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Rice Kheer – Rice Pudding

This delicious one-pot Rice Kheer recipe comes straight from my Pakistani kitchen to yours. I’ve adapted the classic recipe that takes hours to make, to give you this foolproof recipe ready within the hour. A classic kheer (rice pudding) is made with simple ingredients like rice, sugar, and milk. The smooth texture and simple flavors of kheer make this a crowd-pleaser and a kid’s favorite!

Rice Kheer dessert served in multiple small bowls
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What is Kheer?

Kheer is essentially a South Asian milk-based pudding. Rice kheer also known as chawal ki kheer (in Urdu) is made with rice. But other variations of kheer exist, like the lesser-known tapioca kheer.

Because of the simplicity of the recipe, it is popular for both, regular weekend dessert nights and for elaborate festivities like Eid, Diwali, and dinner parties. Kheer Puri is also a popular Sunday brunch option, where cold kheer is served with crispy fried puris. My mom also loves adding khara masala keema to this Sunday brunch.

If you follow me on Insta, then you know your girl loves a good silky smooth dessert in summer. And a cold nice kheer, malai kulfi, and rose honey milk cake are my top 3 go-to heat-killers!

Ingredients

The traditional stove-top Rice kheer uses only sugar, rice and milk and is simmered at low flame for hours to allow the milk to cook down and give it depth and flavor. I use sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk to achieve the same depth of flavor but in less time.

labelled ingredients for kheer
  • Rice – I use regular basmati rice for kheer. Long grain and other variations don’t matter for this recipe.
  • Green cardamom – I add whole pods but you can use 2 to 3 pinches of green cardamom powder instead if you want.
  • Three milk sources – Full-fat milk, Sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. (more on substitutes down below)

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities

Substitutions

So the basic trio of milk, rice, and sugar is of course mandatory for this recipe. Let’s talk about the other 2 milk sources.

Sweetened Condensed Milk – Use a combo of more sugar and heavy cream instead.

Evaporated milk – I use evaporated milk to adjust the thickness and the sweetness of the kheer once it’s cooked while enhancing the flavor. You can use any milk alternative that you have at hand. The following are great substitutes for evaporated milk:

  • Milk powder mixed with milk to make a thicker milk alternative
  • Regular milk mixed in with chunks of khoya, or Indian mithai like barfi, kalakand
  • Unwhipped Heavy cream

PROPTIP: Simply use heavy whipping cream and sugar and skip the evaporated milk and condensed milk entirely if you are out of one or the other. You will need 500ml of heavy cream for the recipe quantities mentioned on the card.

Instructions

Since this is a one-pot recipe, there aren’t any complicated instructions to follow. But I’ve put together a pictorial to show you what the kheer looks like in different stages of cooking.

rice soaked in water

STEP 1 – In a wide pot, boil the soaked rice at low heat in the water. This will take about 10 mins, during which time you don’t need to stir the rice

partially cooked rice in a pot with a whisk

STEP 2 – Use a hand whisk to stir through the rice once the water evaporates and the rice has doubled in size.

milk, green caramom and rice in a pot

STEP 3 – Add in milk and green cardamom and let the rice cook in the milk at medium to low heat.

milk and rice boiling in a pot forming a crust on top

STEP 4 – Your milk will form a crusty top while it’s boiling. This is normal. Whisk occasionally but you can leave the milk unattended for 5 to 6 mins at a stretch.

    rice and milk cooking, being mixed with a whisk

    STEP 5 – After 15 to 20 mins, you will see a thick porridge-like consistency of the kheer.

    adding sugar to a pot of rice and milk

    STEP 6 – Add in your sugar.

    adding condensed milk to the pot of rice kheer

    STEP 7 – And add in your condensed milk. Now the kheer will liquefy again a little bit. This is normal. Let it cook for another 10 mins at medium to high heat. Whisk occasionally.

    adding evaporated milk to a pot of rice kheer

    STEP 8 – Turn off the flame of the kheer and let it cool down. Now add evaporated milk as much as you like for your desired thickness and consistency.

    Expert Tips

    • Most recipes will ask you to either break the rice by hand after soaking them or grind them in a food processor. But my favorite hack is to use a hand whisk instead while cooking, which naturally breaks the rice grains and reduces an additional step.
    • I used these cool clay pots that you see in the pictures to serve the kheer because that is how they are traditionally served. But the authentic clay pots need to be soaked in water overnight. If you use them, make sure you soak them overnight, or else they will absorb all the liquid from the kheer. Don’t ask me how I know that.
    • Cooked Kheer might splutter slightly towards the end of its cooking, so just be mindful of that while stirring.

    Garnish and Serving

    rice kheer dessert served in clay bowls

    Rice kheer is served cold. As the cooked kheer cools down, it forms a thin milky crust on top as it reacts with air. I personally am not a fan of this and I usually cover the kheer with a lid once its done cooking. But some of my family members like the crust, so they usually pour the hot kheer into a serving bowl immediately and allow it to cool in the bowl with the crust on top.

    The best garnishes for kheer are chopped or sliced pistachios and almonds. I also like to add rose petals for a little pizazz. You can incorporate the nuts into the kheer itself and then some more for toppings, or only as toppings.

    Equipment

    In traditional South Asian kitchens, kheer is usually made in aluminum pots because they are usually heavy bottom and the milk doesn’t burn easily in aluminum pots. You can also use any heavy bottom pot made with stainless steel or Dutch Ovens. You can also use a girdle or a tava underneath the pot if your pot isn’t heavy base.

    How to make Dairy-Free Vegan Kheer

    As you can see this dessert heavily relies on multiple milk sources for flavor and cooking. You can easily make a dairy-free kheer by using milk substitutes like nut milk and soy milk. Use coconut cream in place of the evaporated milk and condensed milk. You may have to adjust your sugar quantities as this recipe uses sweetened condensed milk.

    FAQs for making Kheer

    How long can the kheer last in the fridge?

    Your kheer can last up to 7 to 10 days in the fridge easily. Make sure to keep it in an airtight container or covered by cling wrap to avoid any other aromas seeping into it.

    Can you freeze Kheer?

    Yes, yes you can! Once your kheer cools down completely, skip adding the evaporated milk and freeze. The kheer becomes slightly more liquid once defrosted. So you can either cook it again once it cools down or freeze a thicker batter by simply skipping the evaporated milk.

    What to do if my kheer starts to burn?

    If your heat is too high or your pot doesn’t have a thick base, your milk will burn from the edges turning it brown and giving your kheer a burnt aroma and aftertaste. While stirring the kheer if you see any browning on the edges of the pot, simply reduce the heat to low. If your heat is already low and you see your kheer is still burning on the edges, then add a tava or a pan on the base of your pot. If you somehow left your kheer unattended then you might find a big chunk of the bottom has burnt. In this case, turn off the heat and without stirring, simply pour the kheer from the top into a bowl. Try to save as much of it as you can and simply continue cooking this saved kheer in another pot.

    Should I rinse the rice for Kheer?

    Rinsing rice is usually done to remove any extra starch. But for Kheer, the starch helps to enhance the smooth texture of the recipe. I’d suggest not rinsing the rice for this reason, but go with your preference.

    What to pair with Kheer

    Since kheer is a dessert, its a stand-alone dish. But like I told you in the beginning, it pairs really well with hot crispy fried puris for brunch.

    More Pakistani and Indian Desserts

    Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

    Do you have any questions? I’m happy to help! And of course If you try this recipe, I’d loveeeee to see it or simply hear about it! Hit me up in the comment section below and I’ll get back to asap! Happy Cooking!

    Rice Kheer dessert served in multiple small bowls

    Rice Kheer – Rice Pudding

    A one pot traditional South Asian dessert, made with rice, sugar and milk. Garnished with nuts and served cold.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: pakistani, South Asian
    Prep Time: 0 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 10 servings
    Calories: 405kcal
    Author: Wajiha

    Equipment

    • 1 heavy bottom stainless steel pot Or use a flatpan beneath your existence normal bottom large saucepans
    • 1 hand whisk

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Basmati rice soaked in water for atleast 20 mins
    • 2 cup water
    • 1 Litre full fat milk
    • 2 cup white sugar or to taste
    • 1 can condensed milk 375 gm
    • 1 can evaporated milk (add more or less according to thickness preferred)

    Garnish

    • 2 tbsp sliced or chopped pistachio and almonds or any nuts you like
    • rose buds or petals optional

    Instructions

    • In the pot, add rice and water. Simmer at medium flame until all the water evaporates and rice doubles in size. Use a hand whisk to stir the rice
    • Add green cardamom and milk and let it simmer at low flame. Whisk with your hand whisk from time to time. This will take 20 mins
    • Add sugar and condensed milk and cook for another 20 mins. Whisk to make sure the rice grains don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
    • You will see the rice grains will have broken down into smaller bits and the rice and milk would now be in a pudding consistency. Turn off the flame and let the kheer cool down.
    • Now add evaporated milk. Add as much as you like for the consistency you prefer.

    Notes

    • To substitute Sweetened Condensed Milk – Use a combo of more sugar and heavy cream instead.
    • To substitute Evaporated milk – I use evaporated milk to adjust the thickness and the sweetness of the kheer once it’s cooked while enhancing the flavor.  The following are great substitutes for evaporated milk:  a) Milk powder mixed with milk to make a thicker milk alternative. b) Regular milk mixed in with chunks of khoya, or Indian mithai like barfi, kalakand. c) Unwhipped Heavy cream
    • Use a tava or pan below the pot if you see your kheer is burning at the edges
    • Kheer which is near to completion, might splutter a little bit, just be mindful of that. 
    • You can adjust how much-evaporated milk you want to add depending on how thick you want your kheer to be. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 405kcalCarbohydrates: 85gProtein: 10gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 131mgPotassium: 431mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 70gVitamin A: 357IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 339mgIron: 0.3mg
    Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

    Pakistani Chicken Karahi

    Chicken Karahi is one of the easiest, most popular delicious chicken curries ever made! The chicken is seasoned with minimal spices and cooked in a beautiful tomato curry. A very popular attraction in dhabas and restaurants. And for you chefs at home, I’ve tried and perfected this recipe to give you that authentic taste!

    chicken karahi which is a type of curry served in a bowl with naan bread on the side.
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    What is Chicken Karahi

    Karahi or Kadai means “wok” in Urdu/Hindi. The dish got its name from the wok it’s cooked in. These South Asian woks are usually cast iron and heavy bottom and the chicken is traditionally cooked in enough oil and tomatoes to not stick to the pan. The chicken karahi originates from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly Northwest Frontier) province of Pakistan.

    The OG chicken karahi is essentially a “dry curry” cooked with minimal spices and soft, tender tomatoes. So it doesn’t hold a lot of liquid gravy as the classic Chicken ka salan does. The distinguishing features of an authentic chicken karahi are a red tomatoey base, garnished with ginger, cilantro, and green chilies

    And like all great creations, the classic Chicken Karahi has also inspired a truckload of variations and fusion-style recipes. Balochi Karahi and White karahi are popular examples! Remind me to share those recipes with you too!

    Normally the Karahi made in restaurants is made in a Wok and then covered by a conical lid like a Tagine. It’s a quick recipe and an active one at that. Where the chef constantly keeps stirring the chicken in oils and tomatoes on an open fire. For ease, I’ve adapted the recipe slightly to be more suitable for home cooking.

    What makes karahi authentic?

    With so many recipes all around the internet for karahi, it is possible that you will come across recipes that use onions and/or yogurt in their recipes. And I tell you, as a karahi purist, It IS a crime! A crime I tell you, to add onions or yogurt or any third ingredients to make the base of this curry! The variations of karahi have all sorts of ingredients and that’s fine! But if you are making the Original karahi, it needs the tomatoes to take the centre stage! It will hold a slight tang because of the tomatoes, adding onions (which are inherently sweet) balances off the tomatoes and then essentially give you a basic typical South Asian curry.

