Name: Chicken Boti Kebab
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 155 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200 g Boneless Chicken, thigh meat preferred, cut into small 1-inch bite-sized cubes; ⅔ tbsp Raw Papaya Paste, with skin, acts as meat tenderizer; 1⅓ tbsp Strained Yogurt, thick yogurt; ⅔ tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; ⅔ tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder; ⅓ tsp Red Chilli Powder, spicy; ⅓ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder; ⅓ tsp Garam Masala; ⅔ tsp Ground Coriander; ⅔ tbsp Roasted Gram Flour, bhuna besan, for binding; ⅔ tbsp Mustard Oil, raw, gives pungent aroma; ⅔ tsp Salt, to taste; 2 tbsp Ghee, for pan frying; ⅔ tbsp Lemon Juice

2 hr 35 mintotal

35 min hands-on2 hr hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Spicy

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Method

First marinade: in a heavy mixing bowl, massage the small chicken cubes with the raw papaya paste, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Leave to rest for 30 minutes so the papaya can tenderize the meat.
30 min
Add the thick hung curd, Kashmiri chilli powder, hot red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala to the chicken.
Add the roasted besan (gram flour) to the bowl. Pour the raw mustard oil over the spices. Mix hard by hand so the thick, deep red marinade coats every piece of chicken.
Hermetically seal the container and enforce a prolonged refrigeration lockdown for an absolute minimum of 1.5 hours.
1 hr 30 min
Thermal Searing Phase: Drive a heavy-gauge, flat skillet or a traditional cast-iron tawa to a sustained medium heat. Introduce the specified volume of pure ghee.
Add the marinated chicken pieces to the hot fat in a single layer, so the pan does not lose heat and the chicken sears rather than steams.
Leave them undisturbed for 4-5 minutes. The underside needs that time to form a crisp, deep brown crust.
4–5 min
Turn all the pieces over with a spatula. Fry the second side over the same high heat for another 4-5 minutes. Because the cubes are small, they cook through quickly.
4–5 min
Keep frying until the thick masala coating dries out to a rough, crusty texture and the ghee visibly separates from the meat. Turn off the heat straight away.
Squeeze plenty of fresh lemon juice over the hot kebabs and give the pan one quick toss.
Serve with absolute thermal immediacy.

How to tell it's done

Small pieces of chicken with a rugged, well-charred, crusty outside that gives way at once to a heavily spiced, velvety soft interior.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: Unlike a classic tikka, which is baked, boti kebab is meant to be shallow-fried in pure ghee on a tawa. Small pieces, raw papaya and ghee together are what make the meat so soft it melts.

What to serve it with

Deliver directly from the blistering tawa onto modest presentation plates equipped with wooden picks. Mandatory accompaniments include sharp onion rings and a complex Mint Chutney.

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