Cardamom Seekh Kebab

I love making seekh kebabs- like hamburgers, sky is the limit as far as flavors are concerned. They are great as an appetizer, a meal or a side dish. Serve them with a crunchy baguette and a big salad and you have a delicious meal- of course, a glass of wine helps and maybe some olives on the side…

For this recipes I used my usual turkey meat which is inexpensive and a lot healthier than other options. I wanted to use cardamom and planned on it being the star of the dish. You can use cardamom powder in this recipe but you won’t get the same flavor. When buying cardamom- make sure the pods are bright green. It is an expensive spice and you want to make sure it is super fresh. The mixture was delicious all cooked up on skewers. I broiled them under the broiler..

It is nice to have this mixture in the fridge or even in the freezer- especially in the summer when you don’t feel like doing much cooking. It is great to serve the kebabs with some grilled vegetables and a cold glass of rose…

• 1 lb ground turkey (dark meat is ideal, you can also use pork or lamb)
• 3 to 4 green onions
• 5 cloves garlic
• ½ inch ginger
• 1-3 Serrano chilies deseeded
• ½ cup fresh cilantro
• 1-3 green cardamoms
• 2 cloves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 large egg
• Wooden skewers soaked in water for 2-3 hours.

Mince the green onion, garlic, ginger, chilies, cilantro, cardamoms, cloves and in a food processor.
Add the ground turkey to a large mixing bowl and mix in the onion mixture.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly but not too much, (over mixing can toughen the meat). Marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours.
Take each skewer and place a hand full of meat mixture evenly around it creating a long thin kebab.
Place all the skewers either on a grill or a hot skillet. Cook till done.
Serve with cilantro and mint chutney.