Shammi Kabab-Veg Version / Veg Shammi Kabab

Again its time for The Gourmet Seven, we have successfully completed five months with all exotic gourmet recipes from various cuisine. And for this month we picked up Kababs - Indian Cuisine as our theme. We decided to choose any source for our recipe of the month. I have chosen Vegetarian Shammi Kabab and referred Chef Sanjay Thumma's recipe. This is the first time i tried shammi kabab and it was very new combo of ingredients to me, but the kabab was so flavorful and tasty. We really loved the inner cheesy-sweet-sour part of the kabab. This is stuffed with paneer-pom seeds and the kabab tasted so so delicious with chaat chutneys. With out this group n the challenging themes i never tried such recipes at home. Special Thanks to Anamika for choosing this month's theme as Indian Kababs :) Now to the recipe...

Ingredients
For outer kabab covering

1. Raw Plantain   1no. (pressure cooked n mashed)
2. Chana dal    1/4 cup or half the quantity of plantain)
3. Onion    1/4 cup or less (finely chopped)
4. Ginger Garlic paste    1-2tsp
5. Mint leaves    1 handful (finely chopped)
6. Cilantro     1 handful(finely chopped)
7. Red chili Powder    1/2 tsp
8. Cumin Powder     1/2 tsp
9. Garam Masala powder    1/4 tsp
10. Amchur powder     1/4 tsp
11. Shahi Jeera/Black Cumin seeds    1/4 tsp
12. Salt     to taste
13. Oil    1-2 tbsp + to toast kababs

For Inner filling

1. Paneer    1/2 cup or little less (crumbled)
2. Pomegranate seeds     3 tbsp or more
3. Chili powder     a generous pinch
4. Salt    a pinch
5. cilantro       2 tsp(finely chopped)

Method

• Pressure Cook plantain for 1-2 whistles, once pressure cools down drain water and peel the skin and mashed it nicely and keep ready.
• Cook chana dal till soft n tender, cool it then pulse it in a processor/blender for few seconds and keep ready.

• Now heat oil in a pan, add shahi jeera wait till it splutter then add finely chopped onions saute till it turns soft and add ginger garlic paste and saute until raw smell leaves.
• After that add mint leaves saute it and add ground chana dal and stir fry for few seconds.

• Then add chili powder,cumin powder,garam masala powder,enough salt and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
• And add mashed plantain and saute everything well and now add little amchur powder and mix everything well.
• Lastly add finely chopped cilantro , give a stir n turn off the stove.

• Let it cool for a while. meanwhile prepare paneer stuffing.
• Take a small bowl, add paneer,pom seeds,chili powder,salt,cilantro and mix everything well and knead to a dough and divide it in to 8 equal parts and keep aside.
• Once the chana-pantain mixture cools down, divide it in to 8 equal parts and take one ball flatten it using your fingers then keep one paneer ball bring the edges together,seal it and again roll to a ball and gently press between your palms or flatten to disc shaped patty.

• Do repeat the same for remaining plantain n paneer mixture.
• Then heat a griddle, smear oil place 3-4 kababs and drizzle some more oil on n around the kabab and cook for 3 minutes and gently turn the other side and cook till it turns crisp n light golden brown.
• That's it...Vegetarian Shammi Kababs ready. Enjoy Hot with Green chutney n Dates Tamarind chutney.

Notes:
If u feel your platain-chana dal mixture to be too dry sprinkle little water while sauteing.
And after stuffing and rolling the kababs, wet your hands by dipping in 1/2 tsp corn flour mixed with 2tbsp of water and roll n flatten it.
Or you can grease your hands with oil but i did the above method.
Don't omit pom seeds, it really gives nice sweet crunchy n sour taste to the kababs...i really loved it :)

Sending this to The Gourmet Seven. Do drop by our other Gourmets,Anamika, Anusha, Kaveri, Radhika, Veeena, Vardhini's Spaces for their Kabab creation.