How to make Kebab-house seekh kebabs

[Bob-A-Job]

I know there are various ways to 'tenderise' meat and I presummed it wasn't just the use of a mallet...

A quick search brought up this Sheknows and only this that mentions yogurt as far as I can see.

[livo]

Papaya is a well known tenderizer and it is often used to make tough rubbery things like octopus and cuttlefish softer to eat (or so they say).  Apparently the same enzyme is found in kiwifruit, although I tried it on a large cuttlefish I caught one time and it made absolutely no difference.

There have been discussions on the marination of meats using yogurt and whether there is any benefit of long time over short time.  Some say that long marination is actually detrimental and causes the cooked product to present as dried out and chalky.  I have had tandoori marinades going for quite some time and not really noticed any dryness.  I've also done short marination times with good results.

I am a big fan of Southern Fried / Louisiana chicken and I often do a marinade in either buttermilk of a mix of natural or Greek yogurt and milk.  It works for me and you can bread the chicken directly from the marinade to the breading mix.

It's a shame the OP of the seekh kebab thread never actually posted a recipe because they do look nice.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Quick answers to all points so-far raised :

1) I am assuming that Bob was referring to a proprietary enzyme-based tenderiser, so I ordered (and have now received) 2lb Badia Meat Tenderiser [1], as well as a couple of smaller packs of Rajah.  Bob, I seem to recall, surmised that papaya would be too expensive for production lines such as Lahore 1
2) I wasn't phazed by the absence of a recipe in that I have eaten sufficient Lahore-style kebabs to have a reasonable idea of what goes in them.
3) The essence, to my mind, is first to create the texture (so that it sticks together on the seekh, and has the correct mouth feel), and then and only then worry about getting the spicing and other ingredients right.  On this first occasion, I just used Patak's catering-size Madras Kebab paste, frequently mentioned and recommended by a former member of this forum.
4) I seem to recall that I also looked at Razor's kebab recipes, Ray being a reliable sort of chap.
5) Herself suggested that I use pineapple as a tenderiser, but I thought that the flavour would be too obvious.
6) I have e-mailed Bob, but no answer as of today.

** Phil.
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[1] Active enzyme bromelain

[mickdabass]

Ive used baking soda before now  which is good on beef but tends to leave it very slimy so I dont bother any more a local (so called up market chinese/malaysian restaurant uses it and I find it completely ruins the meal for me. Might be worth investigating any way

Regards

Mick

[Peripatetic Phil]

Ive used baking soda before now  which is good on beef but tends to leave it very slimy so I dont bother any more a local (so called up market chinese/malaysian restaurant uses it and I find it completely ruins the meal for me. Might be worth investigating any way

Thanks for the suggestion, Mick.  In fact, my wife also suggested bicarb., but now that the "real" tenderiser has arrived, I will give that a go first, just as soon as the mince has defrosted.

** Phil..

[Peripatetic Phil]

OK, so now I have both papain-based and bromelain-based tenderisers (Rajah, Badia), but interestingly neither Laziza nor Shan suggest the use thereof in their on-packet recipes.  For reference, here is each :

1) Shan.  1kg double-minced meat; 200gm suet; 2

[livo]

The Shan has papaya in the Masala among other things. The Laziza has mince ground to a paste, ie; emulsified like sausage.

I've tried both and prefer the Laziza.

[Peripatetic Phil]

The Shan has papaya in the Masala among other things.

Well spotted, that man.  I had completely missed that.  Nothing similar or analogous in the Laziza apart from Amchoor

[Peripatetic Phil]

The Laziza has mince ground to a paste, ie; emulsified like sausage.

It will be interesting to see how my 2kW jug blender (Silvercrest) copes with minced lamb ...

Well, apart from a rather alarming "very warm" odour, all went well, and the consistency of the minced lamb has changed beyond belief.  It has been mixed with the pulverised onion, chillies and masala (courtesy of the Kenwood Major

[livo]

Ah yes! The worrying odour of a warm electric motor.  At least is wasn't the acrid smell of electrical components reaching smoke point.  I hope the kebabs aroma was a bit nicer.

There is always the urge to "overcook" kebabs, tikka, souvla etc.  I prefer mine to be slightly underdone as they will continue to cook in their own heat.  Chicken is the tricky one but I have no objection to eating lamb or beef a bit rare and it's usually nicer that way.

I'll be interested to know your preference between Laziza and Shan.  I know my own preference and it's chalk and cheese in my opinion.