Hara Bhara Kebab

Not that I am an important food celebrity or anything. But if anyone has been wondering why I haven’t posted in a while, here’s why – I haven’t been well for the past one week. Got the freaking Flu & Fever! I’m sick of being sick! And since I HAD to post a recipe today, I decided to do it inspite of the fever. Yep, I’m the brave Rani Lakshmibai :-P

Hara Bhara Kebab – if I have to translate it literally, it means Green (Haraa); Stuffed (Bharaa); Patty (Kebab).

Most of you must have guessed that this dish has a leafy vegetable as its main ingredient. The two main ingredients are – Spinach and Potato. And you can make it with as little oil as you want (or as much!) I luuurrrvee both Spinach AND Potato. I used to be mesmerized by how Popeye got his strength by eating his can of Spinach! ;-) I have used only half a teaspoon of oil per kebab. And yes, it is healthy! With the leaves and potato, it is a perfect post-workout snack!

What you’ll need – (Makes 4 big Kebabs or 8 mini kebabs)

1. Spinach – a bunch (around 25 leaves or more) [It may seem like a lot of quantity to make 4 kebabs. But when you blanch them, they reduce to 1/4 th of their size!]

2. Potato – 1 large or 2 medium

3. Peas – ½ cup boiled (I didn’t have peas so I skipped)

4. Salt – as per your taste (around 1.5 teaspoons)

5. Green Chilis – (optional) 2 – roughly chopped

6. Fresh coriander / cilantro leaves – a handful (around 4 tablespoons)

7. Mint Leaves / Pudina – 2-3 tablespoons (I just had different edible green leaves at home so I decided to use them. And they gave an amazing flavour!)

8. Ginger Garlic paste – 2 teaspoon (optional)

9. Bread Crumbs – to coat the kebabs (about ½ cup) [[ if you don’t have bread crumbs, you could use Semolina / Rava or even Cornflour ]]

10. Red Chili Powder – 1 teaspoon

11. Chaat Masala or Garam Masala – 1 teaspoon

12. Oil – 1 teaspoon per kebab for shallow fry. (Alternatively, you can deep fry)
13. Tofu / Cottage Cheese (Paneer) - 50 grams [A suggestion by Vaishali that I loved & will surely use the next time I make these kebabs! :-)]

How to proceed -

I. To make the stuffing

1. Boil, peel & mash the potatoes. I boiled them in microwave. It just took 6 minutes! :-)

2. BLANCHING THE SPINACH – To blanch the spinach, you must –

    - Wash the spinach leaves well

    - Add them to water (enough to cover the leaves) and let it boil. (Takes about 5 minutes if the water isn't pre-heated)

    - As soon as the water comes to a boil, filter out the water & transfer the leaves to ice cold water for 1-2 minutes

3. In a mixer/grinder/food processor/blender, add the ginger paste, garlic, chilis, mint & coriander leaves.

4. Grind them to a coarse paste.

5. Then squeeze the water out of the spinach and add the blanched leaves to the blender.

6. Blend/Grind well for 1 minute to get a smooth paste. Then transfer to a mixing bowl.

 

7. Add the boiled potatoes & mix. If using tofu or cottage cheese (paneer), mash & mix in this step.

8. Then goes the salt, red chili powder, chaat masala (or any other spice you like). Mix well. Your mixture for the Kebab is now ready! :-)

To make the Kebab – (Style A)

1. Take some mixture in your hand & give it a round shape.

2. Gently press the ball vertically to flatten it into a disk shape

3. You can then coat the kebab with bread crumbs.

4. Heat 1 teaspoon oil on a pan & add the kebabs

5. Cook on medium flame. After about 3 minutes, flip to the other side & cook for another 3 minutes! Your kebab is ready! ☻

6. To plate up, take some hot rice on a plate, arrange the hot kebabs on the rice & serve it as a Sizzler! :D

To make the Kebab (of different shapes)– (Style B)

I’ve made the disk shaped kebabs/patties many a time! For Corn Kebab, Ragda Patties & even Veggie Burger! So I thought, why not make some other shape with the mixture! J And here is my attempt at making different shapes of Kebabs.

1. Make a flat disk shaped kebab. Use a knife to cut of the blunt edges & give it a rectangular shape. This is your Rectangle Kebab.

2. Alternatively, cut them into triangles.

3. Or even a somewhat vague flower! :P

4. Cook on both sides for 2-3 minutes each on medium flame.

  

5. Arrange on a platter & serve with tomato ketchup.

{P.S - I realised that I didn’t need the crumbs as my spinach-potato mix was thick enough. So, after the initial 2 kebabs, I just mixed 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs into the mixture & went ahead with making the kebabs. Didn’t need to coat them with the crumbs}

{ P.P.S - You have the freedom to experiment with the spices. If you don’t find one, you can always substitute it for the one you have or love. Ultimately, eating something you love is all that matters! ☺}

{P.P.P.S – Feel free to use any kinda green leafy veggies ☺}

I call these my Assorted Shapely Kebabs! ;-)