume the taash kebab as soon as these are
removed from the pan. Devoid of gravy the veg pasanda tends to
dry rather fast.
Reheating in a little
gravy—of never more than thick-sauce consistency—helps a little
but fails to recapture the seductive allure completely. We on our part
are partial to a freshly prepared tomato chutney drape suggesting the
suite of Hearts but you may feel free to adapt the dish for scorching
summer by colouring it refreshing green with coolants like pudina,
dhaniya green chillies and kacchi amiya.
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Chef’s
corner
Ingredients
Paneer
Dahi (hung
to remove water or thick
well set) 3 tbsp
Tomatoes 250
gm
Cloves of
garlic (peeled and
crushed) 2-3
Green
chillies (chopped) 3-4
Zeera powder
(fresh ground) 1 tsp
Kashmiri lal
mirch ½ tsp
Clove, mace
and cardamom
powder
(sprinklers) ½ tsp each
Vegetable oil
1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Method
Slice the paneer
about ¼ inch thick into playing card shape and size. Blend
the powdered spices except the sprinklers with dahi by
whisking with a fork and then gently massage the paneer
pasanda with this mixture. Keep aside for about 15
minutes. Scald the tomatoes in boiling water, remove skin and
pulp. Put one tbsp of oil in a frying pan and when it is hot
add the garlic and chillies in it. Cook (with a pinch of sugar
if preferred) on low-medium heat till the raw smell of
tomatoes is removed, add salt to taste, stir. Line a non-stick
frying pan with a thin film of oil and pan grill the tash
kebab till these begin to develop brown patches. Turn
gently with a wooden spatula ensuring that these don’t
break.
Place on a platter, pour the
tomato chutney in spoonfuls and sprinkle the aromatic spice
powder over the kebab. Enjoy!
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