    Notes on Ingredients

    As I said, the ingredients used are super basic, and with the exception of maybe 1 or 2, you will probably have all the other ingredients at hand.

    ingredients laid out for chicken karhai
    • Chicken – So for the traditional recipe, I would prefer you go with bone-in chicken cut into small pieces with the skin removed. You should get about 16 to 18 pieces of a normal 2 lb chicken.
    • Spices – This recipe uses basic spices like freshly ground black pepper, salt, and cumin powder. The only 2 fancy ingredients you need are the Dried fenugreek leaves and Kashmiri red chili powder. The Kashmiri red chili powder is milder than regular red chili so you can use a larger amount without making your gravy overly spicy. It brings that beautiful red color to your dish without packing in a ton of heat.
    • Green Chilies – The green chilies used for karahi are literally called “karahi mirchen” in Urdu. These are essentially lighter green in color and super mild tasting. They are also essentially bigger and similar to jalapenos.
    • Garlic paste – Most curry recipes call for garlic ginger paste but for Karahi, we are going to garnish with julienne cut ginger slices so the basic paste we use is simply garlic to prevent an overpowering gingerness. (is that a word?)
    • Tomatoes – The star of the show! My only recommendation is to go for the reddest, most ripe tomatoes available to you. Any type would do! But my insta friends in the west have recommended Roma tomatoes unanimously.
    • Oil/Ghee – I personally prefer karahi in ghee or a combination of ghee and oil because of that added aroma it gives to the recipe. But any neutral oil works perfectly fine. Traditionally, the recipe uses a larger quantity of oil, but I have scaled it down a bit for cooking at home.

    See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

    Substitutions and Options

    All ingredients used are fairly easy to find, but let me hook you up with some alternatives just in case.

    • Chicken – I don’t recommend using larger pieces, but you can use boneless chicken for this recipe if you like. You will just need to reduce a little more liquid than you would need to in the case of the bone in chicken.
    • Kashmiri Red chili powder – You can use paprika powder instead, in the same quantities. If you are going to use regular red chili powder, use half the quantities as Kashmiri red chili powder is milder.
    • Green chilies – IF you cannot locate “karahi mirch”, your best substitute would be regular fresh jalapenos or any other mild green chilies you can get your hands on.
    • Dried Fenugreek leaves – I would personally never want to skip this ingredient because of the aroma it brings to the dish, but since Karahi is an easily adaptable recipe, you can skip it on a bad day.
    • Tomatoes – Ok whole canned tomatoes work surprisingly well with this recipe!

    Step by Step Instructions

    Preparing tomatoes

    So this is an additional step if you are using fresh tomatoes, you can skip this if you are using canned tomatoes. This step will take 5 mins but will reduce your active sauteeing and cooking time by 15 mins!

    zoomed in shot of tomatoes

    Add cuts on the bottom of the tomatoes in the shape of a cross and remove the stem areas

    tomatoes soaked in water in a bowl

    Put the tomatoes in a bowl and let it soak in boiling hot water for 10 mins.

    peeled skins of tomatoes piled on the side, and peeled tomatoes kept cut open in halves

    Drain the liquid and now you should be able to peel off the skin of the tomatoes with ease. Cut them into halves.

    NOTE: The stem region of the tomatoes doesn’t tenderize well and leaves little bits of tomato flesh floating around in the karahi. This step ensures you get a nice smooth karahi base.

    Making Chicken Karahi

    raw chicken in a deep pan with oil

    Add your raw chicken to a pot with oil/ghee, at high flame.

    semi cooked chicken in a pot with garlic paste added

    When your chicken turns white, add garlic paste and saute for 2 mins.

    NOTE: This step is most important in sealing in the juices of the chicken and giving it a slight sear from the pan. Don’t rush this step and allow the liquid from the chicken to evaporate completely before proceeding to the next step.

    spices added to semi cooked chicken in a pot

    Then you can add in the spices after all the water from the chicken has evaporated.

    tomatoes added to the chicken

    Toss in the tomatoes, and reduce the flame to low.

    curry covered with a pot lid

    Cover the lid and allow the tomatoes to soften up for about 5 to 10 mins

    reducing water from the tomatoes

    When you remove the lid, you will see water leached out from the tomatoes. Increase the heat back to medium-high at this point and add green chilies. Put the lid back on

    adding finishing spices to the curry

    After 10 mins, you will see oil separating on the sides of the wok/pot. Reduce the flame to low and add the finishing spices

    final stage of chicken karahi

    Mix the karahi well. You can add the garnish in the pot/wok or when you dish it out on the serving platter.

    Garnish

    Normally, the garnish is simply used for decor. But for chicken karahi, the garnish is just as important as the dish itself, they add the remaining flavors to tie the dish together. We garnish the karahi with 3 main ingredients

    • Julienne cut ginger slices
    • Julienne cut green chilies
    • Chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
    a close up view of the curry

    Pro Tips

    • While cutting the tomatoes in halves, if you or anyone in your family suffers from kidney problems, remove the seeds of the tomatoes.
    • Always use a large wok/pan for chicken karahi. You want to give ample room to your chicken so that it doesn’t get crowded and they all can fry rather than steam.
    • Always let the water from the chicken evaporate completely before adding the spices. This ensures there is no residual “smell” of raw meat lingering, and also ensures that your chicken has been properly seared/fried in oil.
    • Follow the temperatures mentioned in the recipe, to make the best curry!
    • Crushed black pepper is another key ingredient in this recipe! Make sure to use freshly ground black pepper for that top-notch taste.
    curry served with naan

    Leftovers Ideas!

    TBH, I’ve rarely had any karahi leftovers, but when I do, I always find myself converting it into one of these dinner options:

    • Make Tahiri Rice – Simply add soaked basmati rice along with water into the leftover karahi, along with a little bit of salt to make the very popular yellow rice known as “tahiri”. An example of tahiri rice on my website is the popular Fish tahiri!
    • Sandwiches – The saucy chicken bits are great for making a spicy sandwich with onions, lettuce, and mayo.
    • Quick biryani – Layer the leftover karahi with some boiled rice, and sprinkle some chat masala on top with fried onions and food coloring. Cook at low flame for 10 mins and viola you have a quick biryani at your hand! See this Quick Karahi Biryani recipe for more information!

    Recipe Hack

    This is my favorite Karahi hack! If you are finding it hard to locate good-quality tomatoes, or end up using slightly orangy tomatoes, your curry will show it! For those days, add a tablespoon of tomato paste to your curry, and viola! Your color is back!

    Recipe FAQs

    Is chicken Karahi spicy?

    Surprisingly, unlike other South Asian food, chicken karahi doesn’t fall under super spicy dishes. The flavors are mild, even the green chilies used pack mild heat.

    Can I freeze chicken Karahi?

    Like all other Desi curries, Chicken karahi can also be frozen. If you wish to freeze the karahi, then do so without the garnish. Allow the karahi to cool down and then freeze in an airtight container or ziplock bag.

    Can I use tomato puree instead of fresh tomatoes?

    Tomatoes are one key ingredient used in the karahi. The form in which the tomatoes are used changes the texture, cooking time, and somewhat taste of the recipe. So raw tomato purees are sadly a no-no for me.

    Can I make this recipe with more gravy?

    I know most families want their karahis to have more “curry”. You can add 1/2 cup of water to your karahi to give you more curry quantity without compromising on the taste very much. The other alternative is to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of yogurt if you really wish for more curry. I would personally just add more tomatoes if needed, but of course, that gets expensive very quickly.

    Can I make this recipe using less oil?

    I have made sure that I scale down the quantities of oil as compared to the traditional recipe. But if you would like to reduce it further you can. Just know that you might not see oil separation at the end of cooking.

    What to serve with Chicken Karahi

    Chicken Karahi falls in the category of “dry curry”, where you don’t have a lot of liquid gravy. So chicken Karahi pairs really well with all desi flatbreads like Naan, Chapati, parathas, or Tandoori Rotis. Some in my house all like to pair it with good ól Daal chawal (lentils and rice), I would recommend Hyderabadi Khatti Daal for that pairing!

    Hope you decide to try this Chicken Karahi recipe! Please don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below! If you take a picture then tag me on Instagram! Thank You!

    Pakistani Chicken Karahi Recipe

    A classic restaurant style Pakistani chicken curry, made with minimal spices and lots of tomatoes.
    4.84 from 6 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian, pakistani
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 325kcal
    Author: Wajiha

    Equipment

    • 1 wok or karhayi

    Ingredients

    • 500 gm bone in chicken cut into small pieces
    • 650 gm fresh roma tomatoes
    • 1 ½ teaspoon table salt or to taste
    • 1 tablespoon garlic paste
    • 1/2 cup ghee or any neutral oil
    • 1 teaspoon cumin powder (zeera)
    • 2 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder see notes
    • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder all spice
    • 1/2 teaspoon crushed blackpeppercorns
    • 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves kasuri methi
    • 4 large Pakistani green chilies see notes

    Garnish

    • 1/2 inch ginger julliene cut
    • 1 tablespoon coriander/cilantro leaves finely chopped
    • 4 whole Large green chilies julliene cut

    Instructions

    Preparing Tomatoes

    • Add cuts in the form of an x on the base of the tomatoes and remove the stem from the top.
    • Put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour hot boiling water on them. Make sure they are covered atleast 80% in the water. Cover the bowl and let the tomatoes sit in the water for about 7 to 8 minutes
    • After 7 to 8 minutes you will see the skin of the tomatoes peeling from the cuts. Discard the water. Peel off the skin of the tomatoes and discard the peels
    • Cut the tomatoes into half and chuck them back in the bowl. Now using a potato masher or your hands, mash the tomatoes. They are now ready to be used.

    Preparing the Curry

    • Put a medium to large wok on medium high heat on the stove and add oil.
    • Add in your chicken and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until the chicken starts to get brown scorch marks from the wok.
    • Add garlic paste, salt, red chili powder and cumin powder. Saute for another 2 to 3 mins.
    • Now drop in your prepared tomatoes and saute for 2 mins.
    • Reduce the heat to low and cover the wok. Cook for 5 to 8 mins or as long as it takes for all the tomatoes to leech out water.
    • Once you see all the water leeched out, add green chilies and bring back the heat to medium high and cook for another 8 mins or until you see oil seperating
    • Now reduce the heat to low, and add your finishing spices: crushed black peppercorns, dried fenugreek leaves and garam masala powder. Simply mix and your karhayi is ready.
    • Garnish with ginger, green chilies and cilantro leaves. Serve with Naan, paratha or Rice

    Notes

    • Kashmiri red chili powder can easily be substituted with paprika powder. Kashmiri red chili is milder than regular red chili powder. IF you are using regular Indian red chili powder then use half the quantity mentioned.  1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder = 1 teaspoon paprika powder
      1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder = 1/2 teaspoon Indian red chili powder
    • Large Pakistani green chilies are mild and easily tolerable heatwise. You can easily use fresh jalapenos, or pablanos or any mild green chilies instead. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 27gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 209mgPotassium: 730mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1455IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 2mg
    Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

    Shahi Chicken Pulao

    Presenting to you, the mighty colorful Shahi Chicken Pulao, a Pakistani fusion style recipe, a main course created by yours truly! You can’t go wrong when you have layers of aromatic rice, spicy chicken curry, some potato toppings and a mild but delicious yogurt sauce to go on top of it. You don’t need sides with this! Just a big platter to showcase this beauty, and Voila! You have yourself a crowd pleaser! I dedicate this one to all you bored homechefs out there, tired of the same ol’ weekly rotations and same ol’ daawat menu.

    What is Shahi chicken pulao

    This isn’t a traditional recipe. Shahi Chicken Pulao is purely a dish that came together by inspiration, trial and error, and by serving it to a LOT of test subjects, (and I mean A LOT) who agreed to indulge me, and came over every weekend to be fed the same food, over and over again.

