This Mixed Vegetable Kabab brings together an unusually varied set of vegetables, including raw banana and beetroot alongside the more expected potatoes and carrots. Each vegetable is cooked separately before being combined, which keeps the final mixture manageable rather than wet. The binding comes from soaked bread slices, Bengal gram flour and dry bread crumbs, and the spicing comes from a ground paste made with poppy seeds, whole spices and vinegar. The kababs hold their shape well in hot oil and develop a proper crust all around. If you enjoy a Mixed Vegetable Cutlet, this recipe follows a similar idea but with a richer spice base.
About the Recipe
The recipe works in two stages. First, every vegetable is cooked by the method that suits it best: potatoes in a pressure cooker, raw banana steamed briefly with its skin on, and carrots, beetroot and beans steamed together. Second, the cooked vegetables are fried with the ground masala paste until all the moisture evaporates.
This drying step is what allows the kababs to hold together and fry cleanly. Bengal gram flour, dry bread crumbs and soaked bread are then kneaded into the mixture to give it enough body to be shaped into cylinders. The kababs can be deep-fried or baked on greased skewers.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
The spice paste is the real highlight here. Grinding garlic, ginger, poppy seeds, green chillies, cumin, aniseed, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and vinegar together produces a paste that is noticeably more complex than a standard kabab seasoning. The vinegar keeps the paste from tasting flat.
The texture is worth mentioning too. Because moisture is cooked out of the vegetable mixture before shaping, and because the kababs are turned on a knitting needle or skewer so that all sides colour evenly, the outside turns genuinely crisp.
Cooking Tips
The most common beginner mistake is skipping the step where the vegetable and masala mixture is fried until dry. If moisture remains, the kababs will break apart in the oil. Squeeze soaked bread slices thoroughly before adding them, as excess water from the bread has the same effect.
When deep-frying, use a knitting needle or skewer to turn the kababs so that every side gets direct contact with the hot oil. If baking, apply butter as soon as the kababs come out of the oven.
Top Tips
- Steam the raw banana with its skin on for 5 minutes under pressure. The skin holds the flesh together and prevents it from becoming waterlogged.
- Fry the vegetable and masala mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly, until no moisture is visible at the base of the pan before removing from heat.
- Squeeze each soaked bread slice firmly in both hands until it is almost dry before kneading it into the mixture.
- Shape the mixture into cylinders of even thickness so that they cook at the same rate in the oil.
- Insert the kababs onto a knitting needle or skewer before frying so you can rotate them easily and colour all sides without them breaking.
- If baking in the oven, apply a little butter while the kababs are still hot so the surface does not dry out before serving.
Serving and Storing Suggestions
Serve the kababs immediately after frying with mint chutney, tomato ketchup and sweet chutney. Raw onion slices seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon juice work well alongside.
Leftover kababs can be refrigerated for up to a day. Reheat them in a dry pan or in the oven rather than the microwave, which softens the crust. Unshaped or shaped but unfried kababs can be frozen on a tray, transferred to a bag once firm, and fried directly from frozen in hot oil.
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Nutrient Benefits
Beetroot, carrots and potatoes contribute potassium and several B vitamins. Raw banana adds resistant starch and a modest amount of vitamin B6. Bengal gram flour provides plant protein and iron. French beans add folate and a little vitamin C. The variety of vegetables means each serving covers a wider range of micronutrients than a single-vegetable kabab would.
Mixed Vegetable Kabab
Ingredients
- 2 Onions
- 3 Carrots
- 100 grams French Beans
- 1/4 kgs Potatoes
- Raw Banana- 1
- 1 small Betroot
- 2 tbsp Chopped coriander leaves
- Oil - to deep fry
- Bengal Gram flour- 3 tbsp
- 3 tbsp Dry bread crumbs
- 6 slices Fresh bread
- 1 tbsp Fresh cream
- Salt - As required.
- Grind to Paste :
- 4 flakes GArlic
- 1/2 inch piece Ginger
- 1 tbsp Poppy seeds
- 4 Green chilles
- 3/4 tbsp Red chilly powder
- 1/2 tbsp Cumin seed
- 1/4 tbsp Ani seed
- 2 Cardamoms
- 1/4 tbsp Black pepper
- 2 tbsp Vinegar
- Cinnamom - small piece
- 2 Cloves
Instructions
- Pressure cook potatoes, peel and mash well.
- Grate onions, steam whole carrots, peeled beetroot and chopped beans.
- Steam raw banana with skin in cooker for 5 minutes (under pressure). Peel and mash well.
- Grate cooked carrots and beetroot.
- Heat little oil and fry grated onion untill golden brown.
- Add masala paste with salt and sugar.
- Stir constantly till raw flavour is lost.
- Add prepared vegetables and fry till moisture evaporates.
- Remove from fire and mix bengal gram flour, bred crumbs and soaked, squeezed bread slices.
- Knead well and make cylinder and deep fry in hot oil till crisp and braoen.
- Serve hot with mint chutney, tomato ketchup, sweet chutney and sliced, raw onions which is sprinkled with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- NOTE :
- Insert kabab in knitting needle and fry in deep hot oil turning all the sides well (or) Apply on greased skewers and bake in oven till brwon. Apply little buttet when it is still hot and serve.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake these kababs instead of deep-frying them?
Yes. Place the shaped kababs on greased skewers and bake in a preheated oven until browned on the outside. The recipe suggests applying a little butter while the kababs are still hot. Baked kababs will have a slightly drier surface than fried ones, so the butter helps with both flavour and finish.
Why does my kabab mixture fall apart when I fry it?
The most likely cause is excess moisture. Two things can cause this: the vegetable and masala mixture was not fried long enough to dry out, or the soaked bread slices were not squeezed firmly enough before being added. Make sure the mixture looks dry and pulls away cleanly from the pan before you remove it from the heat, and press each bread slice hard in your hands before kneading it in.
What does the raw banana do in this recipe, and can I leave it out?
Raw banana, once steamed and mashed, acts partly as a binder and adds a neutral starchy body to the mixture without a strong flavour. Leaving it out will reduce the total volume and may make the kababs a little less firm. If you cannot find raw banana, an equal weight of additional mashed potato is a workable substitute, though the texture will be slightly softer.
Can I make the spice paste in advance?
Yes. Grind the paste and store it in a small airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. The vinegar in the paste helps preserve it. Bring it to room temperature before adding it to the pan so that it fries evenly and the raw flavour cooks out properly.
What is the purpose of using both dry bread crumbs and soaked fresh bread in the mixture?
They do different jobs. The soaked and squeezed fresh bread adds a soft, cohesive body to the mixture and helps the kababs hold their shape when kneaded. The dry bread crumbs absorb any remaining surface moisture and help form the crust when the kababs hit the hot oil. Using only one or the other tends to produce either a mixture that is too soft or a crust that is too thick.
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