 I was first introduced to this meal about 10 years ago during a trip to New York City and it soon became a mission of mine to replicate it. Halal Guys is a popular street-cart that serves shawarma style chicken and beef over a bed of rice and lettuce. It is topped off with a super spicy red sauce and a delicious garlicky white sauce. This cart is a very popular spot in NYC and you can always expect to find long lines leading up to it. After many tries, I still can’t get that specific taste, but I have come up with a similar recipe. It’s super easy to make and perfect for busy weeknights. There are four parts to this and I have divided the recipe in that way. The fourth part, the spicy red sauce, is completely optional and can be substituted with Sriracha or a hot sauce of your choice. Please do try it out and let me know how you like it. Ingredients for Chicken 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs cut into cubes 1 tsp ground black pepper 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp white pepper powder 1 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp oregano 1 tsp shawarma seasoning(optional) 1 tsp salt(adjust to taste) 3 tbsp oil Method for Chicken: In a bowl, marinate the chicken with all ingredient for about 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a pan and add the chicken. Cook until well done, leaving some juices in the pan so the chicken will stay moist. Ingredients for Saffron Rice: 2 cups white rice 3 cups chicken stock 1 tbsp oil 1 tsp salt a pinch of saffron Method for Saffron Rice: Bring the chicken stock, saffron, oil and salt to boil. Add the rice and cook on high until the rice comes to a boil and until about 3/4 way cooked. Cover the pot and let simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. White Sauce 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup yogurt 1/4 cup sour cream 1 tbsp minced garlic 1/4 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/4 tsp salt Method for the White Sauce: While the rice is cooking, you can begin the white sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and whisk until well blended. (Optional) Spicy Red Sauce:
1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 tsp ginger-garlic paste 1-2 tbsp red pepper powder 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/4 tsp salt Method for the Spicy Red Sauce: For the spicy red sauce, take a small frying pan and heat the oil on medium low. Next, turn the heat it the lowest setting and slowly add the ginger garlic paste and sauté lightly. Next add the red pepper powder and salt. Mix and lightly sauté. Allow the mixture to cool completely. Assemble: Now you are ready to assemble the dish. In you plate add the rice and chopped iceberg lettuce. Next add the chicken on top. Then top with your desired amount of white and red sauce. Your Halal-Cart Style Chicken and Rice Dinner is Ready! Enjoy 😊
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 Shaami Kabobs are a melt-in-your-mouth minced meat patty consisting of beef(or mutton), channa daal(chickpeas), onions, and various spices. They are popularly served as an appetizer, but can very well be served as a side dish with rice. While testing out recipes for Shaami Kabob, I got intrigued by what the history behind this unique recipe could be and learned a few cool facts. First off, the etymology refers to Bilad-al-Shaam, a region of present-day Syria, where most of the chefs had migrated from during the Mughal Era. As for the story behind the recipe, legend has it that it was invented by a Mughal Era chef for the Nawab(ruling nobleman)of Lucknow. According to various myths, the Nawab was overweight and toothless due to his overindulgences of being a Nawab. So as not to miss out on eating the delicious food made by his chefs, he challenged his chef to make such as dish that could be eaten without having any teeth, thus was born the Shaami Kabob. For about the last month, I have been on a mission to come up with a good recipe to share with you all. In the past, my shaami kabobs have always been lacking in one area, the final texture. I’ve always struggled with getting that perfect softness without it falling apart on me and without compromising on the flavour. After many consultations with family members and trial tests, I am officially Shaami Kabob’d out! Not really, but I am very excited to finally have a version to share with you all. So, please do try it out and let me know if any more tweaking can be done. My recipes are always a work in progress and can always be improved with feedback. Happy Kabobing! Ingredients (yields about 15 kabobs) 2 lb Boneless Beef(cut into small cubes) 2 Medium Onions Sliced 1/4 cup Channa Daal 2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste 1 tsp Turmeric 2 tsp Red Pepper Powder 1 tbsp Salt 1 tsp Garam Masala 1 tsp Whole Black Peppers 2 Cardamoms 1 Cinnamon Stick 4-5 Whole Green Chilis 1/2 Cup Roughly Chopped Cilantro 1/2 Cup Roughly Chopped Mint 2 Egg Whites Oil for Frying Method 1. In a pressure cooker or electric pressure cooker(Instant Pot), add the beef, onions, channa daal, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, red pepper powder, salt, garam masala, whole black peppers, cardamom, cinnamon stick and green chilis. Mix everything together well and add about 1 cup of water or until it is covered. 2. I set my electric pressure cooker on the ‘Meat’ setting for 30 minutes. For a regular pressure cooker, cook on medium flame for 30 minutes. 3. Once the meat is cooked, uncover the pot and cook further to reduce the remaining liquid in the pot. I cook it just until the meat mixture starts sticking to the pot. It should be a sticky consistency and not too dry. Allow to cool completely. 4. Next, take a food processor to mince the meat. Take about half the meat mixture, add to it one egg white(used for binding) and half the chopped cilantro and mint. Mince the meat completely to a pasty consistency. Repeat with he other half of the meat. 5. Now you are ready to make the patties. First taste and adjust salt if needed. Next, make sure the mixture is mixed completely and you have a nice sticky, pasty consistency. Here is the part I always struggle with, and it’s ok! *If you feel your mixture still feels dry and crumbly, add 1 more egg white and 1 tbsp yogurt. This should help make it softer. * If you feel the mixture is too soft and may fall apart while frying, add 1 tbsp besan(gram flour) to act as an additional binding agent. 6. Form round patties using about 1/4 cup of meat each. Roll the meat into a nice round ball. Then using the palms of your hand, flatten to make the round patty. You can also make it into a diamond shaped patty by adding points to the two ends of the the patties(See picture below). 7. Heat a frying pan with enough oil to shallow fry the patties. Slowly add the patty to the pan and fry until browned on each side, being careful while flipping. Your Shaami Kabobs are ready to serve!  This delicious omelette is a popular side dish with the famous Hyderabadi breakfast dish, Kichdi. It is very simple to make and can also simply be paired with toast for an easy, healthy breakfast. Ingredients 1 Medium Onion Finely Diced 1 Tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste 1 Tsp Red Pepper Powder 1 Tsp Turmeric 1 Tsp Salt 2 Tsp Finely Chopped Green Chili's (Adjust to your liking) 1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Cilantro 4 Eggs Oil Method
1. In a bowl, add all the ingredients, except for egg and oil, and mix everything together well. 2. Now add the eggs and scramble all the ingredients together in the bowl. 3. Take a medium frying pan and heat about 1 Tbsp oil. 4. Next, add about half of the egg mixture into the pan and spread across the pan to make a round omelette. Flip carefully once it is slightly browned on one side. 5. Once the other side is also browned, remove from the pan and cut into triangular portions. Your pyaaz ka anda is ready to serve. |
