Name: Hara Bhara Kebab (Non-Fried)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 cup Spinach, palak leaves, washed, blanched, and squeezed bone-dry; ½ cup Green Peas, boiled and mashed; 2 Potato, medium, boiled, completely cooled, and grated; 2 tbsp Green Beans, finely chopped and parboiled (optional); 2 Green Chili Pepper, finely chopped; 1 tsp Ginger, grated; 1 tsp Chaat Masala; ½ tsp Garam Masala; 2 tbsp Roasted Gram Flour, bhuna besan, for binding; 2 tbsp Breadcrumbs, as needed for binding; 6 Cashew Halves, for garnishing the center; ¾ tsp Salt, to taste; 2 tbsp Cooking Oil, for shallow pan-frying

1 hr 35 mintotal

35 min hands-on1 hr hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

Add to your week

Method

Chop the blanched, thoroughly dried spinach very finely, or pulse it briefly in a processor. Do not add any water.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped spinach, the grated chilled potatoes, the mashed green peas and the finely chopped french beans.
Deposit the razor-cut green chillies, freshly grated ginger, chaat masala, garam masala, and salt. Fold the structure gently but firmly to disperse the aromatics.
Add the binders: the roasted gram flour (besan) and the breadcrumbs. Knead by hand until the mixture is firm, bright green and no longer sticky.
Apply a micro-drop of lipid to your hands. Extract calculated portions of the dough mass and architect them into perfectly flat, mathematically round discs (kebabs).
Press a single cashew half into the centre of each kebab.
Heat a measured amount of oil in a wide, flat non-stick pan over medium-low heat.
Place the kebabs in the pan. Leave them undisturbed for 4-5 minutes. The underside needs that time to form a solid golden-brown crust.
4–5 min
Turn them over carefully with a thin spatula. Cook the second side the same way for another 4-5 minutes until crisp.
4–5 min
Evacuate the structures to an industrial paper-towel staging area to absorb surface fats.
Serve with absolute thermal urgency.

How to tell it's done

A fragile, very thin, lightly browned crust holding together a bright green, very soft vegetable centre.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: Because these are seared on a tawa rather than deep-fried, keeping the vegetable mixture dry is what stops them collapsing. Well-roasted besan gives them an earthy, nutty hold from the inside.

What to serve it with

A lighter take on a restaurant heavyweight. Plate it with a sharp mint-coriander chutney and a squeeze of lemon.

Cheese Burst Corn Tikki

Cheese burst corn tikki hides a cheese centre in a corn and potato patty, so it pulls when broken.

35 minvegetarian

Cheese Corn Balls

Cheese corn balls bind corn with two cheeses and fry them so the centre pulls when broken.

55 minvegetarian

Chicken 65

Chicken 65 fries marinated chicken and finishes it with curry leaves and chilli, a Chennai hotel dish.

1 hr 15 minnon vegetarian

Chicken Boti Kebab

Boti kebab marinates cubed chicken with raw papaya so it stays tender over direct heat.

2 hr 35 minnon vegetarian

Chicken Ghee Roast

Chicken ghee roast cooks chicken down in ghee with a sour, chilli-heavy Mangalorean masala.

2 hr 50 minnon vegetarian

Chicken Lehsuni Tikka

Lehsuni tikka marinates chicken in a heavy garlic paste, pale and pungent rather than red.