Our culinary expert, Sonali, has just the right recipe for the winter, a peppery Murg Kalimirch Tikka Kabab. Other than adding zest to the dish, black pepper is a panacea. It has several health benefits 1 like relief from respiratory disorders, coughs, the common cold, constipation, indigestion, anemia, impotency, muscular strains, dental disease, pyorrhea, diarrhea, and heart disease. It is a rich source of manganese, iron, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, and dietary fiber and is also a very good anti-inflammatory agent. Here’s a healthy and spicy food, in the weekly column, exclusively for Different Truths.
Winter is the time when we love to indulge in rich and spicy food. It is also the best time of the year to use the oven more often. This time also being the holidays, we entertain guests over to our place quite often. I am always in search of recipes that are easy yet tasty. This Murgh Kalimirch Tikka Kabab is such an easy recipe that does not need too much time to prep. Marinate the chicken pieces with spices the night before and all you do is skewer the chicken and bake until done on the day of the party. How easy is that?
The chicken comes out tender and juicy, melt in the mouth with a spicy kick from the black pepper powder. Use as much or as little pepper powder as per your liking. This is one of my favorite recipes to prepare when we have friends and family at our place. I hope you will give this a try and love as much as we do.
Recipe:
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Other time: 8 hours or overnight
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
3 large boneless and skinless chicken fillets
2 tablespoons: ginger-garlic paste
4 tablespoons: plain curd/yogurt
2 teaspoons: salt or to taste
1 teaspoon: Punjabi garam masala powder
3-4 tablespoons: coarsely ground black pepper powder
2 tablespoons: fresh cream
1 large: egg yolk
2 tablespoons: vegetable oil
2 tablespoons: corn flour
½ of each red onion, green and red bell pepper/capsicum
2 tablespoons: melted butter (optional)
5-6 wooden skewers
1 teaspoon cilantro/coriander leaves chopped
Pinch of chaat masala (optional)
Method:
Wash and pat the chicken with a kitchen towel to dry. Cut into bite size pieces. Cut the
vegetables into chunks or squares. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the ginger-garlic paste, salt,
yogurt, garam masala powder, coarsely ground black pepper, fresh cream, egg yolk and oil and
mix well with your hands. Add the corn flour at the end and give a final mix. Cover with a cling
wrap and marinate overnight or at least for 8 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 450F or 200C. Bring the marinated chicken to room temperature at least 30
mins before baking. While the chicken is thawing, soak the wooden skewers in water. When it is
time to bake, skewer the chicken and vegetables alternately on the skewers and place on a baking
sheet. Do not over crowd the skewers. Repeat with rest of the chicken. Bake the chicken in the
pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes rotating the pan in between for even baking. Bake until the
chicken pieces are golden brown in colour. The baking time depends on the individual oven
temperature so keep an eye. When the chicken is done, place on a wire rack and brush the top
with melted butter. Sprinkle with some chaat masala and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve
hot with green chutney and onions. Enjoy!
1 Source: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs- and-spices/health- benefits-of- black-pepper.html
Food Styling and photography by the Author