Topic: How to make Kebab-house seekh kebabs

[Peripatetic Phil]

How do you cook your popadom, Rob ?  I break mine in half and drop a pair into my deep-fat fryer at 190C, then pull them out with chopsticks as soon as they stop making a noise and stack them in pairs (like a ridge roof) to drain on kitchen paper.  Never had a failure that way.  Or did I misunderstand and did you make your popadom from scratch (something I would never even consider attempting) ?

Re. seekh kebabs, I certainly intend to try Syed's version

[Kashmiri Bob]

Hi Phil.  Had the oil too hot for the pops probably ("ready made").  I use a large kahari type dish on the hob.  There was no stopping them curling up to Yorkshire pud size.  I used to be able to do them no problem.  They were over three years beyond there best before date, which may also have been an issue.

I don't think blenders are needed for kebab house seekhs.  I have watched them mixing by hand in the back at my local. 

How are you doing with the springyfication?  I used the powdered meat tenderiser for this; plenty of it as I recall.  Not sure if my local use it.  Their seekhs are super-springy.  However, lost again, I did have a web link describing the use of tenderisers for minced meats.  It must be somewhere on my laptop.

Rob    

[Peripatetic Phil]

Re. tenderisation / "springification" / stickiness, no need for any additional tenderisers (anyone want to buy a couple of kg ?!).  The Laziza & Shan mixes contain all that is needed.
** Phil.

[Kashmiri Bob]

Re. tenderisation / "springification" / stickiness, no need for any additional tenderisers (anyone want to buy a couple of kg ?!).  The Laziza & Shan mixes contain all that is needed.
** Phil.

Interesting Phil.  I recall getting nowhere with packet spice mixes for the seekh, although the Shan ingredients are close to what I would use.  Here, I'd swap out the carom for green cardamom/mace.  I wonder if the kebab houses use packet spice.  Guess some may.  I really think ditch the blender for kebab house seekh.  Texture will be all wrong and the presentation could end up looking like a turd.  Blending does come in for the Manchester Shami though, after the whole mix is pan cooked.

Rob

[Peripatetic Phil]

Texture will be all wrong and the presentation could end up looking like a turd. 

Texture is excellent (IMHO), but the presentation is unfortunately exactly as you describe although only while it is being skewered and extruded, not after it has been cooked.  And just to clarify, when I use the term "Kebab-house", I mean the Lahore (Punjabi) kebab houses, not the Turkish ones.

[Update] I made the remaining Laziza mix into pre-extruded kebabs tonight, and it became immediately clear that the Laziza mix, as well as being milder, does not include the same effective proportion of tenderising enzymes.  These were far harder to extrude satisfactorily than last night's Shan, and ended up being roughly 1/3 shorter (and proportionally fatter) as a result.  Overall I am now inclined to upgrade Shan to 8/10.

** Phil.