    This is a layered rice dish, (think Lasagna), where you prepare the components seperately and then assemble it together when you are ready to eat. It has cumin infused rice at the bottom, ladden with a thick dry delicious chicken curry, topped off with crispy spicy potato chunks and herbs, with a nice complimentary yogurt sauce to add the final drizzle. Its almost like a deconstructed Biryani, but mild tasting like a pulao. I’ve made it with as much precision, and meticulous screening as I did when I created the Nauratan Chicken, or malai chicken koftey (which have become a thing on their own too).

    Let’s face it, we all get bored of the mundane and want to step out of the rutt to feel fresh again. Cooking is no different. For me, I am the happiest when I am trying a new recipe in the kitchen, experimenting or trying out something new from the internet. Whether they make it into my permanent diary, (or permanent folder of recipes on my phone) is secondary. Just the thrill of it is enough for me to be trying something new. If you are here, than know that This is YOUR sign to try something new today!

    DID YOU KNOW? Most unique Pakistani recipes that we know come out of the Wedding industry in Pakistan, due to the high demand of “innovative and new food items” at events. Singaporean rice, Doodh dulari, Balochi tikka and balochi tikka karahi are all products of Caterers trying to come up with something new for their lavish wedding spread.

    sideview of the assembled shahi pulao

    Why this recipe is for you

    • You want to make something with left over pulao rice (yes you can do that!)
    • You don’t follow recipes exactly. While this is every food blogger’s major pet peeve, this recipe is super forgiving, you can use substitutes, shortcuts and overall make mistakes with this recipe, and still end up with a delicious meal
    • If you are a newbie to cooking, then try this before you try making biryani.
    • You can prepare it a day before and assembled on the day of.
    • You don’t need sides. This is a stand Alone dish, so doesn’t require anything to support it, just hungry humans

    Notes on Ingredients and substitutions

    labelled ingredients for chicken curry

    When you see the ingredient list in the recipe card, pleaseeee don’t jump off your seat. I know the list looks long and daunting, but I PROMISE, it is basic and the way they are used is also super simple.

    • Whole Spices: The pulao rice uses whole spices to infuse aroma and flavor to it. BUT, since this is a layered dish, you can easily skip them and use only cumin seeds instead.
    • Fried onions: This recipe calls for pre-fried brown onions. You can also brown the onions yourself and then use it in the recipe. If you are a fan of doing neither, than simply chop some onions and caramelize it before adding chicken to it.
    • Boneless Chicken: We need small or medium sized chunks of meat so that it is equally distributed while layering. I would not recommend bone-in chicken for this recipe.
    • Rice: Long grain Basmati rice is always the first choice for any kind of pulao. You can find them at any Asian/South Asian grocery store. The best part about this recipe is that you can also use left-over pulao rice! YES! Let’s say you made a big batch of Matar Pulao and froze some, you can simply defrost and use it! Or use last night’s pulao too!

    Cooking Instructions And Notes

    Layer 1 – Pulao Rice

    The rice are cooked fairly similar to regular pulao. For an in-depth pulao-know-how, visit the matar pulao recipe. Otherwise this is pretty straightforward.

    Oil and whole spices go in the pot, along with garlic ginger paste. Saute saute saute, and then add rice, salt and water.

    whole spices added in oil in a pot, then uncooked rice added

    Your water level should be 1/2 an inch above the rice. You can use the index finger method to check the water level. (In this method, you dip your index finger in the water and touch the rice. The water level should be touching your index finger’s first joint, when you touch the rice) You can also use the wooden spoon method. (Here, you mark the handle of your wooden spoon at 1/2 an inch mark and insert it in your water to touch the rice, while water level touches the 1/2 inch mark)

    water added in a pot of rice and spices. Rice is ready and fluffy

    Let the rice cook for 5 to 6 mins, and then reduce the flame to low, and let it steam for another 5 to 6 mins. Use a fork to fluff up the rice! And they are ready!

    Layer 2 – Chicken Curry

    For the curry preparation, you only need to make the curry paste. Put all the curry ingredients in a blender to make paste and start cooking.

    ingredients for chicken curry in a blender jug made into a fine paste

    NOTE: The curry paste uses green chilies as an ingredient also. It doesn’t make the recipe very spicy or anything, but if your spice tolerance level is low, than you should skip it.

    In a medium pot, add oil, chicken, garlic paste and spices and simply stir fry the chicken at high flame. This helps to get rid of all the water from the chicken and temper the spices to take the “rawness” out of it.

    raw chicken mixed with spices in oil in a pot to get nice even brown color

    Then go ahead and add the curry paste along with some water. Let the curry cook for 5 to 8 mins or until you see oil seperating on the sides of the pot.

    curry paste added to sauteed chicken and cooked through to make chicken curry

    NOTE: This curry is going to be towards the drier side, so shouldn’t be too liquidy. Dry out any excess water if its too runny.

    Layer 3 – Toppings

    Now for the fun part. The toppings include oven roasted spicy potatoes, chopped tomato and chopped cilantro/coriander for garnish.

    The toppings are completely open to your own choices and taste. Since this is “Shahi Pulao“, you can also add roasted nuts and raisins as a topping too, or really get creative and add roasted flax seeds, pumpkin seeds or roasted chickpeas too! I kept it fairly simple so that its open to your personal interpretation! Go crazy!

    I par-boil potatoes with salt and vinegar which reduces the baking/roasting time considerably.

    You can cook these potatoes any of the following ways

    • Deep fry or shallow fry them on grill pan on the stove.
    • Air fry them in an airfryer.
    • Oven bake / roast them with the broiler on for that nice golden color.

    HACK: As a short cut, you could use frozen tater tots, wedges or any other form of frozen potatoes from the grocery store and simply deep fry/air fry/oven-bake them at home

    potatoes cut up in cubes kept in a baking tray, baked until golden and sprinkled with spices

    Once done, I simply sprinkle chaat masala all over my potatoes to give them a nice kick. IF you don’t have any chaat masala at hand, simply season with black pepper and red chili flakes.

    Layer 4 – Sauce

    The sauce only require that you mix up all the ingredients, thats it!

    The sauce quantity mentioned in the recipe is to give you ample amount of sauce. Some for drizzle over and some to serve on the side. If you are not too keen on sauces, reduce the quantity to half.

    sauce for drizzling on top of the pulao rice

    HACK: If you have any ranch dressing or garlic mayo at home, use that as the sauce. ( Truly a lazy girls hack my friends)

    Assembling the Shahi Pulao

    Assembling the pulao is pretty straightforward, you layer the dish first with rice, than the curry, the toppings and finally the sauce. I usually serve the left over sauce on the side incase anyone wants extra.

    4 picture collage showing the layers of shahi pulao

    Expert Tips and notes

    • I usually make Singaporean Rice and Shahi chicken pulao with left over pulao rice. Makes for perfect layering and less work
    • You can also use boxed spice masala mix to make the basic chicken curry masala
    • Use a wider platter to showcase the assembled dish beautifully.
    • IF you feel like you’ve messed up any one of the layers by adding too much or too little seasoning or spices, don’t worry. Compensate by reducing or adding spices in other layers to balance the overall taste.
    side view of the assembled shahi pulao

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I skip the toppinngs or the sauce from the recipe?

    I mean I wouldn’t recommend it, but lets say you are pressed for time and need a quick win, sure! Use garlic mayo as sauce and tater tots as toppings.

    Can I make the pulao with beef or mutton?

    Boneless beef and mutton both can be used for this recipe. However, they take longer to cook. After sauteeing the beef/mutton in spices, you will have to add 2 cups of water and let the meat cook for atleast 20 mins before you can add the curry paste.

    How to store the pulao?

    Once the pulao has been dished out, simply keep it as is in the fridge to have later. The only thing drawback is your potatoes will lose their crispiness.

    What if I am left with one or 2 of the layers?

    The measurements given are right on the money, and if you layer it right, you shouldn’t be left with anything other than a little sauce, which you can use later to make wraps, salads or as a dip for fried food!

    Here are some more fusion style recipes for you to try

    Chicken tikka Nachos
    Nauratan Chicken
    Malai Chicken pulao

    Shahi Pulao

    A fusion style Layer Rice pulao dish, made with layers of rice, dry chicken curry, crispy spicy potatoes and a mild white sauce on top to tie everything together.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Fusion Food, pakistani
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 515kcal
    Author: Wajiha

    Equipment

    • blender

    Ingredients

    Chicken Curry

    • 500 gm boneless chicken cut in small cubes
    • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
    • 2 whole onion fried until golden brown
    • 2 large tomato
    • 1/2 cup coriander leaves
    • 1/2 cup yogurt
    • 5 whole serrano green chilies
    • 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 1 ½ teaspoon red chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
    • 2 teaspoon coriander powder
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
    • 3 to 4 tablespoon oil for cooking

    Pulao Rice

    • 500 gm long grain basmati rice soaked in water for 20 mins
    • 4 bayleaves
    • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
    • 4 cloves
    • 2 black cardamom
    • 4 green cardamom
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 1 star anise
    • 1 chicken bouillon cube optional
    • 8 black peppercorns
    • 1 tablespoon garlic paste
    • 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 1 ½ teaspoon black cumin seeds (shah zeera)

    Toppings

    • 2 cup potato cut in 1/2 in cubes, parboiled in water seasoned with salt and vinegar
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 1 teaspoon chat masala optional
    • 2 tablespoon finely chopped tomato for garnish
    • 2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro (coriander) for garnish

    Sauce

    • 1 cup yogurt
    • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
    • chaat masala to taste optional

    Instructions

    Layer 1 – Pulao Rice (if not using left over pulao rice)

    • Add oil, whole spices, cumin seeds and garlic paste in oil in a medium pot. Saute at medium heat till garlic paste turns slightly golden brown.
    • Add soaked rice and salt to the pot. Add enough water that your rice are atleast 1/2 an inch below the water level. Mark the end of a spoon at 1/2 an inch mark and insert it to see your rice is below the 1/2 inch mark or not. You can also use your index finger to do this, your 1 part of index finger should be submerged in water when it touches the rice.
    • Do a salt taste test of the water, it should taste balanced, not salty or underseasoned.
    • Cover with a lid and cook at high heat for 5 mins or until all the water has visibly evaporated.
    • Reduce the flame to low and steam rice for another 5 minutes
    • Use a flat spoon and toss and turn the rice upside down. You can also use a fork to fluff up your rice.

    Layer 2 – Dry Chicken Curry

    • In a medium sized pot, add oil, chicken, garglic ginger paste, all the powdered spices and salt. Saute at medium heat until chicken changes color from pink to white or brown.
    • Add all remaining ingredients listed for chicken curry in a blender to make a curry paste.
    • Add curry paste to the chicken pot along with 1 cup water. Cover the pot and cook the chicken at medium high heat for 10 mins.
    • Your chicken curry should be towards the dry side and not be very saucy.

    Layer 3 – Toppings

    • To cook the potatoes, you can either bake them in the oven or grill them on the stove.
    • To bake: Preheat oven at 450°F (230°C). Layer potatoes on a parchment paper in a baking tray and spray with cooking oil. Turn on the broiler for quick results
      Bake for 20 mins or until roasted golden brown, flipping halfway through
    • To Grill: Simply toss the potatoes on a grill pan with some oil and grill at high heat until they become golden and crispy on the outside.
    • Toss the potatoes in some chat masala and salt to complete.
    • Chop coriander and tomato for garnish

    Layer 4 – Sauce

    • Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside.

    Assembling

    • In a large wide dish, start layering with rice at the bottom.
    • Add chicken curry on the top of the rice.
    • Sprinkle potatoes, chopped tomatoes and coriander over the curry
    • Drizzle the sauce on the toppings and serve.

