Vegan Seekh Kebab

The festive season is approaching, and it would not be a celebration without indulgence in food. Sharing and enjoying food are essential components of making the holiday truly memorable. However, healthy food habits and festive foods may not go together, but that doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite holiday foods. After all, festivals are meant to be enjoyed and to create memories. So here is one non-meat kebab recipe for this festive season to uplift your mood and health-what a win-win. Seekh Kebab is a meat dish popular in South Asia, traditionally grilled on skewers on an open fire with lots of spices and fragrant herbs. I have attempted to make vegan seekh kebab using tofu and boiled potatoes as the main ingredients rich in protein and fiber. I have also added zucchini and red bell pepper for their nutrition value and herbs and spices to round out the mouth-watering taste of the dish.

My recipe is pretty straightforward. The only thing that needs attention is that the seekh kebab mixture should be as dry as possible to stick to skewers easily. If the kebab mixture has too much moisture , it will not adhere to the skewers. I am using an oven instead of an open fire or grill to cook the kebabs. It is an easy and tasty way to cook kebabs.

Serves: 3-4

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cook time : 40 mins

Total time: 60 mins

Ingredients:

Extra-firm Tofu- 100gm

Potato – 2 medium (boiled and mashed)

Green Zucchini- - ½

Red bell pepper – ½

Red onion- 1 medium

Garlic- 3 cloves

Ginger- ½ inch

Cilantro leaves- ½ cup ( finely chopped)

Gram flour (besan) – ½ cup

Coriander seeds – 1tbsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Black pepper- 7-8

Red chili - 1

Chili flakes- 1 tsp

Lemon /lime juice – 1 tbsp.

Extra virgin olive oil – 2 tbsp.

Salt- 1tsp

Skewer - 4

Directions:

1. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, and red chili in a pan for 2 mins till it becomes aromatic. Grind to a powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

2. Pat dry extra-firm tofu in a tissue to remove excess moisture. Crumble it in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, ginger, garlic to a food processor. Use the pulse function to mince vegetables. Squeeze out excess moisture using a strainer or cloth.

4. Add mashed potatoes to the mixing bowl.

5. Add roasted ground coriander, cumin, black pepper and dried chili.

6. Add minced vegetables to a mixing bowl.

7. Add chopped cilantro, gram flour, lemon juice, salt and 1 ½ Tbs. of olive oil. Knead the mixture to make it homogenous.

8. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for 30 mins.

9. Divide the mixture into four parts. Take one part and run the kebab mix around the skewer to form a sausage-like shape. Make four sausage shaped seekh kebab like the image below.

10. Preheat the oven to 375° F . Grease the baking pan with little oil. Brush each kebab using oil.

11. Bake for 40 mins. After 20 mins of baking, flip the kebabs over. Take the kebabs out of the oven when they start to turn golden.

12. Serve them hot with coriander chutney or chimichurri. Enjoy