Reshmi Kabab

Ingredients

• 600 g chicken mince, preferably from thigh meat, very cold
• 40 g raw cashews
• 3 tbsp fresh cream
• 40 g mozzarella or processed cheddar, finely grated
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 green chillies, very finely chopped
• ½ tsp white pepper powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ¼ tsp green cardamom powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp butter, melted, for basting
• 1 tbsp oil, for greasing hands and skewers

Instructions

1. Soak the cashews in a cup of hot water until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain well.
2. Blend the soaked cashews with the cream and 2 tablespoons of water into a completely smooth paste. Scrape down the sides once or twice.
3. Put the cold mince and salt in a food processor and pulse for 30 to 40 seconds, until fine and slightly sticky. If you have no processor, knead the mince with the salt by hand for 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add the cashew-cream paste, cheese, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, white pepper, cumin, cardamom, garam masala, cornflour, lemon juice and coriander. Mix or pulse until the mixture looks smooth and holds together like soft dough.
5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This firms up the mixture so it sticks to the skewers.
6. Heat the oven grill to its highest setting, or heat a grill pan or charcoal grill until very hot. Lightly oil the skewers and your palms.
7. Divide the mixture into 8 portions. Press each portion around a skewer into a flat, even sausage about 12 cm long and 2 cm thick, pinching gently at the ends.
8. Grill the kababs 10 to 12 cm from the heat for 6 minutes without moving them, until the underside is set and lightly speckled with gold.
9. Turn them carefully and brush with melted butter. Grill for another 5 to 6 minutes, until pale golden with a few brown spots and the centre reaches 74°C.
10. Rest the kababs for 2 minutes, brush once more with butter and slide them off the skewers to serve.

Tips

• Keep the mince and the bowl cold. Warm mixture turns soft and slides off the skewers.
• Use white pepper rather than red chilli powder to keep the kababs pale and creamy, which is where the name reshmi (silky) comes from.
• Do not add extra liquid. If the mixture feels too wet to shape, add another half tablespoon of cornflour and chill again.
• For a smoky finish, place a piece of hot charcoal in a small steel bowl beside the cooked kababs, drizzle it with a little ghee and cover for 3 minutes.