    Notes

    1. You can use left over pulao rice for the rice layer. All pulao rice work with this recipe, eg, matar pulao, zeera pulao or simple baghare chawal (tempered rice)
    2. For the toppings, you can add other vegetables of your liking as well. 
    3. Since pulaos are generally, mild tasting and not very spicy, the flavor profile of this dish overall is similar to that. You can add chili flakes or hot sauce to the sauce and curry if you want to bring more heat to the dish
    4. To serve the dish for a get together, you can prepare the curry, sauce and boil potatoes a day before. On the day of, simply cook the rice and grill the potatoes, while reheating the curry. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 5servingsCalories: 515kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 40gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 3373mgPotassium: 886mgFiber: 3gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 505IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 198mgIron: 2mg
    Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

    Aloo Keema

    Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the humble aloo keema, the king of comfort food, made by brown moms all over the world. Aloo keema is a traditional Pakistani / North Indian dish, eaten with rice, roti or parathas. You can call it a one-pot Ground beef potato curry. Quickest meal to whip up and remarkably hard to mess up! Lets begin!

    What is Aloo Keema

    Aloo keema or Qeema is a traditional home style Pakistani / North Indian dish made with curried potatoes (aloo) and ground meat(keema). Typically, its made with beef in most Pakistani houses, and its one of those weekly rotation kinda recipes. And I know I am not exxagerating here when I say, that all Pakistani folks have grown up eating aloo keema.

    And since it’s such a household name for us, we also have our preferences of how we like our aloo keema. My family enjoys a saucier version, while some prefer a drier stir fry consistency. Some are adamant that its only eaten with roti, and others have it with lentils and rice. And don’t get me started on the whole “Is it Aloo keema or Keema Aloo” debate. The only thing we all can agree on, it that its delicious. Its not snazyy or trendy, but it is what the heart wants after a long tiring day. After so much that is dissapointing in life, Aloo keema never dissapoints. (that was deeeep)

    Why this recipe works

    • Tried and tested. If you are new to this blog, than you need to know, that I test and re-test and consume maybe 15 versions of any recipe before I deem it “worthy” of your time and effort. This recipe, has been tried and tested to make sure that I bring you the easiest, quickest way to reach the Mom-Level awesomeness.
    • Its VERY HARD to mess up! no kidding. This is a fool-proof dish and no matter how many errors you make, you will still come up with something yum! Beginners, your welcome!
    • Super versatile! Although this recipe uses potatoes, you can go ahead and experiment with it and add any vegetables that you like, and you will still end up with something incredible.
    • Ready under 30 minutes! Now you know why this is a favorite for weekly rotations.
    • One-pot Recipe: Eh! you know that means, less clean up!
    • Left over remix: Hands down one of the best dishes to use as left overs (more on that later)
    aloo keema served with naan and rice on the side

    Some notes on ingredients and substitutes

    • Whole Spices: They add aroma and flavor to the curry. You can use garam masala powder if you don’t have whole spices. They are meant to be discarded after cooking and not eaten. You can skip them completely if you feel you will bite into them accidentally, OR you could add them in a tea infuser ball.
    • Ground beef: You will find coarse and fine ground beef when buying from butchers. I recommend using coarse ground beef for all curry based recipes. It is chunkier and gives you that bite, that you will not get in a fine grind. Full fat and lean, both work well for this recipe
    • Potatoes: All potatoes work beautifully in this recipe. However, all varieties of potatoes cook at slightly different timing. So you might have to cook some of them longer if need be. I’ve diced the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, which I feel works best for aloo keema
    • Tomato paste: Best thing to add to your aloo keema! They bring a slight tang and pop of color to the curry. And they don’t need a lot of time to cook. You can also use tomato puree instead, just add it while frying ground beef because purees take longer to cook.
    • Onions: This recipe requires onions to be fried golden brown at the very start of the recipe. If you are using pre-fried brown onions from the market, simply add in your onions at the end while simmering the curry in water.

    Instructions and Important Notes

    1. Frying Onions.

    In a medium sized pot, add all the whole spices and onions and fry in oil. We need the onions to look golden brown, but not dark in color.

    NOTE: If your onions turn a slightly darker shade, don’t fret. It won’t effect the taste as much, but will only make your gravy look darker. Ofcourse burnt onions need to be discarded.

    onions frying in oil and turning golden brown

    2. Sauteeing the meat

    In goes your ground beef and garlic ginger paste. Everytime I post a meat recipe, I always talk about how important it is to evaporate all the water from it. The water in the meat carries a “raw meat smell” and if not dried, it lingers on even after cooking for a longer period of time. It takes about 4 to 5 mins, but just sautee your beef at high flame until you see oil shining through again, or see your meat dry up. This step is also called bhunnayi where you sear the beef bits in oil to get a slight color.

    keema with ginger garlic paste, sweating in a pot

    3. Preparing the curry.

    Now your raw powdered spices go in. Give it another 3 mins of sautee action to allow them to be tempered.

    spices being added to fried keema

    After tempering spices, you can add the potatoes, yogurt and tomato paste all at once.

    NOTE: Any yogurt you add to a gravy should be beaten and left at the counter when you start the recipe, to bring it down to room temperature. This way it never curdles in your curry.

    spiced mince dried and loaded with raw potatoes, beaten yogurt and tomato paste, ready to be mixed

    Now add water to allow the potatoes to soften up. I’ve also added green chilies in this step. If you are someone who doesn’t like spicy food or don’t like green chilies in general, you can skip them completely. Cover the pot and let the potatoes simmer

    aloo keema with green chilies and water in a pot

    NOTE: Most variety of potatoes will cook withing 5 to 10 mins of simmering. Check in 10 mins to see if your potatoes are done. Add more water and leave for longer if you need to.

    4. Garnish

    oil seperating on the sides of the gravy, garnished with coriander

    And lastly, you know your curry is fully cooked and ready when you see oil seperating on the sides. If you are using less oil than mentioned in the recipe, then you might only catch a shine on the surface. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

    NOTE: This curry is on the saucier side, which is how we like it in our house. If you’d like it to be dry, than just cook at high flame for a min or 2 to get rid of the water.

    aloo keema with naan on the side

    Serving Suggestions

    This recipe pairs well with almost anything, but here are the top options

    • Flatbread ideas: Roti, Naan, Parathas, puris
    • Rice options: Basmati Rice or Matar pulao
    • Toasted bread or buns
    • Diet options: Serve with couscous or quinoa if you are avoiding rice. You can also have this on the side of cauliflower rice.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I make this recipe with chicken or lamb

    Ofcourse! Traditionally, most Pakistanis use ground beef for the recipe, but it can absolutely be made with chicken mince, ground lamb or goat. The cooking times remain fairly same in all cases.

    Can I add other vegetables to aloo keema?

    Aloo keema matar (potato beef peas) is a super popular variation of this same recipe. You can also add diced carrots as well or any other hard vegetable that you like. IF you are on a low-carb diet, you can make this recipe using sweet potatoes rather than the regular ones.

    How to store the keema

    Aloo keema lasts in the fridge easily for upto 5 days. Although all potato based curries don’t freeze well. They leech out water and change their texture. I would personally not recommend freezing this after potatoes have been added.

    Can I use less oil for this recipe?

    Absolutely! Aloo keema is one of the most forgiving recipes and works just fine with all sorts of variations. The only thing you will compromise on with less oil is that oil seperation at the final stage of cooking. Thats it!

    Not a fan of coriander, can I skip the garnish?

    Yeah so many of you have talked about your distaste for coriander leaves over at instagram. Thats fine. Go ahead and use chopped parsley instead.

    Left Over Ideas

    As promised, here is my list of favorite ways to use aloo keema left overs:

    • Make toasted sandwiches with mayo, cheese and leftover Aloo keema
    • Fill it up in puff pastry sheets and bake
    • Revive the quantity by adding some boiled, seasoned peas and eat with roti, paratha
    • Boil some potatoes and add the left overs to make a mixture and make them into keema aloo patties. Coat them in bread crumbs, fry and enjoy!
    • Add half a can of pasta sauce in the left over and use as dip for nachos or crackers.

    More keema Recipes you can try

    Keema Macaroni
    Dam keema (slow cooked ground beef)
    Beef and Eggplant Nachos
    Khara Masala keema (whole spice Ground beef)

    finished shot of aloo keema

    Aloo keema

    A Pakistani / North Indian style curried potato and ground beef recipe, made with traditional spices and eaten with rice or roti
    4.50 from 6 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 424kcal
    Author: Wajiha

    Ingredients

    • 1/3 cup oil
    • 1 whole large onion sliced
    • 500 gm boneless beef mince
    • 250 gm potato cut into ½ inch cubes
    • 2 cup Water – as needed to cook minced meat
    • 1 ½ teaspoon table salt (or to taste)
    • 1 tea spoon red chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
    • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
    • 1 tablespoon garlic ginger paste
    • ½ cup yogurt beaten and room temperature
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste optional.
    • 4 whole serrano green chilies with stems removed
    • 2 tablespoon chopped coriander for garnish

    Whole spices

    • 1 stick cinnamon
    • 4 whole cloves
    • 5 black peppercorns
    • 4 green cardamom
    • 2 black cardamom

    Instructions

    • Add oil in a medium sized pot on medium heat
    • Add all the whole spices and onions in oil. Fry onions until they turn light golden brown in color
    • Add your minced meat along with ginger garlic paste and turn the heat to high. Saute the meat till all the water from the meat evaporates. This step is called bhunayyi and is used to fry the meat in oil and get rid of raw smells if any.
    • After all the water evaporates, add all powdered spices and salt. Saute for another 2 to 3 mins or until all the meat is evenly colored. Reduce the heat to low
    • Chuck in the potato chunks, yogurt and tomato paste and stir everything together.
    • Add water and green chilies to the meat, and bring back the heat to medium high. Allow the water to start simmering and then cover with a lid. Cook for 6 to 10 mins or as long as it takes for the potatoes to cook through. IF the potatoes are still hard after 10 mins, cook for another 5 and add more water if needed.
    • When your curry is ready, you will see oil seperating on the sides of the pot. At this stage, you can decide how runny you want to keep your aloo keema. You can dry out the water if you want to or leave it as is.
    • Garnish with coriander and serve with roti or naan on the side.

    Notes

    • IF you don’t have tomato paste, you can add 1/2 tomato finely chopped instead. You can also use tomato puree, but then you need to add it before potatoes and cook it for about 5 to 8 mins first, to allow the rawness of the puree to cook through.
    • You can make the same recipe using chicken mince or lamb mince. The steps and timing all stay the same for both options.
    • If you are using pre-fried brown onions from the market, directly add your ground beef to the oil with whole spices. And add the pre fried brown onions when you add the yogurt. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6servingsCalories: 424kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 16gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 285mgPotassium: 460mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 192IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 2mg
    Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

    Peas Pulao – Matar Pulao Recipe

    This classic Matar pulao recipe is as OG as any rice dish gets in South Asia. Simple whole spices for aroma, and peas for its name, you can whip this dish up in less than 30 mins! All beginner cooks welcome!

    It boasts to be the safety net of every brown mother, who runs out of ideas of what to cook in the middle of the week. But it also works for potlucks and get togethers when paired with heavier curries.

    What is Matar pulao?

    Matar means “peas” in Urdu or Hindi. Pilaf/Pulao/Pilav is essentially a generic rice dish, where the rice is cooked in any type of broth or stock. The broth is flavored by adding whole spices, vegetables and sometimes protein (like meat, fish, chicken). Some of you might have even heard of the popular Spanish dish called Paella, which is yet another variation of the pulao. This matar pulao is a simple version of the pulao, and is usually paired with a curry. More exotic pulaos like Malai Boti Pulao act as stand-alone dishes. They are an extraordinarily commonly made dish in every North Indian and Pakistani household.

    How is pulao different than biryani?

    This is probably the most debated topic amongst food lovers who’ve been confused when watching youtube videos with the wrong labels or went into a restaurant which served them Pulao when they ordered Biryani. The confusion between the two is common and it made sense to address it over here. Here’s how to spot the difference.

