What's Up World: Indian Spiced Chicken Kebabs

We're continuing our virtual trip to the beautiful county of India (if you're new here, you can learn more about our adventure HERE to join us--it's never to late!). This country, I told the boys, was ALL THE WAY around the world, and they used that information to spend the next three minutes fighting over who could spin the globe to the other side because nothing brings out that special side of siblings like summer vacation. Once both had the opportunity to spin that very object that's on display every day but otherwise gets ignored lest the other shows interest, we moved on to reading all about this special country.

Like the book we read about Brazil, the story about India was narrated by a school-aged girl, and this one had 56 kids in her class. I was surprised to learn that schools are so full in India, that students are divided into two groups--those who attend school in the morning and others who go in the afternoon--to keep up with the demand. We finished the book and I couldn't wait to move on to trying the recipe.

I wouldn't dream about writing about Indian cuisine without consulting my friend Kanchan who grew up there but now lives in Brooklyn. Her cookbook and blog, Spice Spice Baby, include recipes that span from babyhood to adulthood and will inspire you to experiment with all different kind of spices. She also has a Ph.D. in Biomedicine from Harvard (#girlpower for real!) and I love how she incorporates the information about healing power of various spices into her cuisine.

We decided to make these super flavorful chicken kebabs from her cookbook that happened to be her childhood favorite food. On her son's first trip to India, her mother cooked these same kebabs for him, and he devoured them just as she had done as a kid! I personally like using familiar foods as a vehicle for introducing new flavors, so I was excited to make these with my kids. Plus, anything on a stick is always fun to eat and inevitably turns into a kebab sword fight. Ah, boys.

I chopped up the onion, garlic and ginger while the kids picked off  leaves off cilantro and mint. I set out a cutting board and asked them to put the stems in one pile and the leaves in the other, and they went right to it. We also took turns smelling the ginger, garam masala, garlic, and herbs. Once we blended up the herb mixture in the food processor, I sealed off that and the chicken in a large zip lock bag, and the kids got to squish it around to evenly distribute. I left the kebab skewering to yours truly because there wouldn't be enough bandaids in the house to cover the potential boo-boo damage otherwise.

My whole family ate these right up, including my 1 year old whose chicken I chopped into tiny bite size pieces. These make a great flavorful food for baby-led weaning. Introducing infants to a variety of herbs and spices can make them better eaters--in fact studies show that the more flavors a baby is exposed to before age 1 translates to the more variety of foods they eat at age 7.

We're having so much fun with this series, and can't wait to land in our next stop: Italy!

Chicken Kebabs with Garam Masala, Mint and Cilantro

makes 12 kebabs

Ingredients:

½ small red onion, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

A fistful of fresh cilantro (leaves and soft stems)

4-6 mint leaves

1 teaspoon peeled and grated ginger

1 teaspoon garam masala (make your own as in Page X or store-bought)

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, chopped into 1 inch pieces

Coconut oil

Lemon juice

Directions:

In a food processor,  blend together the first 7 ingredients until onion, and herbs are minced and mixed well. Transfer meat and herb mixture to a a gallon sized ziplock bag and mix well. 

Mold the meat mixture into 2-inch long kebabs and set aside.

Heat a grill pan or skillet to medium and brush lightly with coconut oil. Cook the kebabs, turning them every minute or so for 10-12 minutes to ensure even cooking all around. Brush the kebabs with coconut oil while cooking, every few minutes, to prevent them from drying out. If cooking in batches, avoid over-crowding and brush the skillet with more oil as needed between batches. Check one kebab for doneness – it should not be pink in the middle.

Serve with a cilantro and mint yogurt sauce or enjoy with a squeeze of lemon.  Freeze the cooked kebabs for up to 3 months – just thaw and reheat on a grill pan before serving.