Home » All Recipes » Malai Kebabs (Minced Chicken Patties cooked in Spices, Aromatics and Cream)
by Dhanya Samuel 21 Comments
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No one can eat just one! These Malai Kebabs with spices, aromatics and cream are so deliciously succulent and soft; just melt in your mouth.
When the head’s gone blank and you have no clue how to start a conversation, you talk about the weather. And that’s what I am going to do…..
Summer is almost over; it was a peek-a-boo show this year which was rather disappointing. The cold, winds and rain are almost setting in which deports me to a hibernous mental state. I have started craving for hot, spicy food; my fiery curries, rich stews and all things warming.
Having readers from around the globe is a heady feeling but a lot of work. Often, I have to keep in mind the climate of the rest of the world and try to put up recipes and dishes that would suit them too.
And since summer has not hit hard yet, these malai kebabs are perfect as these are rich and heavy, drenched in cream, spices and a whole lot of deliciousness.
The recipe for this Malai Kebab comes from one of the best cookbooks I have read in my lifetime – The F-Word by Mita Kapur. The only cookbook from which I would cook every single day of my life. The book is a beautiful narrative of the culinary adventures of Mrs. Kapur and her family, the food they like to eat and cook daily in their home. A review of this book will soon follow, so I am not saying more here.
Tikka, Kebab…the name is much interchanged these days. History states that kebabs first came into being during the Ottoman times when travelling soldiers used to roast chunks of meat on their swords over the fire; this continued till someone invented skewers thus making this dish a household one. And with time, the kebabs travelled to the Mughal kitchens where minced meat began to be used instead of chunks of meat for the old, toothless emperors and this came to be called tikkis or tikkas. But today, it is much interchanged and you simply cannot go by the name.
Any type of meat can be used for the kebabs, though lamb is used traditionally. I decided to go with chicken for its mass appeal. Good quality mince would make a lot of difference to the texture of the kebabs, which should ideally be melt-in-the-mouth. So select the boneless chicken pieces and ask your butcher to mince it separately for you.
To prepare these malai kebabs, you need to make the flavourful patties first resplendent with aromatics and spices; followed by drenching it in sour cream and finished off with chillies and coriander.
Delicious and indulgent; these malai kebabs are definitely conversation starters!
Print Recipe
Malai Kebab
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian, North Indian
Author: Dhanya Samuel
Ingredients
- 250 gm chicken mince
- 1 slice white bread soaked in milk
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ egg
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
- ½ inch ginger finely chopped
- Salt to season
- Plain flour optional
- Ghee/clarified butter for shallow frying the patties/kebabs
- 150 ml sour cream
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 1 green chilli finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
Instructions
Mix the first 11 ingredients and knead the mince well till combined. Divide into equal parts and shape the mince into roundish, flat cakes and keep aside. The mixture will be slightly wet and if shaping is an issue, dust the cakes in plain flour. But this is optional; I did not use the flour.
Heat ghee in a flat non-stick pan and shallow fry the kebabs till browned on either side. Make sure to turn over only after one side is done well to prevent breaking. Drain on kitchen paper.
In the same pan, add the sour cream, garam masala and red chilli powder. Place the kebabs carefully back in the pan and cook covered on low heat for about 6-8 minutes, turning once in between. Season with salt if necessary.
Remove from heat and garnish with chopped green chillies and coriander just before serving.
Eat this hot!
Notes
With the above proportions, this dish is medium spicy; so adjust the quantity of spices and chillies to suit individual taste.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Anisa Hi there
These look really delicious and a whole lot healthier than any bought patty, chicken or beef. Can the recipe be doubled to increase quantity or would there be a need to increase quantities of any spices? .Reply
- vanyadhanya
The recipe can be doubled but I would say, taste finally and adjust seasoning. Changes can occur because of the different brands of spices that we might be using.
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- Linda Fernandes
wooooooow dear Dhanya Samuel? in my list very soon, let you know the outcome 🙂
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- vanyadhanya
Do try it Linda; its yumm
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- Linda Fernandes
Sure dearie, let you know
You had me at the word ‘malai’, cream and spices followed shortly after, and now I have something to make for dinner. Delicious. Looking forward to your review of the F word.
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- vanyadhanya
Awesome; I will be doing it soon Clare
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These look DELICIOUS. I wish I could eat some right now!
Reply
- vanyadhanya
What do I say, dear!
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- Jacqueline
Yuuuumm! These look and sound delicious. Will have to add them to my list of recipes to try.
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- vanyadhanya
please do Jacqueline; these are indeed yumm
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- champagnecole
How many years have you been in Melbourne? Summer is not over yet m’dear, there will be a string of 40C+ days that will make you yearn for winter ?
Lovely photos and such a yummy recipeReply
- vanyadhanya
Just a year dear…I hate it when the winds start off here and I get so so lazy. I think the problem is more of me. But yes, the forecast says sunny days ahead.
Reply
I’m waiting at the doctors and reading this post… Starving now as I drool
Over these patties… They would be good cold too for the kids the next day for school …Reply
- vanyadhanya
It is best eaten hot as there is a bit of cream but it can easily be put inside a bun for the kids lunch.
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- elsonsequeira
Nice, succulent looking these! Just a question, what role does the bread play.
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- vanyadhanya
In my opinion, the bread soaked in milk added a creamier texture to the whole kebab
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