“Methi Leaves ~ Sweet Potato Hara Kabab” served with “Khatta Meetha Teekha Khajoor Dhania Chutney” and Tomato Ketchup (Store Bought) … Delicious / Scrumptious Kababs that tastes awesome and a delight to relish with this special chutney … A yummy combo of the two which compliment each other very well … Yummy Yumz ….
** Kababs are similar to tikki, ambado, chettambado, cutlets that are prepared out of meat, fish or vegetables and roasted or grilled threaded on a skewer. Nowadays we tava fry or shallow fry them too. The word kebab, yes it was "KEBAB not KABAB" as initially referred to was originally Arabic or Persian and by and large consisted of meat mashed along with some spices and then rolled in to shape and fried / grilled. Sometimes the meat is mashed and firmly rolled round a skewer which is called seekh kabab. My first taste of a seekh kabab goes back to about 38 yrs back around 1980. Yes, I tasted this that many years back in Kashmir, when I had gone for a college tour, the crown state of India, a tourist destination and a beautiful state with loads of mountains covered with snow.
** I simply loved the taste of those kebabs / kababs very much. But once back home and with education and other activities never thought of it very much. Also those days I was not much interested in food. There is also another dish that keeps coming back to my mind that is Egg Omelette stuffed with chicken pieces which I relished in Nepal. That was also simply awesome, and the taste still lingers on. I must prepare that soon now that I remember it. I tried a variation with crab meat once long back and have posted it in blog too. So much to do, and I must say time travels fast. I have tried a veggie seekh kabab also on skewer, but next I will for sure try with mutton kheema to go through those wonderful memories of Kashmir.
** As all of you are aware winter is the season of veggies and fruits. You just don’t know what to purchase, prepare and what not to. So many varieties of them all round flooded in the market. We get huge bundles of fresh methi leaves, coriander leaves etc. and there are so many dishes that I want to try out of those healthy leaves. I guess it holds true that man is never satisfied when it comes to food, the more you cook out new dishes, the more ideas crop up and you want to do that much more. It’s sort of a vicious circle but a lovely one. Coming to methi leaves, I had one large bag full of picked and sorted leaves that are waiting to be cooked.
** I wanted to prepare something different. Though I have yet to post the famous hara bara kabab, my desire to prepare something different always makes me do twists and tweaks and I always end up doing something entirely different but equally awesome. For a innovative mind that thinks of food, there are so many options. Like I said before, I get most of my Ideas in the night, when I go to sleep, just like my Mother. I have to then get up and jot down in short hand so that I don’t forget on waking up. So now, I will move on to this delicious kababs I prepared out of fresh methi leaves along with sweet potatoes and I assure you they were awesome and had a lovely texture too. Do try this out, your family is sure to love them. Both Methi leaves and Sweet Potato are considered to be very good for health too.
** Ingredients for Methi Leaves ~ Sweet Potato Hara Kabab …..
Methi / Fenugreek Leaves : 3 cups packed.
Dhania / Coriander Leaves : 1 cup packed.
Kadipatta / Curry Leaves : 15 fresh ones.
Sweet Potato / Ratalu / Kananga : 200 gms.
Chana Dal / Split Bengal Gram Dal : ½ cup
OR
Besan / Chana dal flour : 3 tblsp
Green chillies : 8-10 finely chopped
Fennel Seeds / Saunf / Badisep Powder 1 tblsp
Jeera / Cumin Powder : 1 tsp
Garam masala powder : ½ tsp
Ginger / Adrak : 2 tsp finely chopped
Jawari (Sorghum) Flour : 2 tblsp
Salt to taste
Oil : 1 tblsp
Cashew nuts : Few pieces
Chiroti rava / Very fine rava : 2 tblsp for dusting.
** Oil for shallow frying : 4-5 tblsp
** Wash and soak chana dal in plenty of water for 2 hrs. Drain well; the excess water should be completely drained off. So put it in a colander for 25-30 minutes for the water to drain off properly.
** Pick, clean and wash well methi leaves, coriander leaves and curry leaves. Let out all excess water by patting them dry with a thick towel. Chop all three very finely and keep it aside ready. There should hardly be any trace of water except that clings to the leaves.
** Note : I always use leafy vegetable when finely chopped directly into the mixture as they do cook on high heat when fried. There is absolutely no need to fry or cook the methi leaves priory as they will become limp and leave out water and all nutrients get lost. But if you want you can either microwave them for a minute or put them in a kadai and cover and cook for 2 -3 minutes without adding water, cool and then use. Entirely upto you.
