galouti kebabs with sheermal breads

Galouti kebabs with sheermal breads

Delicious and authentic lamb kebabs served in banana leaf parcels that can be cooked on a stove or barbecue.

Ingredient

Ingredients

For the sheermal breads

• 350ml/12fl oz milk
• 30g/1oz sugar
• small pinch saffron, dissolved in 1 tsp milk
• 10g/½oz salt
• 500g/1lb 2oz plain flour
• pinch ground green cardamom
• ½ tbsp melon or pumpkin seeds
• 150g/5oz ghee, melted, plus 1 tbsp for brushing and extra for greasing

For the spice mix

• 1½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 cloves
• 4 green cardamom pods, seeds only
• 1 black cardamom pod, seeds only
• 1 blade mace
• ⅛ nutmeg, grated
• ½ tsp roasted cumin seeds
• ½ tsp black peppercorns

For the galouti kebabs

• 2 tbsp cashews
• 3 tbsp ghee, melted, plus a little extra for frying
• 6 cloves
• 500g/1lb 2oz lean lamb mince
• 4 tbsp dried onions
• 1½ tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 1½ tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1½ tsp chilli powder
• pinch saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp water
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp pineapple juice or 1 tbsp grated green papaya
• 4 drops rosewater
• 1 large banana leaf, cut into 30x5cm/12x2in strips

For the pomegranate raita

• 1 pomegranate, seeds only
• 500g/1lb 2oz Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 tsp roasted and ground cumin seeds (reserved when making the spice mix)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, to garnish

Direction

Method

1. For the sheermal breads, gently heat the milk in a saucepan until warm. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the saffron and remove from the heat. Once the milk has cooled, stir in the salt. Reserve a tablespoon of the milk mixture for glazing later.

2. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the green cardamom seeds, melon seeds and milk mixture until combined. Knead into a soft dough. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside for at least 15 minutes. Remove the cloth and knead the dough again. Incorporate the melted ghee into the dough, little by little, using your fingers. Store in a cool place for 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and grease two baking trays with ghee.

4. Divide the dough equally into balls weighing about 60g/2¼oz. Cover and set aside for another 10 minutes. Roll out the balls into 13cm/5in circles and prick all over with a fork. Place on the baking trays and bake for 8 minutes. Remove, brush with the remaining milk mixture and bake again for 5 minutes, or until golden. Keep the breads warm in a very low temperature oven until ready to serve.

5. For the spice mix, lightly dry fry the cumin seeds until fragrant. Set aside half a teaspoon, then grind the remaining seeds in a pestle and mortar. Reserve the ground seeds for the raita.

6. Grind the toasted cumin and all of the remaining ingredients to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar.

7. For the kebabs, fry the cashews in a little ghee and then pulse until smooth in a mini food processor or pestle and mortar, adding a little water if necessary.

8. Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a small frying pan and when very hot, add the cloves. Once they have started to smoke (about 30 seconds) remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

9. Put the mince in a mixing bowl and stir in the spice mix, dried onions, cashew paste, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, saffron, salt and pineapple juice (or grated green papaya). Add the clove-infused oil, discard the cloves, and mix again. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

10. Add a tablespoon of ghee and the rosewater to the mince and mix together thoroughly. Return the mixture to the fridge for 30 minutes.

11. Heat the banana-leaf strips in a hot heavy-based frying pan, or in the microwave for 30 seconds, until they are soft and pliable. Shape the mince mixture into 12 equal patties and wrap each patty in a strip of banana leaf. Heat the remaining ghee in a frying pan or griddle and cook the wrapped patties over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side, or until the lamb is cooked through. Alternatively, grill over a hot barbecue for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

12. To make the pomegranate raita, reserve a few pomegranate seeds to garnish. In a mixing bowl, combine the rest of the pomegranate seeds with all of the other ingredients (except the coriander leaves) and mix well. Transfer the raita to a serving bowl, garnish with the coriander and reserved pomegranate seeds and chill until ready to serve.

13. Brush the warm breads with the ghee and serve with the kebabs and the pomegranate raita.

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