The concept of kebabs is believed to have started in Persia. The dish travelled in India through the Mughals and instantly became popular in the country. Currently, people in India love to savour delicious chicken and mutton kababs regularly, as well as on special occasions.
During the month of Ramadan, kebabs are a very important part of the Iftar meal. These succulent snacks are often served with a tempting dip. Achieving the right amount of tenderness and flavour in kebabs can be challenging sometimes. But one can make delicious kebabs at home by simply following these tips and tricks.
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* Use Good Ingredients
The whole taste of a dish depends on the type of ingredients that are used to make it. While making kebabs at home, it is extremely important to only choose ingredients that are of high quality. Using stale meat can spoil the overall taste of the kebabs. While making chicken kebabs, one must always choose the boneless variety of chicken, preferably the thigh. The higher fat content in the meat is always going to make it more tender than most kebabs. To give flavours, one must try choosing herbs and spices that are more vibrant and potent.
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* Using Binding Ingredients
It is extremely important to use one or the other type of binding ingredients, like bread crumbs and egg mixture, to keep everything intact. Fresh meat can instantly melt, especially when one is cooking it during the summer season. To prevent everything from falling off, one must carefully bind all the ingredients with the help of an egg mixture and bread crumbs. The coat should be extremely thin, as a very thick coat can negatively affect the texture of the kebabs.
* Marination of Chicken
The chicken also has to be marinated properly with a lot of spices and curd before being added to the kebabs. The coat will help in making the texture of the chicken very tender and help in the better synthesis of spices. The chicken should be marinated for at least 30 minutes before being converted into kebabs. If one has the time, one can simply marinate the chicken and put it in the refrigerator for two hours for the best-flavoured chicken.
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* Cooking With Care
While making kebabs with the help of minced chicken, it's very important to handle them gently and not apply too much pressure. Applying too much pressure or overworking can spoil their texture and make them extremely dry. Also, the kebabs must be cooked on a low flame or medium heat pan until they become golden brown. If one cooks kebabs at an extremely hot temperature, they can become dry and flaky. One should not cook kebabs on extremely high heat as they will never get the right texture.
* Using Moist Hands
A great way to enhance the juiciness of kebabs is by covering one's hand with some vegetable oil before making kebabs. Other ingredients that include garlic, onions or any other vegetable that is full of moisture can be used as well. Meat can become dry instantly, so one has to use a lot of external moisture to keep it fresh and greasy. This is the only way to make juicy kebabs at home.
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* Using Baking Soda
If the meat that is being used to make kebabs is not fresh, then one can instantly make it soft and juicy by adding some baking soda or vinegar. This is a great way to instantly transform the texture and the taste of meat and make it taste like it's fresh. Baking soda also acts as a binding agent and helps in keeping everything intact. However, one must also be extremely careful when using baking soda, as using excessive quantities can make the kebabs taste bitter.
* Watch The Quantity Of Spices
It is very important to watch the quantity of spices that are being used to make the kebabs. During the marination process, people end up adding a lot of spices that can spoil the flavour of kebabs. Kebabs are always subtly spiced, and there is a harmonious blend of all the flavours. If any spice overpowers the flavour of the other spice, then it starts tasting very weird. At the same time, every spice that is used in the marination process is extremely important to give kebabs a scrumptious flavour. All spices, such as red chilli powder, cumin seed powder, garam masala, turmeric, and salt should be used carefully.