** Wash the sweet potato well by scrubbing off the mud on the skin. Cut into 2-3 large pieces horizontally, with skin on. Put it in a pressure cooker pan with half a cup of water and pressure cook to one whistle. Remove and allow to cool properly.
OR
** Put the put the cut pieces in a microwave safe dish with ¼ cup of water and run on high for 2 minutes. Remove and allow to cool properly.
** Note : I used the microwave method, you may use any method, but see to it that you do not overcook the sweet potatoes. They should not be too mushy, which will not only make them watery paste but while frying it may absorb oil too. So be careful.
** In a mixer grinder add in the drained chana dal and grind without adding in any water to a coarse thick rava / grainy texture. Use the pulse mode.
** Note : You should not add in any water while grinding the chana dal. The chana dal will have soaked well and will grind to a coarse texture without water. Just keep mixing in between the dal while grinding to get even consistency. 
** Note : You can also use besan / chana dal flour instead of soaking and grinding the dal. But somehow I do not like the taste of besan in tikki / kababs as they are somewhat sticky on tongue and trust me and try out by using chana dal. The texture, the tikkis / kababs turn out simply too good.
** In a large wide stainless steel bowl add in the sweet potato after gently peeling of the skin. Mash it well with hands or potato masher to a lump free texture. Do not knead to a mushy paste. Just smooth is enough.
** Add in the green chillies, fennel powder, jeera powder, garam masala powder, ginger, salt to taste and mix well. Now add in the methi, coriander and curry leaves prepared and kept aside. Mix well with all the masala. The mixture should be mixed in really well.
** Finally add the ground chana dal and Jawari (Sorghum) Flour to the mixture and mix well. Now add that 1 tblsp of oil and further mix well till you get a good binding consistency. DO NOT ADD WATER. The mixture should come to a smooth and binding consistency when rolled in palm. You should be able to prepare kababs / tikki / vadas out of them without them breaking open or cracking up on sides.
** Note : If you still find it a difficult to bind you can keep the mixture in fridge for 15-25 minutes and then try out the same. This step helps the mixture to dry out a bit. I have not kept it in the fridge as with practice you will learn to gently roll it between palms. Still if you find the mixture a little bit soften, then add in another tablespoon of jawari flour and mix the mixture, though you will not need it.
** To shape into kababs : Take about 2 tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a tight roll in your palms. Flatten it a bit, into the shape of disk. In a flat plate spread out the fine rava / chiroti rava and dust the kababs on all sides slightly with the rava. Do not dust too much, just a little bit for crispness.
** Now place 1-2 cashew nut pieces on top side of the kabab and gently press down. Do not apply too much pressure or crack the sides of the kabab. They should just be pressed in so that they remain there when shallow fried and not slip off. You may leave out this step if you do not want to use cashew nuts, but they look beautiful and attractive.
** Heat the oil for shallow frying in a non stick pan on medium heat. When hot place each kabab gently on the tava, be careful, the oil is hot and may splutter. You may use the help of a flat spatula and slide the same if not comfortable. Allow to fry on medium to slow heat for a few minutes and then gently flip over and fry on the other side till you get a crisp and evenly fried kabab.
** Remove the kababs and place on an absorbent paper for excess oil to drain off. Repeat the procedure with required amount of kababs. These kababs taste best when served hot, so if you do not want to fry them immediately put them in a tight lid stainless steel box and put it in the fridge for later use. Remain good for 24 hours.
** “Methi Leaves~Sweet Potato Kababs” are done and ready to be served. Serve them fresh and hot immediately with tomato ketchup and any chutney of your choice at tea break or as a tiffin or snack or best served as a starter. I served along with tomato ketchup and Khatta Meetha Teekha Khajoor Dhania Chutney and it tasted simply awesome.
** Do try this out and enjoy with your family and friends. It will be a sure hit at parties as a starter. Children are sure to love them, best way to make them eat methi leaves otherwise which they are reluctant to eat. And believe me when I say they are not all bitter in taste. Remember both Methi leaves and Sweet Potato are healthy food and should be had in season.
** You can use the search option for "Chutney" where you will get many more chutney recipes. Do try out various types of dishes to relish with dosa / Idly / roti etc. or with dal-chawal too.
** Also try out “Khatta Meetha Teekha Khajoor Dhania Chutney” it not only tastes awesome with any dish, but with these kababs it adds on to the taste by the mingled flavors and taste. I am sharing the link to the same below. You can also check out for other chutney recipes for which I will share a common link and you can pick your choice.
Recipe, Follow the link given below …
** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of similar type in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. You can also go to my page (add on the left side of blog) and leave a message and I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible … Thank you. I have also started a food group for "Konkani Saraswats" by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" the link of which is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring".
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