Soya Mince Sheek Kebabs or Burgers
Soya Kababs
Mamta Gupta
Soya kebabs are a tasty alternative for vegetarians. If you are a strict vegetarian and don't even eat eggs, make them with chickpea or besan flour, instead of eggs.
Edited January 2017
Ingredients
1 cup or 50 gm. dry soya mince (it swells up when soaked)
1 large potato, approximately 250-300 gm.
1 medium, approximately 150 gm. onion, peeled and roughly chopped.
1 inch piece ginger, peeled
2-3 green chillies, adjust to taste
2-3 cloves of garlic, adjust to taste
2 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp. fresh mint leaves or 1 tbsp.mint sauce
1 tsp. sweet paprika powder for colour, otherwise they look rather pale
Salt to taste, 1 1/2 -2 tsp.
1 tsp. Garam Masala. If you use shop made garam masala, you may need more, as it has less flavour.
Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tbsp.)
1-2 tbsp. besan (chickpea flour), sieved to remove lumps.
Instructions
Soak soya mince in boiling hot water for 30 minutes or longer. It well swell up.
Meanwhile, boil or microwave the potato in its skin, cool, peel and mash. Keep aside.
Transfer to a sieve and rinse under running water. Allow to drain completely. Squeeze water out, if it feels too moist. Too much moisture makes binding the kebabs difficult. It should be roughly keema mince consistency.
Drain soya mince and squeeze out as much water as you can, by pressing firmly between both palms. Leave it in a bowl.
Place onions in a blender and blend coarsely. If onions seem to have too much water, squeeze some water out. Put in a large bowl.
Chop ginger, garlic, chilli, mint and coriander leaves in a food processor and chop finely, but not into a paste.
Transfer to the onion bowl and add all other ingredients.
Mix well, cover tightly (I use disposable shower caps for covering my bowls and plates) and leave aside in the fridge for a couple of hours/overnight.
Make into sheek-kebab or burger shapes.
Shallow fry in a little oil, using a non-stick frying pan. They should be nicely browned and crisp on ball sides. Turn gently, they break easily.
Serve hot with Green Mango Chutney or Tomato Ketchup.
Notes
If you don't have besan, use 1 large or 2 small eggs, lightly beaten. But these will then become unsuitable for vegans.
