Chaapli Kabab – Flat and Spicy Ground Chicken Kabab

Things have been normalizing here and there, the morning commute has been crowding up and NYC is back and busstling after the storm. It is still not time to give up memories of summer, and that is why it is time for Chaapli kabab, or the self-styled Indian hamburger.

Granted, all notions of outdoor grilling is being dispelled by the weather. Sandy was followed by a premature snowstorm, named Athena. I mean seriously, since when did we start naming our snow storms here. That too after a Greek Goddess? Chances are Athena the Goddess of wisdom, would have no idea how to deal with the vagaries of a snow storm and would certainly be wise enough to think twoce before leaving her Mediterranean abode.

Nonetheless, she has been memorialized this winter and her snowy namesake came right in time to offer us a crazy return home commute. After bracing and dealing with cleaning the fairly thick coating of snow and dealing with the slippery roads that took 15 minutes, for that one mile between the station and our home, I realized that our dinner date for restaurant week was not happening.

The morning was different! It was peaceful and soothing to watch the snowy landscape heading into work. If you want a glimpse, you might want to stop by my facebook page. The other excitement in our house were the elections, and all I can tell you about them is that it is it is a good thing my husband and I agree on our political outlooks, I would hate to see what happened if our energy was focused negatively against each other, instead of sharing the excitement of the evening together.

Crazy as it sounds, we spent a lot of time on our first date, talking about food and politics, yes, in that order. Over time, we have found our corners and collective preferences in both these areas that work and complement each other, the rest is where we differ enough to keep things interesting and have contrast and texture in our household.

Onto chaapli kababs…

I realize calling them flattened chicken kababs, might not do them a lot of justice. However, the name comes from the word chap to press and in turn flatten, and while I make them with chicken, because that is what we tend to have around more often than not, they can be made with beef or lamb depending on your preference. You will have to modify your cooking time accordingly.

My quick fix version gets done pretty simply in the oven, a few minutes of baking followed by some broiling. In summer, this recipe works well on the grill, and can double up very effectively as a spiced hamburger.

I often make miniature versions of these, as cocktail snacks, or enjoy the large ones over rice.