From: babs@jfwhome.FUNHOUSE.COM (Babs Woods)
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
Subject: Re: Seekh or Shami Kebab
Keywords: Indian meat dish seekh kebab
Date: 28 Jul 92 18:44:40 GMT
Organization: Our Lady of Perpetual Mirth (Pacifica)

In <LL3HoB1w165w@vicuna.ocunix.on.ca> frampton@vicuna.ocunix.on.ca (Steve Frampton) writes:

>Taken, without permission, from "The Curry Club Indian Restaurant 
>Cookbook", by Pat Chapman, published 1984 by Piatkus Publishers Ltd.,
>ISBN 0-86188-488-4, here is a recipe for Seekh Kebab.

>(This book is absolutely wonderful, I recommend it strongly without
>hesitation).

>Seekh (Stick or Skewer) and Shami (Balls) Kebabs
>------------------------------------------------

>...............

I'd been looking for this, so in a similar spirit, also taken without
permission, here's what I found: 

Classic Indian Cooking, by Julie Sahni
 
			Smoked Eggplant with fresh herbs
				(Baigan Bharta)
 
	The pear-shaped eggplant with its deep purple color and shiny
skin is a sheer joy to look at and even more a joy to eat.  It is a most
versatile vegetable and Indians, with characteristic resourcefulness,
cook it in many ways to create mouth-watering delicacies.  Of the many
preparations, this classic North Indian one is the most popular and the
most subtle-tasting.
 
	The eggplants are first roasted over a flame; this process gives
Bharta  its special smoky flavor.  The eggplant is then pureed, mixed
with fragrant herbs and seasonings, and cooked.  The more subtle and
prolonged the roasting process, the more flavorful the Bharta  becomes. 
For this reason, the eggplant is traditionally roasted over the ashes of
a burnt-down wood fire for 2 to 2-1/2 hours.  Bharta cannot be cooked on
a hot-plate or electric stove.  For the sake of convenience, I have
outlined a method of roasting it in a gas oven, even though the eggplant
will not develop a smoked flavour this way.  (Use this method for days
when you cannot give the necessary 20 to 30 minutes of undivided
attention.)  But remember, for an authentic Bharta you need that smoke
flavor. 
 
For 6 persons
 
2 medium eggplants (about 1lb each)	
1-1/2C finely chopped fresh ripe tomatoes (or 1C canned, drained and
	chopped) 
1/2C shelled peas, fresh or frozen		
9T light and vegetable oil
1t minced garlic
(2 green chilis, seeded and minced)
1T grated fresh ginger root		
2t Kosher salt
1-1/4C finely chopped onions		
2-3T finely chopped fresh
cilantro leaves
 
1.  Wash eggplant under running cold water, and wipe dry with kitchen
	towels.   
2.  First, roast the eggplants.  To roast, stand one eggplant on a
	burner of a gas stove, stem side uppermost, over a low flame, 
	until the bottom of the eggplant is thoroughly charred (about 
	5 minutes).  Now lay the eggplant on its side, and roast,
	turning it every minute with a pair of tongs unti it is fully 
	charred and very soft (about 15-20 minutes).  When fully cooked, 
	the eggplant will be quite limp, the skin blistered, and the
	juices beginning to ooze out.  The eggplant may be roasted on 
	a high or medium flame as well.  The time taken for roasting
	will vary, of course, depending upon the heat.  
 
	Or the eggplants may be roasted on a baking sheet in the middle
	of a preheated 	500F oven for 20 minutes.
 
3.  Let the eggplants cool briefly.  Then carefully scrape the charred 
	skin off.  Rinse quickly under running cold water to wash away 
	any skin that may still cling to the eggplant.  Place the 
	eggplants in a small bowl.  With paper towels, pat dry all the 
	juices oozing out, pressing the eggplant slightly.  (The juices 
	carry the bitterness often found in eggplant.  Therefore it 
	is essential you dry them thoroughly.)  Then chop the pulp 
	coarsely with a knife.  If there are any large hard lumps, chop 
	them fine.  Put the pulp in a small bowl, and beat with a fork
	for a minute.  Set aside.
 
4.  Cook the fresh peas in a little water to cover, for 5 minutes or
	until tender.  (If you are using frozen peas, cook them
	following directions on the package).  Drain, and set aside.
 
5.  Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a shallow pan, preferably one 
	with a non-stick surface.  When the oil is hot add garlic and 
	ginger, and cook, stirring, for a minute.  Add onions, and
	fry until they are light golden -- do not let them brown -- 
	(about 8 minutes), Stirring constantly to prevent browning. 
	Reduce heat to medium, add eggplant opuree, and cook for an 
	additional 8 minutes,  stirring often. 

6.  Add tomatoes and chilis, if you are using them, and continue cooking 
	until the eggplant and tomatoes are fried (about 10 minutes).  
	Add peas, and cook until a glaze forms on the puree and the 
	fat begins to seperate (about 5 minutes)  Turn off heat, and 
	stir in salt.  Just before serving, check for salt, and fold 
	in chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves.   

Note: 
This dish may be made ahead and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days.  It
also freezes well.  Defrost thoroughly before reheating.  Taste and add
more salt, if necessary, and a little chopped coriander.
 
	This velvety eggplant puree, bursting with the fragrance of
ginger root, coriander leaves, and most important of all, smoked
eggplant, is best accompanied by only North Indian dishes, such as Beef
in fragrant spinach sauce (p. 179), Meat smothered with onion (p. 166),
Royal chicken in silky white almond sauce (p. 215), Velvet butter
chicken (p. 225), or Chicken in onion tomato gravy (p. 208).  For a
simpler meal, serve with the Bharta  with a kabob, such as Moghul kabobs
with raisin stuffing (p. 107), accompanied by Baked whole wheat puffy
bread (p. 397).
 
[p.s.: I wonder how well it would work if liquid smoke flavoring were 
used with the oven method?]

				-babs
-- 

"Excuse me, while I dance a little jig of despair."
	- hadley@ics.uci.edu (Ted Hadley)
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking,rec.food.veg