Kebab is a dry-cooked piece of meat or vegetable
The Kebab has been an evolving term. During the times of Changez Khan, the horse back riders would kill an animal, clean it, cut it into pieces, thread the pieces over the daggers or swords and cook over open fire. That was the first Kebab, a piece of meat threaded on a dagger and cooked over open fire. In United States, Kebab refers to Turkish definition of Shish Kebab. In Turkey, Shish kebab means 'skewer with grilled meat'. With time, the Kebab has evolved from whole muscle meats to minced meats, and even non-meats. The latest in the evolution is Tikka Masala originating in United Kingdom.
Meat Tenderizers
In India, green skin of raw papaya is a common meat tenderizer. The process depends on the enzyme called Papain. Perhaps, one of the most common mistake in using the Papain acid is proper temperature range. One should use the enzyme within the active temperature range.
After Papaya, yogurt is the next tenderizer. It is also a marinate to let the meat absorb spice flavors. You need to marinate for extended periods.
Cooking Methods
In the olden days, the pieces of meat were threaded over daggers and cooked over open fire. The daggers got replaced with skewers resembling long knitting needles. In United states, the newer skewers are two-prongs.
How to choose skewers for kebab?
The skewers are not just used to thread the pieces of whole muscle meat. The minced meat is actually used to cover the skewer and then cooked, Seekh Kebab.
In India, the pit was dug in the ground. As the coal ambers were hot the meat was cooked over the slow heat. Large pieces of meat were wrapped with layers of cloth and dough. It was common to barbecue whole small baby goat (kid) in this fashion. Other common meats were Boar and pig Maas Sula Kebab.
Sometimes, a slab of red or black stone was placed over the hot coal to cook kebab Pathar Kebab (Lamb Kebab) Recipe. Since 1950s, we were left with two basic choices: Tandoor and Charcoal grill. In United States, we can use the conventional oven. How to bake Tikka kebabs in the oven?. As we moved to minced meats we started to pan fry. How to sizzle the kebabs?
Minced Meat Kebab
How to make minced meat kebab?
In North India, minced meat opened up many options. The Khansamas in Lucknow area used minced meat to prepare Kebab. The minced meat was tenderized with either yogurt or Papaya and then almost pulverized by the heel of the palm. The result was Galawati Kebab (Lamb Kebab) and Kakori Kebab (Lamb Seekh Kebab). These kebabs did not need teeth to chew the meat.
The other common minced meat kebabs are:
Shikampur Kebab (Stuffed Lamb Kebab)
Whole Muscle Meat Kebab
The whole muscle meat is cut in to convenient pieces that are either threaded over the skewers and cooked over charcoal grill. The meats are either tenderized with Papaya or Yogurt mixture. I prefer poaching on stove top with Papaya for about one hour..
Chapali Kebab (Lamb Kebab) Recipe
Pathar Kebab (Lamb Kebab) Recipe
Vegetarian Kebab
In theory, you could call Vegetable Cutlet, Potato Tikkiya a Kebab. However, the following are more recognized as Kebab.
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