Easy chicken seekh kebabs

These kebabs have become a staple in our family. They are so easy to make and taste so yummy. They don't last more than a day in our house.I tend to use ground chicken breast but you can use any minced meat. To keep the ground chicken breast moist and to help bind the meat, I use butter. The butter helps to keep the meat from drying out and it also keeps the meat from falling apart. Traditionally, seekh kebabs are made on skewers but since I don't have the time or patience for that, I just shape them into logs. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground meat (I use chicken breast) bring to room temperature
2 tbs butter, softened
1 medium sized onion, chopped
3 tbs chopped cilantro
1 tbs garlic paste (If you don't have, make paste out of 2 cloves garlic, little water, and a little vinegar)
1 tsp ginger paste (If you don't have, make paste out of 1/2 ginger, little water, and a little vinegar)
1 tsp dried mint (optional)
1 tsp red chili powder ( i prefer Kashmiri. It is less spicy and adds a better flavor.)
1 tsp garam masala
1-2 green chili, minced (optional)
salt to taste (I like to use smoked sea salt. Gives it a nice smokey flavor. If you do not have, you can use regular table salt of kosher salt) 
Preparation :
Place ground meat in a bowl. Make sure you dry any excess water from meat with a paper towel. This will  keep your seekh kebabs from falling apart. Add all ingredients and mix. Once all ingredients have been incorporated, take a little bit of meat mixture and pan fry.

Make sure salt and spices are to your liking. Once you have your seasonings set, shape into logs.

Heat up grill on high for 5 -10 minutes or use a grill pan. Lower heat to medium high and place seekh kebabs on grill/pan. Cook for approx. 10 minutes.

Reshmi Kebab

Wow... this blog stuff is hard work. Unfortunately, I make so many things and I forget to post pictures and recipes. Today, I actually remembered to take a picture of what I made!

Today's recipe was inspired by an Indian buffet that my family and I went to yesterday for lunch. They had reshmi kebabs in their buffet and fortunately for me, my 4 year old gobbled it up. I was able to get him to eat lunch without begging him to eat. The stars, the sun, and moon must have been aligned right because he even ate salad with it! For those of you who don't know what reshmi kebab is, it is a milder, tender kebab than tandoori chicken tikka kebab. Because of the special marinade, the kebab is so soft and tender that the name literally means silky.

I used chicken but this recipe also works great with lamb, steak or shrimp. The following is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 8 blanched almonds
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 inch of ginger root, peeled
• 1 cup of cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 pounds of chicken breast, cubed

Directions:
Add first 4 ingredients (if using jalapeno, add that as well) into a food processor and blend until smooth. Empty into a non-reactive bowl. Add lemon juice and incorporate. Add cream, salt and incorporate. Add chicken and mix until chicken is covered with marinade. Cover with plastic wrap. For best results, marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Preheat a grill pan or your grill on high heat. Lightly grease and place chicken on top. Cook chicken until cooked through.

***Note: I didn't use skewers but placed the chicken directly on a grill pan. I sprayed the grill pan with Pam and preheated the grill pan on high heat. I covered the pan and cooked the chicken for 3 - 5 minutes on each side. Don't overcook! It doesn't take long to cook the chicken so be careful not to overcook otherwise your chicken will be dry.

Serve with lemon wedges and naan.

Tikka Masala Sauce

Yum... Tikka Masala Sauce. It's one of the most popular Indian curries. No one knows the exact origin for Chicken Tikka Masala. Some claim that during the British rule of India, an Englishman claimed that his chicken tikka was too dry. The chef got angry and mixed tomato sauce with cream to create a gravy for his chicken. Whatever the origins, this is one of my favorite dishes. The good thing about tikka masala sauce is that it is so versatile. You can make it with chicken, shrimp, or paneer (Indian cheese). Everyone has their own way of making tikka masala. I like to make mine with sour cream instead of cream.

Ingredients:

2 tbs. cooking oil

1 onion (i like to use frozen chopped onions so I don't have to worry about chopping them up)
1/4 cup tomato puree

1 oz chicken tikka masala spice

16 oz sour cream

approx. 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of whole milk
3-4 tbs butter

Directions:

Heat the oil up in a pot on medium heat. Add the chopped onions. Fry until they start turning brown. Add the tomato puree. Cook for 5 minutes. In a bowl, mix the sour cream with the chicken tikka masala spice. Cook for another 5 minutes. Slowly add the milk till it is the consistency you like. Wait for the gravy to cool. Add to a food processor in small batches until the gravy is smooth. Return to pot. At this point you can add chicken or paneer and cook on medium to low for about 20 minutes. If you are adding shrimp cook for only 5-10 minutes or your shrimp will overcook. Add the butter at the very end. If the gravy is too thick, add some more milk. Serve with rice, naan, or flatbread.