Murg Palak Ke Korma Kebab Recipe / Kebabs Made With Chicken Korma And Spinach ~ My Fab Kebab Series

The word Kebab has Turkish and Arabic origin. However food historians have put forth the existence of something similar to Kebabs in Ancient India. "the Manasolassa, a Sanskrit composition from the 11 th century, talks about Bhaditrakam, a dish made by cutting lamb or goat into small pieces, stringing the pieces on iron skewers and cooking them on hot coals."( This is an extract from the article India's Kebab Connection by Air Sangvi ) . Having said that when the Arabs and Turks came to India they did bring with them their famous Kebabs, which in time imbibed the Indian spices and took the shape of the Kebabs we savour today. My Fab Kebabs Series is an ode to this wonderful dish.

It's been years that Mr. S has only Kebabs for dinner with a salad. So I have been making different types of  Kebabs to not let monotony seep in at any point of time. My kebabs are both vegetarian and non ~ vegetarian, with recipes ranging from traditional to modern day Kebabs. Since none of the Kebabs I make are deep fried, my Kebabs are perfect for guilt free snacking. Also I try to load up my Kebabs with veggies and greens which many a times makes fussy vegetable eaters get their needed dose of vegetables. Most importantly they make a great dinner option of being light yet filling and when eaten with a salad or chutney or dip my Kebabs are loaded with flavour and yumminess.

Today I am sharing with you a Kebab which can be made with literally any left over chicken curry. I made these Kebabs with left over Chicken Korma, then added loads of finely chopped spinach to it to incorporate the green element in it and voila you have a unique combination, decadent tasting guilt free Kebab ready to eat. However I made my Murg Palak Ke Korma Kebab / Kebabs Made With Chicken Korma And Spinach not with left over Chicken Korma but with Chicken Korma made right from scratch. Also another idea is to make fresh Chicken Korma and turn half of it into Murg Palak Ke Korma Kebab and eat the other half just as a Korma Curry. The possibilities are numerous, the choice is totally yours.

This is a simple dish and even if you make the Murg Palak Ke Korma Kebab from scratch it is simple and you can finish making it in hardly any time. You can use store bought Korma Masala or make your own Korma masala with my recipe given below. One last thing, this Murg Palak  Ke Korma Kebab makes for very tasty lunch box or tiffin box food too. These Kebabs can be made well in advance and stored wrapped in aluminium foil, refrigerated, unto a week. I have not yet tried to freeze them for longer use. But if I do I will surely share the method here. So let's get straight to making this easy peasy Kebab dish in simple steps.

Murg Palak Ke Korma Kebab Recipe / Kebabs Made With Chicken Korma And Spinach ~ My Fab Kebab Series ~

Author ~ Piyali Mutha

Recipe Referance ~ Food.NDTV.Com , Shan Foods

Yields ~ 8 ~ 10 medium sized Kebabs

Cuisine ~ Indian

Type ~ Appetizers / Starters / Snacks

Time ~ 15 mins preparation + 45 mins cooking if made from scratch. 15 mins preparation + 15 mins cooking if made from left over Chicken korma.

Ingredients ~

For Korma Masala Powder ~ (Makes 50 Gm approximately Korma Masala Powder) 

6 Dry Red Chillies

2 Tbsp Coriander Seeds

1 1/2  Inch Cinnamon Stick

1 Tsp Fennel Seeds

1 Tsp Cumin Seeds

1 Tbsp Musk Melon Seeds / Magaj Manji

2 Bay Leaves

1 Tsp Black Pepper Corns

4 Green Cardamom Pods

6 Cloves

For Kebabs ~

500 ~ 600 Gms Chicken, Boneless, Cut into cubes, preferably from chicken leg area

1/2 Cup Yogurt

1 Tbsp Garlic, fresh, finely grated

2 Tbsp Korma Masala Powder

Salt

2 Tbsp Oil

1 Large Onion, finely sliced

1 Tbsp Ginger, finely chopped

2 Tbsp Fresh Cream (optional)

1 Tbsp Almond Paste (optional)

1 Egg, whole

1 Cup(tightly packed) Spinach, finely chopped

2 ~ 3 Tbsp Oil for frying Kebabs

Let's Make Murg Palak Ke Korma Kebab Recipe / Kebabs Made With Chicken Korma And Spinach ~ In Easy Steps...

Korma Masala Powder ~

1) Dry Roast all ingredients under the heading " For Korma Masala Powder " in a pan till fragrant. Cool and grind into a fine powder using a grinder. Cool and transfer the contents into an air tight container. Store in a cool dry place.

 Kebabs ~

1) In a large bowl add yogurt, korma masala powder, grated garlic, salt. Mix everything well. Your marinade is ready. Add the Chicken pieces. Massage each piece with marinade nicely. Cover the bowl and leave the Chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour.

2) In a large pan add 2 Tbsp Oil. When hot throw in the thinly sliced onions. Fry till golden brown.

3) Now throw in the finely chopped ginger, followed by the marinated chicken pieces along with the marinade.

4) Mix everything very nicely.

5) Cover and cook till chicken is fully cooked and there is no moisture left in the pan. Remove the pan from the stove.

6) Shred the chicken with your spatula. Add Fresh Cream and Almond Paste (optional).

7) Cool and transfer into a food processor or grinder. Add whole egg. 

8) Whizz to a coarse dry paste. Transfer into a bowl.

9) Add finely chopped spinach.

10) Mix everything into a soft dough.

11) Shape into medium sized patties.

12) Shallow fry the Kebabs till golden brown on both sides.

13) Transfer into plate, serve with onion rings, green chillies, mint dip or tamarind dip.