Name: Pahari Chicken Kebab
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 155 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 267 g Boneless Chicken, cut into 1.5-inch cubes; ⅔ cup Mint Leaves, pudina, tightly packed; ⅔ cup Coriander Leaves, tightly packed; 2⅔ Green Chili Pepper, adjust to heat preference; 4 clove Garlic; ⅔ inch Ginger; 2 tbsp Strained Yogurt, thick yogurt without whey; ⅔ tbsp Roasted Gram Flour, bhuna besan, for binding; ⅓ tsp Garam Masala; ⅓ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder; ⅔ tsp Chaat Masala, divided; 1 tbsp Lemon Juice; ⅔ tbsp Mustard Oil, for marination; ⅔ tsp Salt, to taste; 1⅓ tbsp Butter, melted, for basting

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

Herb Emulsion Construction: Into a high-velocity blender, load the compressed mint, coriander, fiery green chillies, garlic, ginger, and the specified volume of lemon juice. Pulverize relentlessly until a fiercely smooth, highly concentrated green paste is formed. Strictly limit water introduction only if the blades seize.
In a heavy mixing bowl, whisk the hung curd briskly until no lumps remain. Fold in the fresh herb paste, roasted besan, raw mustard oil, garam masala, cumin powder, half the chaat masala and the salt.
Whisk the mixture hard until it forms a very thick, deep green marinade.
Pat the chicken cubes completely dry with kitchen paper. Drop the dried chicken straight into the green marinade.
Massage it in firmly with your hands until every piece is thickly coated and the marinade has worked into the meat. Cover it tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2 hr
Take the chicken out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Thread the pieces onto skewers.
15 min
Bring your grill pan or commercial tawa to a searing output, or pre-heat an oven environment to 200°C (400°F). Apply a micro-layer of fat barrier.
Cook the skewers over high heat. Roast them for 10-12 minutes, giving them a quarter turn every 3 minutes. You want them cooked right through, with dark charred spots blistering the green crust.
10–12 min3 min
For the last 60 seconds, brush the kebabs generously with melted butter to give them a smoky, glossy finish.
1 min
Slide the pieces off the skewers, dust them with chaat masala and a squeeze of lemon, and serve straight away.

How to tell it's done

The kebabs should carry a lightly charred green-spice crust, with soft, juicy, fragrant chicken underneath.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: Integrating citric acid (lemon juice) during the actual blending phase acts as an immediate anti-oxidant shield, arresting the oxidation process that would otherwise turn the delicate herbs a dull, unappetizing black. The batter consistency must remain structurally thick; a fluid emulsion will simply reject the meat's surface.

What to serve it with

A visually arresting, high-voltage appetizer. Mandatory pairing with aggressive raw laccha pyaaz (onion rings) and a redundant serving of sharp green chutney.

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