    PULAOBiryani
    One pot dish, where rice is cooked in the flavored brothA layered rice dish where rice is cooked seperately and the curry seperately and simply assembled together while steaming.
    Appears as homogenous evenly colored rice grainsAppears as a mixture of some spicy rice, some plain, some white, and some colored.
    Made with simple whole spicesMade with heavier powdered spices and with heavy curry base.
    Easier to makeRequires a few additional steps

    Bonus points for Matar Pulao

    • ONE POT RECIPE : Unlike biryanis, you can make a pulav in one pot, like this one.
    • WORKS ALONE: Usually simple pulaos are paired with heavier curries, but pea pulao can be had on its own with just yogurt and salad on the side
    • SIMPLE AND QUICK: I have a seperate category on the blog for under 30 min meals and my friend, this one falls into it.
    • The ingredients are pantry staples, and even if you are short on some whole spices, you will still be able to make it perfectly.
    • This is by far the universally kid approved recipe.
    pea pulao served in a brown plate

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Rice – Like most of my recipes, I recommend using long grain Basmati rice for pulaos as well. Short grain Basmati rice works perfectly too. You should be able to find Basmati rice in Asian grocery stores.
    • Whole spices – You will need cloves, black and green cardamoms, black peppercorns, bayleaves, cinnamon stick, star anise. These will infuse flavor into your broth. You might not have all of these at home at all times, and it is perfectly fine to skip them if you don’t have any. Just simple black peppercorns will work too.
    • Oil – I’ve made pulaos using ghee (clarified butter), oil and they both work perfectly. For best results, I always recommend ghee because of the added aroma. But any neutral oil would work too. If you are avoiding vegetable oil for health reasons, you can use aromaless coconut oil or aromaless olive oil as well!
    • Peas – Fresh or frozen peas, both can be used to make this recipe. You don’t need to thaw frozen peas incase you are using them. You can also use any other vegetable that you enjoy, like carrots or beans.
    • Ginger Garlic Paste – This is another household staple in South Asian cuisine. You can also chop an inch of ginger and 3 cloves of garlic instead if you are out of ginger garlic paste
    • Onion – Sliced onion adds the depth of flavor that all good pulaos have. Use any type of onion available to you. Red, white, or any really. You can use pre-fried onions that are now readily available in Asian stores. I also like to sprinkle some fried onions on top of the pulao as garnish, but is something completely optional.

    PROTIP:
    After soaking rice in water for 20 mins, rinse and wash 2 more times. This helps in removing excess starch and reduces your pulao’s tendency to be clumpy.

    Instructions

    The method to make this pulao is fairly straightforward but I’ve put in a pictorial for all you visual learners out there.

    Preparing the broth

    1 and 2 – Saute and Temper

    Add oil in a large thick bottom pot and heat it for a minute at medium heat. Then go ahead and add all your whole spices and onions. Allow the onions to caramelize and turn golden brown. This also gives your spices enough time to infuse flavor into the oil.

    2 picture collage. Image 1 shows raw onions and whole spices in oil. Image 2 shows caramelized onions in oil in a pot

    3 and 4 – Cooking peas

    Add your peas, and garlic ginger paste to your onions. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until the peas have released all their water and change their color slightly.

    2 picture collage. Step 3 shows garlic ginger paste and peas added to pot. Step 4 shows cooked peas in the pot

    Cooking the rice

    5 – Add soaked Rice
    6 – Adding Salt and Water

    steps 5 and 6. Adding rice and water to pot. Distal part of index finger shown.

    Add rice, salt and water to your pot. The water level should be an inch above the rice. This is by far the best method to have the perfect rice:water ratio, regardless of the width of the pot you use. To check the water level, you can do 1 of two things.

    • You can do a finger test. To do this, turn off the heat before adding rice to the pot. Then add your rice, water and salt. Dip your index finger in the water and your finger should touch the rice, while the water touches your first joint. You can turn on the heat after checking the water level.
    • If you are hesitant to dip your finger, then use the back of your laddle. Mark the back of your laddle at 1 inch mark with tape or permanent marker. Then dip to touch the rice, and pour enough water that the water level touches the 1 inch mark

    Use a spoon and taste your broth for seasoning. It should taste just right. Neither unseasoned nor overly seasoned.

    7 and 8 – Boiling rice

    After the water level check and salt taste test, cover the pot and boil the rice at high heat for about 4 to 5 mins or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

    steps 7 and 8. Water added to rice and covered with a lid

    9 and 10 – STEAM RICE

    Reduce the heat to low and use a flat spoon or a large slotted spoon to toss the rice around gently and cover. Let the rice steam for another 5 mins at lowest heat.

    FLUFF: Turn off flame and use a fork to fluff your rice and it is ready to be served.

    steps 9 and 10. Water level reduced as rice fluffs and finally ready to be served

    PROTIPS and Recipe notes

    • To avoid accidentally biting into whole spices while eating, you can tie them in a cheesecloth or a tea infuser ball before adding them to the pot.
    • Use a thick base pot for any one pot rice dish you make. If your pot doesn’t have a heavy or thick base, considering adding a flat griddle or tava below your pot during the last steaming step. This helps with evenly distributing heat during steaming and also prevents your rice from burning or browning from the bottom.
    • Don’t skip the fluffing step, otherwise you will have a clumpy rice block as your rice cools down.
    pea pulao served in a brown plate

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What can I do if my rice is undercooked even after the time marks mentioned?

    Undercooked rice is not something to worry about and is easily fixable with this hack. Simply add 1/4th cup of a water and milk mixture into your rice while steaming and let it steam for another 5 mins. And not only will your rice be cooked in that time, but it will also be EVENLY cooked.

    What other rice can I use other than Basmati?

    I’m definitely a hardcore Basmati activist! But if you want, you can try using regular white grain rice. I would personally not suggest using jasmine rice or brown wild rice simply because they don’t turn out like a traditional pulao does.

    Can I add more flavor or ingredients to my pulao?

    Pulaos are like blank canvases. They will take up whatever flavor you enhance it with. For this pea pulao, I’ve kept the broth simple and only infused it with whole spices. You can also make these changes for a different flavor profile:

    • Replace water with bone broth or vegetable stock.   Or use a chicken bouillon cube instead to achieve the same effect.
    • Add dried fruits to the whole spices while frying them. Such as cashews, almonds or raisins.
    • If you are someone who tries to sneak in some extra fibre here and there, add your favorite seeds to the whole spices while frying. It can be pumpkin seeds or flax seeds or any other that you prefer.

    How can I reheat refrigerated pulao

    Unlike biryanis, pulao rice is cooked in its own water. So you don’t throw away the starch completely. Because of the starch content, pulao rice generally clump a little as they cool down. So when you take out your rice from the fridge, don’t attempt to break the clumps by hand. Simply put it in the plate you want to reheat it in and add a splash of water. Heat it for about 30 secs, take it out and then break the clumps if any. Reheat again for as long as you want to.

    How long can the Pea pulao be refrigerated for?

    Store the pulao in a nice airtight container in your fridge after it cools down. It would last and stay fresh for 4 to 5 days easily.

     Can I freeze leftover pulao?

    Absolutely! one of the best things about cooking pulaos as how incredibly easy they are to freeze and defrost. I always make a little extra than we need so that I can freeze 2 portions for later. Use a ziplock bag or an airtight container to freeze the pulao. Whenever you need to eat it, simply allow to thaw on the counter and then microwave like you normally would. If you are in a bit of a rush than add 4 to 5 tablespoons of water in the rice and microwave for 2 to 3 mins. It’ll be good as new! You can freeze leftover pulao for upto 40 to 50 days without causing any freezer burns.

    Serving Suggestions

    pea pulao served with chicken curry, tahini sauce, fresh salad and crisps on the side.

    Matar pulao can be eaten as a Main or eaten alongside a nice curry or kebab. Here are some options we love:

    pea pulao served in a brown plate

    Pea pulao (Matar Pulao)

    A popular and traditional aromatic Pakistani/ Indian rice dish, made with whole spices, peas and onions
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Indian, pakistani
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 3 servings
    Calories: 450kcal
    Author: Wajiha

    Ingredients

    • 250 gm long grain Basmati Rice or 1 1/4th cup soaked for 20 mins
    • 1/3 cup cup vegetable oil
    • 2 teaspoon pink himalayan salt or table salt
    • 1 medium medium onion sliced
    • 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
    • 1½ teaspoon garlic ginger paste
    • water as needed

    Whole spices

    • 1 star anise badiyan ka phool
    • 3 cloves
    • 5 to 6 black peppercorns kali mirch
    • 2 bayleaves tez patta
    • 1 cinnamon stick dar cheeni
    • 2 black cardamom bari elaichi
    • 4 green cardamom choti elaichi

    Instructions

    Prepare Broth

    • Add oil in a medium sized thick based pot or cauldron and put on medium heat on the stove.
    • Add sliced onions and whole spices to the pot. Saute with a wooden spoon until onions turn light golden brown.
    • Then add garlic ginger paste along with the peas. Saute for 2 to 3 mins or until the water from the peas evaporates.
    • Cook Rice
    • Add soaked rice and salt.
    • Add water to the rice making sure the water level is higher than the rice by roughly about an inch. To check the water level, you can do 1 of two things.
    • You can do a finger test. To do this, turn off the heat before adding rice to the pot. Then add your rice, water and salt. Dip your index finger in the water and your finger should touch the rice, while the water touches your first joint. You can turn on the heat after checking the water level.
    • If you are hesitant to dip your finger, then use the back of your laddle. Mark the back of your laddle at 1 inch mark with tape or permanent marker. Then dip to touch the rice, and pour enough water that the water level touches the 1 inch mark
    • Now do a taste test for salt and add more if needed. Your water should taste balanced, add more salt if needed.
    • Cover the pot with a lid and let the rice cook for 5 mins or until you cannot anymore water in the pot.
    • Use the spoon and gently toss the rice upside down. Reduce the heat to lowest possible setting and cover the pot again. Cook for another 5 to 8 mins.
    • Use a fork or a spoon to fluff the rice.
    • Serve with yogurt and kebabs or any curry of your choice.

    Notes

      • If your pot doesn’t have a heavy or thick base, considering adding a flat griddle or tava below your pot during the last steaming step
      • Skip the whole spices if you don't have any at hand.
      • If your rice are still undercooked after a total of 10 mins of cooking, then add a mix of water and whole fat milk equal to 1/4th cup and steam for another 5 to 6 mins.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 450kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 6gFat: 74gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 65gTrans Fat: 2gSodium: 869mgFiber: 6gSugar: 4g
    Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

    Tomato Chutney – Hyderabadi style

    This vegan Hyderabadi Tomato Chutney aka “Tamatar ka khatta” is the PERFECT addition to any lonely rice dish you make, like Pulavs or steamed rice with lentils or honestly just any fried snack you can think of, South Asian or otherwise.

    Hyderabadi Tomato Chutney

    Tomatoes like potatoes are frikkin VERSATILE! There are so many different types of sauces, dips and chutneys it can create! This particular Tomato chutney is known as “Tamatar ka khatta” in Urdu/Hindi, which literally translates to “tang of tomato”. It comes from the Hyderabadi cuisine made by cooking tomatoes in oil and spices. It is closely related to tomato ka kut, which is another Hyderabadi tomato curry recipe, served with eggs on top. Hyderbadis are known for their love of tangy food. Case in point would be the Hyderabadi khatti dal. True Hyderabadis would tell you that they always have a batch of this tomato chutney in their fridge or freezer, and I must say I like that sort of ahead-thinking when it comes to food!

    What is this tomato chutney paired with?

