If weekend means parties at your place then certainly kebabs can't be far behind. Kebabs are one of the very popular Indian appetizers. Chicken Reshmi Kebabs are soft and succulent courtesy Mughal cuisine. Reshmi means 'silky' in Hindi, addition of cream and cheese makes it silky or 'Makhmali' texture. The word 'Kebab' means small pieces of meat or vegetables marinated and then threaded onto skewers and finally grilled over charcoal or in an Oven.
Today's recipe Chicken Reshmi Kebab has boneless chicken pieces that are marinated with hung curd, cream, cheese and cashew nut paste. No matter how much you make these melt in mouth Reshmi Kebabs, chances are that soon it is going to vanish from the plate ! Though very easy on spices, the real hero is the marination process in which we use hung curd along with mild blend of spices.
Ingredients:
1/2 kg boneless Chicken (breast part)
1/2 Hung Curd (dahi /yogurt)
2 Tbsp fresh Cream
2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
3-4 green Chilies, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated Cheese
1/2 tsp freshly grounded white Pepper powder
1/4 tsp fresh Cardamom powder
5 Almonds
5 Cashew nuts
1 tbsp Oil {Sunflower oil}
2 tbsp Butter or Ghee
1/2 tsp Salt or adjust according to your taste
Chat Masala to sprinkle
Method:
Soak almonds and cashew nuts in warm water for 20 minutes. Wash the Chicken Pieces and place them in a strainer for the excess water to drain. Peel the skin of almonds and make a smooth paste of almonds and cashews. Grate cheese in a bowl and mash it, add hung curd, finely chopped chilies, ginger-garlic paste, almond paste, salt, cream, cardamom and pepper powder. Pour 1 tbsp oil and coat chicken pieces well and keep it overnight or minimum for 7-8 hours.
If you are using wooden skewers then dip them in warm water for 20 minutes. This step is done to stop igniting as soon as you put them in grill. Skip this method if you are using metal skewers.
Pre heat the Oven at 350 F Degrees for 5 minutes. Place a thick sheet of aluminium foil on the bottom tray to catch any dripping marinade. Arrange the chicken pieces into skewers and brush them with melted butter. Put them inside the oven on Grill for 15 minutes, flip them and grill again for 15 minutes. Do brush them with butter as soon as you take out from the grill. This step will lock the moisture and your Kebabs will be very soft and juicy. Sprinkle some chat masala over the kebabs and serve hot with Coriander Chutney and salad. I served it with mayonnaise and added diced onions, capsicums and tomatoes while grilling.
