June 15, 2009

Chatpata veggie skewers (kababs)

Well, the word kabab doesn’t really mean much to a Vegetarian. So the word skewer is probably more appropriate in this case. For the uninitiated, a skewer is just a bamboo stick into which one can thread meat/veggies to be roasted/grilled or barbecued. So this is just a simple appetizer for those unhurried days which doubles up as a viable option for those barbecue picnics when all we can do is watch the meat-eaters otherwise. Here’s a glimpse.
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Intrigued? It’s really a very simple thing that the seasoned chefs wouldn’t even bother blogging but amateurs like me take pleasure in filling the gaps. So, if you’re interested…
What you need:
Veggies: Anything that you can find. I’ve used – cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, spring onions, capsicum and tofu blocks.
For the marinade:
Curd 1 cup
Water 1 cup
Turmeric, red chilli powder, dhaniya-jeera powder, asfoetida and salt 1 pinch each
Garlic 5-6 pods finely chopped/crushed
Ginger 1/4 inch piece chopped
Fresh coriander leaves 1/2 sprig finely chopped
Marinate: For the marinade, mix all the ingredients well. Soak the veggies in the marinade for at least a half hour before grilling them.
Tip: Use a skewer to bore holes into each of your veggies so that the marinade really gets deep into them.
Next, thread them on the skewers, alternating by color for prettier appearance :D
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Here’s one more look..
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Then, just grill 'em! At 350°F (166°C) for 20 minutes. Preferably, turn the veggies after half the time to grill them evenly on all sides. Serve piping hot with a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice (and some chaat masala if you're into it).

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Don't let the sparkly fresh exterior fool you. After 20 minutes, they were well-done and had absorbed the marinade wonderfully. Yumm yumm. I served it as an appetizer to a predominantly Chinese pasta (if you want to know what that is, drop me a line). Dinner is served.
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Bon Appétit!

8 comments:

Priya said...

The skewered veggies look soo tempting. I went to a potluck event at a Chinese colleagues' place last Fall. Hardly anything I could eat, so the lady of the house quickly skewered some capsicum and mushrooms and grilled them for me. But I wish she had seen your marinade! I had a really tough time politely stuffing my mouth with slightly raw, bland veggies.

GeekGrl said...

Here's the line :P. Can you please tell me what Chinese pasta is? Am intrigued - it does look inviting :)

krish said...

The colors are very refreshing. Lookss yumm yumm indeed. Great pics as always.

Gandalf said...

I've usually pitied the vegetarians at the barbecues. Now if they had something as inviting as this on the platter, I wouldn't have! :P. Fab fotos too! And yes, please elaborate.. wth is chinese pasta?

Radhika said...

Beautifully presented and I want to try them now. Hehe

cozycat said...

Yummy kababs btw!

Vishruthi said...

Wow the pasta looks mindblowing. the presentation and everything also. My first time here. I really love your blog.

Jaya said...

Priya -> I know! Something's better than nothing though. My prof in UC used to grill portabello mushrooms for me into burgers.. I used to love them. The smoked taste from the barbecue is awesome, na?

The Muse -> Thank you. :P The Chinese pasta just means I used a spoon of soy sauce and 2 spoons of chilli-garlic sauce to sauté the veggies with. Needless to say it's garnished with spring onion greens. Now, that's Chinese in my book. And yes yes, it was awesome :D

Krish, Radhika -> Thanks so much!

Gandalf -> I hope you don't needlessly pity us anymore :P. Just kidding... thanks for the compliments though!

Cozycat, Vishuthi -> Thanks a lot n keep visiting!!

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