    This tangy “tamatar ki chutney” is popularly eaten with rice dishes that are non-spicy on their own like Pulav rice and steamed rice. Rarely also eaten with roti, parathas and kebabs. Here are a couple of things this chutney is normally eaten with:

    meal showing rice, beef kebabs, raw sliced onions, salad and tomato chutney on the side
    Tomato chutney on the side of rice, salad and kebab.

    Ingredients

    labelled ingredients shown seperately for tomato chutney
    • Tomatoes – Fresh ripe tomatoes are ideal for this recipe. But, don’t worry, you can also use canned tomatoes.
    • Powdered Spices – Salt, red chili flakes, Turmeric, Red chili powder
    • Whole Spices – Nigella seeds (Kalonji), cumin seeds (Zeera), mustard seeds (Rye), whole red chilies (Saabit laal mirch), curry leaves. You may not have all the ingredients in your pantry, and thats fine, you can skip them if you don’t have them all but I would highly recommend not skipping the curry leaves.
    • Spice base – You need garlic and onions to get the “base” started. You can skip the onions if you don’t like them for xyz reasons.
    • Oil – Any regular cooking oil, ghee or butter would do.

    How to make the chutney

    This is a very straightforward and quick recipe. Here’s a quick pictorial to guide you through the steps.

    1. Start by processing the tomatoes. Keep in mind to not add any water when you do this step. All the water you see in the 2nd part of the image is just the water leaching out from the finely chopped / processed tomatoes.
    2 photo collage; First one showing raw tomatoes in a food processor, 2nd image shows finely chopped tomatoes from a top view

    2. I simply fried the whole spices with onion and garlic until they turned golden. (NOT Brown, just golden ok!) ITs best to do this at medium to low heat so that you can control the color of garlic and onion easily.

    2 picture collage; Image 1 shows whole spices and chopped ingredients frying in oil within a black pan, Image 2 shows onions and garlic turning golden brown in the same pot

    3. Next step is to add the powdered spices.

    PROTIP: Always add powdered spices BEFORE adding tomatoes. This allows the raw spices to be tempered in oil and be activated.

    2 picture collage; Image 1 shows powdered spices added to fried onions in a black pot, Image 2 shows tempered spices along with whole spices in a black pan

    4. Chuck in all your tomatoes, mix everything and cover it up. It should take 10 to 15 mins for all the water from the tomatoes to evaporate and the oil to seperate on the sides.

    2 picture collage; Image 1 shows raw finely chopped tomato in a black pan, Image 2 shows semi cooked tomatoes in spices in a black pot

    5. Once you see oil seperating on the side, add water and cook at high flame to bring the chutney together. You will see oil seperation once more and that is your cue to turn off the flame. Allow the chutney to cool down before serving.

    A cooked and ready tomato chutney close up shown with oil seperated on the sides.

    This chutney is generally served at room temperature so you don’t need to reheat it if you’ve made it earlier in the day. If you are having it on the next day, simply bring it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for about 10 – 15 mins. No need to reheat it.

    Frequently asked Questions

    How long can the chutney last?

    Your chutney can last for over a month easy in the fridge! Just make sure to keep it in a glass / ceramic airtight container in the fridge.

    PROTIP: Never store your cooked chutneys in plastic tupperware. It WILL stain your plastic yellow or even corrode it from the inside if its cheap plastic.

    Can I freeze the chutney?

    Absolutely! If you plan on using it later and not right away, you can easily freeze the chutney after it cools down. Freeze in a ziplock bag and simply reheat in the microwave whenever you are ready to consume.

    Can I reduce the level of spices in the chutney?

    This chutney is not overly spicy to begin with (atleast not to my “brown” palate). But if you are someone who can’t eat spicy food in general, then I’d say switch the red chili powder to paprika and you should be fine. Some people in my family also add a teaspoon of jaggery aka “gud” in their chutneys.

    Does Tomato chutney go with NON-South Asian food?

    If you are fan of fusion and experiment than absolutely! We love it as a dip with nuggets and Arabic grill platters. And because of the flavors, I can tell you it will go well with Mexican food too!

    tamatar ki chutney ready in a bowl with spoon on the side

    More recipes like this

    Khatti dal (tangy red lentils)
    Gajar ka achaar – Pickled carrots
    Imli ki chutney – Sweet tamarind chutney
    Green Mint chutney

    top view of tomato chutney in a bowl

    Hyderabadi Tomato ka khatta

    Tangy tomato chutney, cooked with mild spices, originating from Hyderabadi Cuisine and eaten with pulavs and rice. Known as "tamatar ka khatta" in Urdu/Hindi
    4.80 from 5 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Dips & Condiments
    Cuisine: South Asian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 2 cups of chutney
    Calories: 500kcal
    Author: Wajiha

    Ingredients

    • 1 kg fresh tomatoes or canned
    • 1½ teaspoon table Salt or to taste
    • 1/2 teaspoon Crushed red chili flakes
    • 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon Red chili powder
    • 1 medium onion chopped 60 gm
    • 6 big cloves of garlic
    • 1/3 cup vegatable oil

    Whole spices

    • 1/2 teaspoon Nigella seeds Kalonji
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds Zeera
    • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds Rye
    • 4 whole red chilies Saabit laal mirch
    • 8 to 10 curry leaves

    Instructions

    • Add onion and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Remove and set aside.
    • Add tomatoes in the food processor and process till it becomes finely chopped (salsa consistency). DO NOT ADD WATER.
    • In a saucepan or small pot, add oil and place on the stove at medium heat.
    • Add the chopped onion and garlic, along with all the whole spices. Saute till the onions and garlic become slightly golden.
    • Reduce the heat to low, and add all the remaining spices and salt, saute for 1 to 2 mins.
    • Now put all chopped tomatoes in the pot and increase the flame back to medium high. Once you see the tomatoes have heated up, put the lid on and let the tomatoes cook for 10 to 15 mins.
    • Once all the water from the tomatoes has evaporated, cook for another 5 mins until you see oil seperate on the sides.
    • Now add 1 cup water and cook for another 5 mins at medium to high flame or until you start seeing oil seperation again on the sides.
    • Serve warm or room temperature with rice or dishes of your choice.

    Notes

    1. The chutney or Khatta can safely be consumed for 1 month to 45 days after it has been made, if refrigerated.
    2. You can also freeze the chutney for upto 4 months.
    3. Save the chutney in an airtight container in the fridge and simply leave outside to come down to room temperature before serving
    4. This chutney is served at room temperature so it doesn't need heating up prior to being served.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupCalories: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 16gFat: 78gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 68gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 1273mgFiber: 18gSugar: 40g
    Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

    Gulab Jamun with milk powder

    I promise you, once you try this quick, super-soft Gulab Jamun recipe made with milk powder, you are NEVER going back to any other version! There is a step-by-step tutorial for you, ALONG with troubleshoot for EACH step! Thanks to my IG fam, I’ve also put up an FAQs segment to clear out confusions that come up for first time Gulab Jamun makers, OR for those who have attempted before and didn’t get the perfect results. I’ve made this recipe as NON-technical and as fool-proof as a recipe can possibly be. With this recipe, you will nail this Classic Indian/Pakistani dessert EVERY single time!

    Content of this post

    What are gulab jamuns?

    For those readers, who are new to Pakistani / Indian food, here’s a little something about Gulab Jamuns. They are a super popular Pakistani/Indian dessert, made for special occasions and festivities. “Gulab” means “Rose” and “Jamun” are the Black plum or Java plum, or a South Asian berry. So the name came into being, because Gulab Jamun are small plum sized round balls, fried and then dipped in rose flavored sugar syrup. These type of Pakistani/Indian desserts are called “Mithai”.

    Traditionally, Gulab Jamuns were made with milk solids, which we brown folks know as “khoya”, made by simmering milk at low for hours until only the milk solids remain. Some would buy ready-to-use khoya from the market and make the jamuns. But, since the availability of khoya is restricted in most places outside of India/Pakistan, there came another quick method to make it. This quicker method uses milk powder instead of milk solids to make the balls. The milk powder Gulab Jamun recipe is super easy, and with the tips mentioned, even a beginner cook can ace them!

    Gulab Jamuns are up there with Rice Kheer (rice pudding) and Shahi Tukras (bread pudding) as classic South Asian desserts that literally no one says no to!

    Notes on ingredients you need

    To make the gulab jamuns, you simply need to prepare 2 things: the fried milk balls and the sweet sugar syrup aka Sheera to dunk the balls in.

    Milk dough balls

    The right consistency of the milk dough balls is the key to perfect gulab jamuns. IF you have a smooth, soft dough mixture, rest assured, you will have a smooth soft perfect Gulab Jamun.

    For milk dough balls you will need:

    • Milk Powder – You need full fat milk powder for this recipe. Whichever brand you decide to use, just make sure its NOT skimmed milk powder. For North America, you can find milk powder in any Indian/Pakistani grocery store or even mainstream stores like Wallmart etc. Use new milk powder, not more than 6 months old.
    • Thick Yogurt – This is my special ingredient that takes your gulab jamun to the next level. Greek yogurt is best. Thick part of your regular yogurt works too. Incase your yogurt is watery, just use a small tea strainer and strain your yogurt for 5 mins to get rid of any extra liquid it packs.
    • Semolina – Also known as Suji or Rava. Make sure to use the granulated kind and not the powder. The normal Suji would simply be labelled as Semolina. The powder would specifically mention Semolina Powder, which you want to avoid.
    • White flour – All purpose flour and regular white flour, both will work.
    • Egg – Use cold egg right outta the fridge. Unfortunately, you cannot substitute egg in this recipe
    • Ghee – This is clarified butter. You need room temperature ghee for this recipe. Room temperature ghee would look different in different regions or house temperatures. It may appear solid, semi solid or liquid to you. Don’t worry about the “state”in which your ghee is. As long as its your room temperature, you are good to go.
    • Baking Powder – Use fresh baking powder, preferrably not more than 6 months old.
    • Cardamom powder – This is an optional addition to the dough. IF you feel you are very sensitive to smell, you can add a pinch of cardamom powder to the dough
    • Neutral Oil or ghee for frying – You can use any neutral oil to fry the milk balls. You can also use ghee or a combination of both.

    Sweet Sugar Syrup

    We need a nice thin sugar syrup for this recipe. You will need

    • Sugar – Regular white sugar is used in this recipe
    • Green cardamom – This adds flavor and aroma to the milk balls, while covering up the egg smell
    • Rose water – This is another aromatic used in this recipe. You can skip it if you don’t have any
    • Food color – I use a pinch of yellow food color to tint the syrup. You can use saffron too

    How to make Gulab Jamuns with milk powder

    Learn to make gulab jamuns in 4 easy steps. I’ve made a long detailed style Stories on Instagram talking and troubleshooting Gulab Jamun. You can click here to see the video HIGHLIGHTS

    Step 1 – Making the dough balls

    • Start by adding all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them together with a spoon.

    EXPERT TIP:
    To ensure a smooth and lump free dry mix, use a sieve to sift the dry ingredients into the bowl before mixing it

    • Make a small well in the center of the bowl and add the wet ingredients.
    • And now we knead. The dough is going to be super sticky so I like to do the “kneading” with a spatula or the back of a spoon, but you can use your hands to do this, if you like.

    EXPERT TIP:
    After more than 2 dozen trials, I concluded, that for the perfect gulab jamun, we need to use ghee (clarified butter) at room temperature and cold yogurt and cold egg    , while making the dough

    • Your milk dough would look something like image 3, sticky and wet. If your dough looks dry and crumbly at this stage, add 1 extra teaspoon of thick yogurt and mix to get to this consistency.
    • Once you reach this stage, cover the dough and refrigerate for 10 mins to let it rest.

    RESTING the milk dough

    Resting the dough in the fridge, helps to firm up the dough and makes it easier to shape into balls. DO NOT put in the freezer thinking it will speed up this process.

