Chicken Reshmi Kebab

Summer in Pacific Northwest is precious as it is over before it starts. However, it’s gorgeous as long as it lasts. No one can complain about clear skies and 17 hour days. However, late sunset means it’s harder to get kids out of the swimming pools and have their dinner. So we sometimes resort to making our dinner by the poolside. Our community has gas grills along side the pools that help a lot.
This chicken reshmi kebab recipe can be executed both in gas grills, electric ovens and combination microwave ovens.

Ingredients

1. 1lb. chicken boneless pieces cut into thick strips or cubes
2. 1/2 cup thick plain yogurt (curd)
3. 2tbsp. lemon juice
4. 1 tsp. red chili powder
5. 1/2 tsp. black pepper powder
6. 1tsp. roasted coriander powder
7. 1 tsp. Bengali garam masala powder
8. 2tbsp. lightly roasted chick pea flour (Besan)
9. 1tbsp. sugar
10. Salt to taste
11. 1-2 tsp. clarified butter (Ghee)
12. In a grinder make a paste of the following
1. 4,5 cloves garlic
2. 2,3 green chilies
3. 1tsp. cumin seed
4. 1 tsp. poppy seed
5. 2 black cardamoms

Procedure

In a mixing bowl take all the wet and dry spices and mix them thoroughly. Season the mixture with salt and sugar. Taste and adjust accordingly.
Marinate the chicken strips with this spice mixture and let it rest for 3-4 hrs. In summer days keep it in the refrigerator.
 
If you are using wooden skewers then pre-dip them in water for 30mins so that they don’t catch fire in the oven.
For electric oven preheat your oven at 350F. Skewer the chicken strips and brush with ghee. You might want to alternate chicken pieces with bell-pepper (capsicum) and onion. For electric oven grill for about 20-25 minutes turning the skewer frequently and basting with oil/ghee.

For combination microwave ovens put it on micro+grill combination mode and cook it for 10 minutes on each side.
If you have a barbeque grill put the kebabs on the grill, use medium heat and cook for 10 minutes with frequent turning and basting as mentioned above. At the end you might want to higher the heat/flame to bring in a slightly charred effect.
Serve with some onion rings or your favorite chutney.