My sisters and I have a humorous side to us-a fun, light-hearted side that I think we inherited from all the comedy my father used to watch in our childhood. And naturally, we would enjoy these black-and-white comedy Bollywood movies (I recall actor Johnny Walker in several of these films) and Pakistani dramas with a comedic and satirical twist (Fifty Fifty, Aangan Terha-both my all-time favorites to date). When you add comedy queen Lucille Ball in the ‘I Love Lucy’ show to this exposure list, a cult classic we all loved so much, and still do, the five of us (and I would say my brother as well), undoubtedly developed almost a secret language, an amusing and at times hilarious code per se, that made its way to all our conversations. Now, what does this background information have to do with this Lazzat Daar Chicken kebab recipe? Oh, but it’s all connected.
I remember hosting a Dawat some time ago, and my sister Jabeen’s assigned dish was kebabs. When she inquired about what type of kebabs to put together, I trusted her culinary abilities to whip up something-and she did. She came over early on the day of our Dawat, her mixing bowl containing the marinated chicken mince in hand. When Jabeen uncovered it to reveal what looked and smelled divine, she insisted, ‘Iss mein thodi se Lazzat missing hain, thodi se aap daal dein,’ which roughly translates to, ‘I can’t make out what’s missing in this, but an element of embellishment is missing so, please add whatever it is that’s seemingly absent.’ This ‘missing Lazzat’ dialogue is from ‘Aangan Terha,’-those who know, know. I would translate this Urdu word ‘Lazzat’ as not just flavorful and delightful but as “the cherry on top.” Removing a topped cherry from a scrumptious cake is a negligible act and doesn’t affect the taste of an already moist and delicious cake. So, in essence, you are finishing or beautifying something already in the realm of perfection by adding this intangible Lazzat factor. We tossed in some breadcrumbs and freshly chopped tomatoes. For a bit more color (and probably because I was craving Korma that day), I perused the few boxes of Shan masala mixes I had stashed away, and we both decided on a teaspoonful of Shan Korma masala because why not. The rest is encapsulated in Lazzat Daar Chicken kebab history.
Lazzat Daar Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs *or chicken breast mince, but chicken thigh meat will ensure kebabs are moist
- 1 small yellow onion *quartered
- 4 baby carrots *finely grated in processor
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro *Kothmeer
- 1½ tsp fresh garlic paste *or whole cloves can be minced with chicken
- 1 tsp fresh ginger paste
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 cup breadcrumbs *Panko Japanese-style
- ½ green pepper *deseeded and finely chopped
- ½ lemon freshly squeezed
- 1-2 tsp Shan Korma Masala mix *optional
- Canola oil *as needed, for shallow frying
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry chicken thighs. Add chicken thighs into a food processor with blade attachment. Add baby carrots and pulse a few times. Uncover processor, add quartered onion, spices (chili powder, turmeric, Kosher salt), ginger + garlic paste and cilantro. Pulse into a fine mixture until all ingredients are well combined. Remove chicken mince mixture into a large mixing bowl.
- Add finely chopped tomatoes, green peppers, breadcrumbs and freshly squeezed lemon juice into mince and mix well to combine. *You can add 2 tsp Shan Korma Masala mix at this point to add a unique flavor, color and more spice. I whisk 1-2 tsp masala mix into lemon juice, pour over mince and mix with hands to combine. You can also marinate this chicken mince mixture overnight in fridge.
- Remove chicken mince from fridge, let rest for 15-20 minutes and form into kebabs. *Place a few drops of oil in palms to help form kebabs into desired size and shape.
- Heat Canola oil in large skillet on medium high heat (enough to shallow fry kebabs, adding more oil as needed). Once oil is hot, turn heat to medium and fry+ cook kebabs (in batches, as needed). Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side and then lower heat to medium low, cover skillet and cook for 15-20 minutes until kebabs are perfectly cooked through. Repeat for remaining kebabs. Place cooked kebabs on paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
- Lazzat Daar Chicken kebabs are now ready to serve. A delicious snack on their own or served as a side with Basmati rice and Daal, these super tasty kebabs are delightful. Enjoy! Nosh Farma'aiye.