Hi folk!! Here is an easy recipe after a long gap. These days, I hardly find time for myself and this blog, as my little toddler demands much of my time. There are many other things lined up in life too, so the posts are going to be irregular for a while. Amidst all the happenings, I made these meatballs over the weekend.  We love these and I usually make large batches of these and freeze for later use.

I call it kebab meatballs, as the spices used are of Indian Sheekh Kebab but the technique used is of American Italian Meatballs. The technique we are talking about is, addition of eggs and panade to the meat mixture. Panade is a mixture of starch and liquid, in this case fresh bread (not dry bread crumbs) and milk. It keeps the meatballs moist, juicy and tender. You can skewer them with toothpicks and serve as a appetizer paired with a dip. My kids love them this way. Or use them as ‘kofta’ in gravies/curries. You can even toss them with spaghetti or noodles too for a complete meal. The options are endless and the recipe is easy. So do try this recipe with you own flavorings and let me know how you liked it.

I minced chicken breast in my blender with ginger, garlic and green chili.  You can use goat meat, beef or turkey too. The veggies I used are grated zucchini and carrots. You can even use cauliflower, blanched greens, peppers etc.,. I flavored the mince with garam masala, chat masala, coriander and cumin powders. Added a splash of soy sauce for smoky flavor.For each pound of meat mince, you will required one egg and half cup of panade.

Chicken and Veggie Kebab Meatballs

Servings: 25 medium size meatballs

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast: 1 lb (approx. 1/2 kg or 2 cups of mince)

Ginger: 1 ” inch piece, finely chopped

Garlic: 7-8 cloves, finely chopped

Green Chili: 1-3, As required

Garam Masala: 1/2 tsp (Use 1 tbsp if using a store bought powder)

Chaat Masala: 1 tbsp

Coriander Powder: 1 tsp

Roasted Cumin Powder: 1 tsp

Salt: 1 tsp, As required

Cilantro: 1/4 cup, chopped

Mint: handful, chopped

Onions: 1 small, finely chopped/grated

Zucchini: 1/2 cup, grated

Carrots: 1/2 cup, grated

Soy Sauce: 1 tbsp

Lemon Juice: 1 tbsp

Egg: 1,beaten

Bread: 1 Large slice, edges trimmed and cut into pieces

Milk: 1/4 cup or more (Can use water or butter milk)

Oil: 2-3 tbsp for shallow fry

Procedure:

1. In a small bowl, add bread pieces to milk. Set aside for 30 minutes until bread absorbs milk and becomes thick paste.
2. Cut chicken into small pieces and add chopped ginger, garlic and green chili. Process it in blender or food processor until well minced. If using chicken mince, add ground paste of ginger, garlic and green chili.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients; veggies, onions, beaten egg, soy sauce, lemon juice, spice powders, cilantro leaves and mint leaves. Add the bread mixture too.
4. Mix well with hands and set aside covered for at least 30 minutes in refrigerator.
5. Make 25- 30 medium size balls of the mince mixture. Wet or oil your hands while making. The balls need not be perfect round as the mixture is moist.
6. Heat oil in a wide non-stick pan on medium high heat. Shallow fry, few balls at a time. Ensure there is enough space for the balls to fry. Turn the balls once in a while.
7. After 10 minutes of cooking on medium high heat, lower the temperature to medium-low heat and cover cook for 10 more minutes.
8. I cooked them for more time for charred look (like sheekh kebab)
9. You can even bake the balls. Line them on baking tray brushed with oil. Bake in preheated oven at 375ºF for 20 minutes. Broil them for 2-3 minutes on the top rack as near as possible to the top coil.
10. Serve hot with mint yogurt dip and salad.