OK, I’ll admit the Spices for the Chapli Kebabs came out of a packet. One buys such items occasionally, wondering if and when they’ll ever be used. Today is that day. I have been wanting to make Aloo Gobi for ages, to see if I can get anywhere near a decent version i.e. – Dry, Spicy, Tasty – without mushy Cauliflower.
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Chapli Kebab
The ingredients were assembled as well as was possible. The Chapli Kebabs I know have been made from Chicken, not – Meat – as suggested. I had bought Turkey Mince especially. I have no Fresh Coriander per se, frozen leftovers would suffice.
As a paste was the intended outcome, I blended the ingredients including the top centimetres of a tin of tomatoes as the rest would be required for the Aloo Gobi. Mix all above ingredients except oil – but they didn’t mean the Tomatoes or did they? I decided to not add the water.
I still ended up with far too wet a mix for my liking. What percentage of the Mince was Turkey, not Water? The mix was set aside for a good hour whilst I prepared the Aloo Gobi.
Aloo Gobi
A Vegetable Curry by any other name, or has Hector missed something? A minimal Masala was the aim, not a Vegetable Soup.
Having looked at quite a few online recipes, I settled for using the following: Onion Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Turmeric, Dried Methi, Garam Masala, Salt, Garlic Paste, Fresh Ginger (all teaspoons), plus the Potatoes, Cauliflower, Chilli, Onion and Coriander as shown.
This is remarkably similar to my Aloo Tare Ko recipe which comes out suitably – Dry. Perhaps I could have just stuck to the standard Masala as outlined in – A Beginner’s Curry – and produce a guaranteed – Masala.
Precious Mustard Oil was used, enough to almost cover the pan, the Onion and Cumin Seeds were added first to get them cracking. In went the rest of the Spices then the Onion, Garlic and Ginger. When I added the Tomatoes I realised this was always going to be too dry to create a Masala Mash. Maybe next time I’ll blend the Onions and (more) Tomatoes. Water was added as required to keep things moist. The Potatoes went in ten minutes before the Cauliflower.
Thereafter it was let the mix cook, stirring occasionally. Twenty minutes more was what I had in mind, however, the Chapli Kebab cooking extended this to half an hour. The oven was used to keep the Aloo Gobi warm whilst the Chapli Kebabs were fried.
I formed patties about the size I am accustomed to. Well fired – was the objective, not a lot appeared to be happening. On attempting to turn the patties, disintegration. Rethink. I need to stiffen the mix. I added Cornflour, Breadcrumbs were also an option.
Forming smaller patties, I managed to get them onto the pan more easily and with coherence, they also turned over more easily, maintaining integrity. Well fired – was going to take an age. I would settle for eight Kebabs, the discarded crumbly bits from batch one went into a bowl. Marg was in the kitchen hungry, nibbling.
Tasty! – Marg remarked, then the Spice kicked in. Indeed, they were quite different from anything Hector has cooked, nothing like the expected taste, the – kick – was testing.
Aloo Gobi
Chapli Kebab
The Kebabs went into the oven as they were prepared, the thinking being they would dry out a bit, lose the Oil. Both Dishes were therefore in the oven way longer than anticipated. The Aloo Gobi had dried out much more than planned. It now looked like my Aloo Tare Ko with Cauliflower.
The Eating
Unsurprisingly, the Aloo Gobi tasted exactly like my Aloo Tare Ko which I particularly enjoy. The textures of the Potatoes and Cauliflower were spot on, no rocks, no mush. The Spice Level was appreciably below the Chapli Kebabs.
Marg – I found the flavours and textures to be unusual, I enjoyed the crispy parts. The Aloo Gobi was full of flavour, it was a change. I didn’t eat as much as I thought I would eat, it was filling.
The Kebabs had never reached – well fired – and so I decided to fry the leftovers again to see if this could be attained. In minutes I had burnt offerings, now Marg was more interested. She enjoys cremated food and unfortunately for her, this is a rare occurrence in Hector’s House.
The Day After
Some of the leftover Chapli Kebab pieces were fried with Mushrooms. A Spicy Omelette was the objective. I felt as though I was making – Grits.
Mission accomplished, Marg said we should have this again with the remaining pieces of Chapli Kebab.