    • After taking the dough out of the fridge, take out 1 heaped teaspoon dough and roll it out in a ball with the palm of your hands
    • If your dough is still super sticky, then grease your hands with ghee to roll out the balls.
    • I usually get 15 to 17 balls rolled out with this dough. And I make 2 small ones for testing.
    • Roll out all the balls and place them on a plate, ready to be fried.

    NOTE:
    Gulab Jamuns expand once in oil and than once more when dipped in the sugar syrup. So, keep that in mind while rolling out the balls, to avoid making them too big.

    Step 2 – Making the sugar syrup aka sheera

    The sugar syrup or “sheera” is usually thick and has some specific consistency demands in most gulab jamun recipes. I’ve made this syrup recipe the simplest way possible, where you don’t have to worry about any of that.

    PROTIP:
    To save time, you can get your sugar syrup started while your milk dough rests in the fridge.

    • Simply add all the ingredients for the syrup in a wide sauce pan or pot and cook at medium heat until you see all the sugar dissolve.
    • Once your sugar dissolves, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let the syrup simmer uncovered.
    • Your syrup needs to be thin and watery. IF somehow you left the flame at high, and your syrup has reduced too much, add some extra water to thin it out again.

    NOTE: Select a wide pot/pan to make the syrup, because your gulab jamuns are going to be added to this pot, and you want ample room to allow the gulab jamuns to expand and cook.

    Step 3 – Frying the dough balls

    To fry the dough balls, you need another wide pot with enough oil for deep frying. You need the oil to be between 80 to 100 C. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, thats fine. Here’s a test you can do to check if your oil is ready.

    OIL TEMPERATURE TEST

    • Dip a small test ball in the oil. It should take a few seconds, expand and then rise up slowly with no scorch marks from where it hit the pan.
    • If the oil is too hot, your ball will expand and rise up quickly but will also get a scorch mark from the pan where it touched it.
    • If the oil is too cold, the ball will take too long to rise up.
    • When in doubt, always go towards the colder side of the oil rather than hot. Cold oil will only take longer but not harm your milk balls. Hot oil will cook the outside of your gulab jamuns faster while the inside remains raw.
    • One by one, add all the balls in the oil and use a wooden spoon to create a sort of whirpool effect in the oil to allow them to rotate around.
    • Don’t touch the milk balls directly and simply swirl the oil until they stop expanding.
    • Once the gulab jamuns have reached their maximum size, use the wooden spoon and constantly move them around for even browning. This takes somewhere between 3 to 5 mins.
    • Once they get to nice golden brown color, or the color that you like, use a skimmer to remove the gulab jamuns onto a plate or directly add to the syrup pot

    Step 4 – Cooking dough balls in syrup

    • Directly add the gulab jamuns into the syrup to avoid an extra plate to clean up.
    • Now you can increase the heat to high for the syrup and cover the pot with a lid.
    • Allow the gulab jamuns to cook in the syrup for 5 mins at high flame. During this stage, they will expand some more and soak up all the liquid.
    • After that, reduce the flame to low and cook for another 10 mins covered. This ensures that all the sweet syrup has penetrated the gulab jamuns completely and there is no raw centre.
    • Turn off the heat and let the gulab jamuns rest in the syrup for a while. They are extremely soft right now. Allow them to stabilize a little bit before cutting into them.

    The perfect gulab jamun has a smooth evenly browned outer layer with a soft and juicy centre that hold its shape.

    Serve the Gulab jamuns warm or cold, garnished with sliced almonds and pistachios, some dried rose buds for extra flare.

    Expert tips in a nutshell

    • Use wide pan for both frying and making the syrup.
    • Your oil should be atleast 1 inch deep in the pot
    • Minor cracks or mild uneven browning is not something to be worried about, these flaws auto-correct themselves once they hit the sugar syrup.
    • Gulab jamuns expand twice, once in oil, once in syrup, keep that in mind while make the dough balls
    • The gulab jamuns need to be added while they are hot in the sugar syrup, don’t wait too long between frying and adding the jamuns to the syrup.
    • Always use fresh baking powder and milk powder when making gulab jamuns

    FAQS & Troubleshooting

    Can you smell the eggy-ness?

    Not at all. The rose water, green cardamom and ghee all act as aromatics and you cannot smell the egg even a little bit. But, if you think, you have a sensitive sense of smell, you can add a pinch of green cardamom powder to the milk dough.

    Can I use the left over oil/ghee later?

    Absolutely. The brilliant thing about gulab jamun dough is that it doesn’t leave any residue in the oil it is fried in. So you can absolutely use it later for all sweet and savory recipes. I usually end up using it to make regular every day food.

    Why do my gulab jamuns disintegrate when they hit the frying pan?

    That will happen if you use skimmed, low fat milk powder or powdered tea creamers. Always use full fat milk powder for any Gulab Jamun recipe that you try. Please check labels carefully before using milk powder for gulab jamuns. Almari, Mawa, Nido (full fat) are good brands to use.

    Why did my gulab jamuns remain raw in the centre?

    The balls remain raw in the centre when the sugar syrup or sheera doesn’t penetrate it completely. This happens if you didn’t cook your gulab jamuns long enough in the syrup or the syrup was too thick for the gulab jamuns to absorb it properly.

    Why are the there cracks on my gulab jamun

    Minor cracks in the gulab jamuns aren’t a problem. They stabilize once they cook in the sheera. But yes major cracks happen if your dough was too dry. With this recipe, you shouldn’t have that problem. But if you feel your doughis dry and crumbly, you can add a teaspoon of yogurt and bring it back together. Only add more yogurt if you feel you dough is super dry. Another thing you can do is pass the dry ingredients through a sieve to ensure your mix has no lumps.

    My dough breaks is crumbly and not sticky like yours

    Add a teaspoon of yogurt and mix to bring it back together.

    My gulab jamuns deflate after hitting the sugar syrup

    Gulab Jamuns deflate for 2 reasons, if they have too much moisture or if the milk powder, baking powder is expired. Moisture should not be a problem with this recipe. Your baking powder and milk powder shouldn’t be more than 6 months old.

    Can I apply the tips on this post for another recipes?

    The dough tips are specific for the dough, however the tips on frying method you can apply on any other recipe. Remember to always ask the recipe writer of that specific recipe you are following to help you out.

    My dough is still sticky after I take it out of the fridge.

    That can sometimes happen if your yogurt had a lot of water or simply because of minor seasonal fluctuations. Don’t worry thats totally normal. Simply grease your hands to shape the dough if you are unable to do so with ungreased hands. If you are still unable to shape them, then sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of all purpose flour and mix the dough to make it less sticky.

    Can we make bigger or smaller gulab jamuns than shown here?

    Yes, you can. You can make smaller ones ranging from 20 to 25 or 10 large ones.

    Can I half or double this recipe?

    Yes absolutely! Use grams when you are going to half the recipe.

    side view of a plate holding gulab jamuns

    More like this

    Instant rasmalai with milk powder
    Gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding)
    Sooji ka halwa (semolina pudding)
    Shahi tukda (bread pudding)

    gulab jamuns, a sweet fried milk ball dessert shown garnished with nuts in a silver platter

    Gulab Jamun with milk powder

    A popular Pakistani/Indian sweet, made by frying milk dough balls in oil and dipping in a sweet rose flavored sugar syrup.
    4.80 from 39 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: South Asian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 16 balls
    Calories: 157kcal
    Author: Wajiha

    Ingredients

    For Syrup

    • 2 cups water
    • 1 3/4 cup sugar
    • 3 green cardamoms choti elaichi
    • 1 tablespoon rose water optional
    • A pinch of yellow food coloring optional

    For Milk balls

    • 1 cup full fat milk powder 100 gm
    • 1 large egg – cold 54 gm
    • 1 tablespoon ghee clarified butter
    • 1 teaspoon white flour maida
    • 1 tablespoon semolina suji
    • 1 tablespoon thick yogurt cold
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • A pinch of cardamom powder elaichi powder (optional)
    • Oil or ghee for deep frying

    Special Equipment

    • 2 saucepans or pots wide and deep, one to hold sugar syrup, and the other for deep frying balls.

    Instructions

    • MILK BALLS
    • In a wide bowl, add all the dry ingredients for the balls, preferrably passed through a sieve.
    • Mix all the dry ingredients together with a spoon
    • Make a well in the center of the bowl, add ghee, yogurt and egg.
    • Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to "knead" the ingredients together. You can also use your hands if you like, but the finished dough is going to be super sticky and wet.
    • Once the dough is ready, cover the dough and refrigerate for 10 mins.
    • Bring out the rest dough and take heaped teaspoons to make small dough balls. Grease your hands if the dough is still sticky.
    • Roll out all dough balls and place on plate, make 1 or 2 small tester balls as well. Set aside.
    • SUGAR SYRUP
    • In a wide pot or sauce pan, add all the ingredients for sugar syrup and cook at medium flame till the sugar dissolves.
    • Once the sugar dissolves, reduce the heat to lowest possible, and let the syrup simmer, while you fry the milk balls
    • COOKING the gulab jamuns
    • In another large wide saucepan add oil or ghee enough to be an inch deep in the pan.
    • Turn on the flame/heat and once the oil is warm, reduce the heat to low.
    • Do a test run, add a small milk ball in the oil. It should sink and slowly rise up without getting scorch mark from the bottom. If it turns brown immediately, your oil is too hot.
    • Add all the balls into the pan.
    • Use a wooden spoon and stir the oil in the centre of the pot creating a whirpool effect, without touching the balls, to keep them rotating in the pot.
    • When the gulab jamuns stop expanding, use the spoon to constantly move the balls around for even browning. This should take 3 to 5 mins.
    • After the gulab jamuns turn golden brown, use a skimmer to move the balls and directly into the sugar syrup (which is still simmering at a low flame)
    • After adding all the gulab jamuns to the sugar syrup, turn up the heat till the syrup starts bubbling. Cover the pot and let the gulab jamuns cook in the syrup for 5 mins.
    • Reduce flame after 5 mins to low and let the balls simmer for another 10 mins.
    • Turn off flame and let the balls cool down a little
    • Serve warm, garnished with chopped nuts and rose petals.

    Notes

    • I am not a fan of the taste or smell of Saffron in my gullab jamuns so I use food color instead or sometimes skip it altogether. You can use Saffron if you like
    • Use cold yogurt and egg, while room temperature ghee is ideal.
    • A detailed FAQ is on the blogpost.
    • Use greek yogurt if you can, for regular or watery yogurt, strain it for 5 mins to remove any excess liquid

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1ballCalories: 157kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 45mgSugar: 32g
    Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae

    Cheddar Chicken Kabab

    This simple, flavorful Cheddar Chicken kababs are the perfect appetizers slash tortilla wrap material. This recipe includes tips on how to make juicy tender kababs, without letting the cheese burn off while cooking, including pan frying, baking and air frying instructions.

    What are Cheese Chicken Kababs?

    a broken piece of cheese chicken kabab shown held by hand.

    “Kabab”, which is spelled in many difference ways ( kebap, kabob, kebob, or kebab) simply means piece of meat or vegetable thread onto a skewer and grilled. It is a traditional style of cooking in the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, and South Asia. In South Asia, kababs also refers to patty style appetizers, like spinach and potato cakes.

    The chicken cheddar kebab is a fusion variation of its traditional counter part : The chicken seekh kabab. They are made with mince and shaped into long kababs on skewers. Usually made on an open grill, you can get the perfect results at home on a stove top.

    Traditionally, when “cheese” is used in Indian and Pakistani food, it is usually Paneer i.e Cottage cheese. Whenever European style cheeses are used in Desi cooking, it automatically becomes a style of fusion food. Although, most mainstream Indian Pakistani food now, use European style cheese in a lot of recipes.

    I was going through my recipes and realised I haven’t made any traditional skewer style kababs for the blog, which is ironic because we make SOME form of kebabs almost every week! So here it is, in all its glory and simplicity the chicken cheddar kababs.

