Thai-Shami Kababs? haven't heard of it? Well, this one is my take on a fusion appetizer. It was born out of several attempts to get the right taste. After several trials, I was happy with the result, and I am posting it on my blog to share the joy of the Hit after couple of misses. This recipe is originally a Thai recipe, that I picked up from a product flyer. Originally the recipe calls for boneless mutton cubes to be skewered after marinating it in red curry paste+ coconut cream and coating with peanut-flour mix. Frankly it didn't work for me as the beef chunks turned out to be too stiff and dry, and lagging the flavorsome sweet-spice taste that Thai cuisine offers. But must say, I just loved the peanut-flour coating which I decided to not let go. Wanted to somehow incorporate it in maybe a "revised version" of this Thai starter. So, got back to work on it, aprons on. Solved the stiff meat problem by substituting boneless cubes to minced meat and to be more sure added a tsp of grated raw papaya.(which is a natural tenderiser, and you could skip it if you are sure about the tenderness of the meat ) Next.... added ready made Thai red curry paste and omitted the coconut milk in the kabab to avoid access moisture and ensure easy handling. Now I wanted, some Chatpata (sizzle)flavor to lift it further, had a pack with some left over Shan Shami Kabab mix lying in my fridge. Just tossed a few tsps of it into my marinade mix and in goes some ginger-garlic paste too. now that I'm ready with my Indo-Thai marinade mix, add the minced meat with some chopped onion and mix well. I used this Ready made Thai Red curry paste.
Now Thai delicacy without coconut touch is incomplete, so I have incorporated the coconut cream, which I had earlier omitted from the meat marinade into the dip I made to go with these Kababs. Allow to chill for about 20 minutes which enables easy handling onto skewers. Once decked onto skewers get the peanut -flour ready.
Now, my favorite part.... the peanut-flour coat.
Lovely isn't it? tastes better than it looks. With little oil in a pan, fry it on low heat as we don't want the mince to be under cooked while peanuts get extra toasted or burnt.(add oil as and when needed). You know it's done when the kababs shrink slightly and get a light caramelized layer from outside.
Go on try it and experience a new taste in Kababs. Thai-Shami Kabab ready with Thai red chilly dip alongside lemon wedges.
Ingredients
- For the Marinade:-
- Minced meat, motton or beef- 500 gms
- Medium onion- 1 chopped (press and remove excess juice)
- Thai red curry paste- 2 tbsp
- Shan Shami kabab powder- 2-3 tbsp.
- Ginger -garlic paste- 1 tbsp
- Raw papaya grated- 1 tsp.(optional)
- For the Peanut-flour coating:-
- Roasted Peanuts- 1 cup
- Plain flour- 4 tbsp
- Salt- 3/4 tsp
- Bamboo skewers soaked in cold water for 1 hour.- around 10-12 depending on your choice of thickness and length.
- For the Thai red curry dip
- Thai red curry paste- 4-5 tbsp (more if needed)
- Srisacha sauce- 1 tbsp (add more for more spice)
- Coconut milk- 1/4 cup( I used 1/4 cup water+ 2 tbsp coconut milk powder)
- Oil -a tsp
- Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
- Salt to taste.
Directions
- 1In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients mentioned under, "For marinade" except the minced meat. Mix well, taste and adjust the marinate(add more of the shmi kabab mix or the red curry paste as per liking), add salt if needed only as the Shan shami kabab mix has salt incuded.
- 2Now add the minced meat to the marinade, mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Remove from fridge 30 mins before cooking.
- 3Now get the Peanut-flour mix ready. Place the peanuts, flour and salt in a processor and pulse until finely chopped with broken chunks. Be careful not to over process it.
- 4Place the peanut-flour mix in a dish. Thread the minced meat onto the bamboo skewers, coat the kebabs and ensure the coating sticks evenly all round.
- 5Heat a large non-stick frying pan or grill plate over medium heat. Drizzle drops of oil. Cook the skewers for 2 mins on each four sides until the coating is golden and crispy and the meat is cooked. Keep drizzling oil occasionally. Keep a close eye on it as it is cooking, turn before it sticks to a pan, drizzle oil and continue.
- 6To make the thai red curry dip- In a saucepan add a tsp of oil, and all the ingredients mentioned under "for the thai red curry dip". Stir till combined, add more srisacha sauce for more spice or more thai red curry paste for thickness.Add water to adjust to desired consistency. Let the mixture simmer for 2 mins. sauce is ready. Serve the nut coated thai shami kebabs, alongside thai red curry dip with lemon wedges.Enjoy!
