Murgh Dahi Kebab with Spicy Mint Pesto
Ingredients
For the hung curd:
- 2 cups regular yoghurt/curd
- Cheesecloth
For the kebabs:
- 400 gms chicken mince
- 1 cup fresh coriander leaves
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 2 spring onions
- 5 green chillies
- ½ cup hung curd
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- ½ tsp kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
- Salt to season
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- Vegetable oil for shallow frying
For the mint pesto:
- 2 tbsp. toasted pinon nuts pine nuts
- 1 cup packed mint leaves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Juice from one lime
- 1 raw garlic clove
- 1 tbsp. minced onion
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tsp. red chilli flakes
- Salt to season
Instructions
To prepare hung curd:
- Line a cheesecloth in a bowl and add 2 cups of yoghurt/curd into it. Gather the sides of the cloth into a bundle, knot at the top and hang to let the excess whey drain out, for at least 6-8 hours or overnight. Since it was cold here, I let the cloth hang over my sink; you could place it in your refrigerator too, especially if keeping overnight.
To prepare kebabs:
- Finely chop ingredients 4-7 in a processor or by hand.
- In a pan, heat 1 tsp oil and sauté the chopped ingredients for just a minute.
- Add this to the chicken mince along with hung curd and the spices. Season with salt.
- Mix well and shape into small patties. Keep aside or refrigerated till it’s time to cook.
- In a flat pan, heat oil and shallow fry the kebabs till done.
To prepare pesto:
- Lightly toast the pine nuts.
- Put all mint pesto ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Transfer to a serving container and refrigerator until ready to use.