    Ingredients you need to make the kebabs

    Here are the 12 ingredients you will need to make Chicken cheddar kebab, plus some notes on ingredient selection.

    labelled ingredients shown indivisually needed for making chicken kababs

    • Ground Chicken – I’ve used chicken mince from my local store but you can make your own by adding boneless chicken into a food processor, which is better in any case. For using other types of meat, read the FAQS below
    • Coriander and Mint leaves – Substitute mint leaves with more coriander if you don’t have any or the other way round. If you are one of those who don’t like coriander, substitute with parsley.
    • Red and Green chilies – The red and green chilies I’ve used for this recipe are called “Indian Chilies” or “karhayi”chilies in Pakistan. Theyare mild as compared to Serrano or Bird’s eye chilies. I’d recommend using Jalapenos if you can’t find these. You can also use Red bell peppers instead. Ofcourse, if you can’t find any, skip the red chili altogether and add more green instead.
    • Onions and garlic – I’ve used red onion for this recipe, but use any that you have at hand. To keep the moisture minimum, I’ve used chopped garlic instead of paste. You can use garlic powder too if you want too.
    • Powdered Spices and Seasoning
      • Paprika – You can substitute with Kashmiri lal mirch if you want
      • Blackpepper – Bring out the perfect balance of spices in this recipe.
      • Garam masala powder – This bring out the earthy flavor of the recipe. Use Allspice powder instead or skip it entirely
      • Salt – Adequate amount of salt is important to bring out the flavor in your recipe. Remember, when seasoning kababs, you are also seasoning all the additives, like eggs and herbs etc. which is why don’t be stingy with that salt.
    • Cheese – For this recipe, you need non-stringy cheese with a mild flavor of its own. I’m using mild English Cheddar because that’s what my family likes. Feel free to use any according to your taste. Sharp Cheddar, Emmental and Monetery Jack are all excellent options! (See more about cheese selection in the FAQS section)
    • Egg – The egg helps in adding a little binding and tenderness to the kebabs.
    • Breadcrumbs – All good kababs need “fillers”. These are ingredients that give body to the kebab while avoiding shrinkage, that happens when you grill any kind of mince meat. Homemade or store brought, both breadcrumbs work!
    • Oil – You only need oil for panfrying, air frying and coating your hands while shaping the kababs.

    How to make and shape Cheese Kababs

    Click Here to watch steps in a Reel I made for these kebabs

    STEP 1 – Make the kabab mixture/dough

    • To do so, you simply chuck all your herbs and onion into a food processor and process until its nice and finely chopped.
    2 picture collage to show steps of cooking - 1. herbs and onions added in a food processor. 2. herb mixture finely chopped up.
    • Then you need to squeeze out all the water from the mixture. I wear gloves while doing this, because my skin is senstitive to garlic. You can also use a nutmilk bag or a cheese cloth to do this.
    2 picture collage to show steps of cooking - 1. gloved hand squeezing out liquid from chopped herbs 2. squeezed herb mixture shown
    • Add the herb mixture and all the other ingredients in a bowl and knead them by hand. A stand mixer with a paddle attachment would also do the job.
    2 picture collage to show steps of cooking - 1. ingredients for kabab mixture added to a bowl 2. ingredients for kabab mixture kneaded together
    • I add cheese last so that it gets less time while being kneaded. This avoid cheese to soften up from the heat of our hands.
    2 picture collage to show steps of cooking - 1. adding cheese to kabab mixture. 2. cheese incorporated in the raw kabab mixture

    STEP 2 – Shaping the Kebabs

    • To divide the mixture into equal portions, use a tablespoon or an icecream scooper. Scoop out small portions on to a plate.
    2 picture collage to show steps of cooking - 1. tablespoon scooping out a portion of kabab mixture onto a plate 2. multiple portions of kababs ready

    PROTIP
    I find the easiest way to shape these kababs are when they are cold. So after portioning, I stick the plate in the freezer for about 15 mins before shaping. This makes the mixture firm and easy to handle

    • To shape the kababs, grease the palm of your hands with oil so that the mixture doesn’t stick. Shape them into thick cigars by squeezing and rolling them in your palms.
    2 picture collage to show steps of cooking - 1. greased hand. 2. hand shaping portion of the kabab mixture into a cigar
    • Then you insert a skewer on one end of the kabab.

    NOTE:
    I am using a makeshift skewer aka straw for this step. You can use the regular metal ones or wooden sticks too. I shape the kebab around the straw some more and pull it out. IF you are
    using a wooden or metal skewer, you can also leave the kababs on it and grill it as is.

    2 picture collage to show steps of cooking 1. single kabab skewed onto a straw. 2. kabab removed from straw after shaping and shown with a hole in the centre, held in hand
    • Shape all the kebabs, pull out from the straw and prepare to pan fry.
    raw cigar shaped kababs on a black plate.

    STEP 3 – Cooking the kebabs

    • I panfry these kebabs at medium heat for 3 to 4 mins, tossing and flipping for even browning.

    NOTE:
    Avoid overcooking the kebabs as it will lead to dry hard kebabs and burnt cheese.
    Chicken mince cooks very fast, don’t worry about it being raw.

    chicken kababs pan frying with oil in a pan.

    Best Cooking Method for Chicken Kababs

    In order of the best results:

    1. On an outdoor charcoal grill – This is usually how restaurants make skewer kababs.
    2. On the stove – Pan-frying or grilling is the best indoor way of making these, in my opinion
    3. In an Air-Fryer – Less oil than pan frying, but similar results taste and texture wise.
    4. In the Oven – Easiest to do, but definitely not as tender as the pan-fried ones
    close up of the final look of chicken cheese kabab

    FAQS

    Can I make this recipe with any other meat?

    Sure! You can make this recipe with beef, lamb or mutton. You will need to add 1 inch chunk of ginger in your herb mix. And your grilling / pan frying time would increase to 6 – 7 mins. DO NOT skip the skewers for beef kebabs, as it can shrink a lot without it. I would say this, beef kababs require a special set of instructions and tips that would go beyond the scope of this post but hopefully I should write one soon on just Beef cheese kababs.

    Why does my cheese melt and burn in the pan?

    When I posted this recipe on Instagram, most of you have had this issue with other cheese kababs recipes you’ve tried. This is something you can’t avoid completely. There will be some oozing whenever there is cheese incorporated in kabab and when the kabab has no coating. But we can minimize it by a LOT

    1. Using Pre-Shredded Cheese

      Pre-shredded cheese packs you get in stores are actually better for this recipe! Those packs use corn flour to coat the cheese strands and this helps in stabilizing your cheese while frying and not ooze out and burn

      IF you are shredding cheese yourself at home, coat them with 1/2 tsp of cornflour and freeze before using for the kababs for BEST results! You can apply this tip for any recipe kabab recipe that uses shredded cheese in the mixture.

    2. Avoiding Over-browning or Overcooking
      Most of the time, if you are pan frying the kababs longer than needed, the cheese WILL melt and ooze out regardless of how good they were coated with cornflour. Make sure you are not cooking them longer than instructed.

    Can I make the kababs without egg?

    Some of my readers avoid consuming egg so I’ve tried the recipe for you all without eggs too. You can skip the egg and add an extra half onion instead for similar results.

    Can I freeze Chicken Kebabs? And for how long?

    chicken kababs pan frying with oil in a pan.

    Yes! Absolutely! To freeze the kababs, pan fry them for 2 mins or until they change color. Let the kababs cool, transfer them into ziplock bags and freeze for upto 2 months. Freezing the kababs raw is not such a good idea, because they leach out moisture that way and you end up with dry kebabs when you fry them eventually.

    Can I shape the kababs without the skewers?

    The hole provides an airvent. When you grill the kebabs, they shrink towards the pan, which makes the hole bigger but overall preserves the shape of your kebabs. You can still shape the kebabs without a skewer but you might see minor reduction in size of the kebab once cooked.

    Why does my kebab become sticky and hard to handle?

    One answer – Moisture. If your mixture is holding a lot of moisture, it will become difficult to handle and shape. Here are a few things that help

    • Ground the chicken yourself from a breast or thigh fillet instead of buying mince.
    • Squeeze out water from the herb mixture to reduce overall water content
    • Freeze the kebabs for a few minutes before shaping.
    • Last resort is to add more bread crumbs to increase binding.

    Serving Suggestions

    cheese chcken kebabs in a serving platter with yogurt, fried chilies and sliced onions on the side

    These kababs are a meal on their own honestly! I love the fact that they are so uni-cuisine. The flavors are so neutral that they go well with everything! Here are a couple of my favorite pairing

    • A simple kebab platter with Mint Chutney, and sliced onions on the side
    • Serve with boiled rice and lentils for lunch.
    • Serve with masala dal and roti or flat bread.
    • And My personal favorite! for kebab wraps with more cheddar, onions and lettuce and a tortilla to go with
    • You can also always go simple with a side salad.

    More kababs like this

    Chicken vegetable Oats kabab
    Handi Kabab
    Asian chicken meatballs
    Potato and spinach cutlets

    a close up of a platter of chicken cheddar kababs

    Chicken Cheddar Kabab

    Soft and tender skewer chicken kababs made with simple spices, herbs and cheddar
    4.50 from 6 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Fusion Food
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 6 minutes
    Freezing time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 51 minutes
    Servings: 16 kababs
    Calories: 125kcal
    Author: Wajiha

    Ingredients

    • 500 gm chicken mince
    • 1/4 of a bunch of a cilantro pack coriander
    • 1/3 cup mint leaves
    • 3 whole Indian Red chilies see notes
    • 3 whole Green chilies see notes
    • 1 small onion
    • 6 cloves garlic
    • 1 teaspoon Paprika
    • 2 teaspoon blackpepper powder
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala powder See notes
    • 1½ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
    • 1 large egg
    • 1½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 120 gm (see notes)
    • Cooking Oil for coating and grilling

    Special equipment

    • Skewers / BBQ sticks / Drinking straw

    Instructions

    • Making kebab mixture
    • In a food processor, add cilantro, mint leaves, onion, garlic, red and green chilies. Process until they are finely chopped.
    • Wear a glove and squeeze all the liquid out of the chopped mix. You can also use a nutmilk bag or a cheese cloth to do this. Discard the liquid.
    • In a bowl, add the chopped mixture and all the remaining ingredients except oil and cheese. Mix or knead to make a uniform kebab mixture.
    • Add cheese at the end and mix until fully combined.

    • Shaping the Kebabs
    • To divide the mixture into equal portions, use an icecream scooper or a tablespoon. Place each scoop of mixture on a plate.
    • Put the plate in the freezer for 15 mins and then take it out for shaping
    • Pour 3 to 4 tablespoon oil in a cup and use some to grease the palm of your hands.
    • Take a portion of mixture and use the palm of your hands to roll it into a rough cigar shape.
    • Insert a thick skewer (or straw or wooden bbq stick) through one tip of the cigar and bring out on the other side.
    • Use the palm of your hands to perfect the shape of the cigars.
    • Carefully remove the kabab from the skewer by sliding the skewer out and placing the kabab back on the tray.
    • IF you want to cook the kababs with the skewers then leave the skewers intact.

    • Cooking the KababsOn the Stove (Gas or Electric)
    • For pan frying, place a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat on the stove. You can also use a grill pan.
    • Add oil to cover the base of the skillet.
    • When oil becomes hot (3 to 4 mins), add kababs to the pan without overcrowding it.
    • Use a straight spatula or tongs to turn the kababs frequently, allowing all sides to turn golden brown evenly.
    • Cook for a total of 5 mins.
    • Transfer kababs to your serving dish once they are done.

    In the Air fryer

    • Line the airfryer tray with parchment paper.
    • Place kebabs in a single layer and use cooking spray grease them.
    • Air-fry at 200 C (400 F) for 3 mins.
    • Then flip the kebabs and cook for another 3 mins.

    • Oven-Baked
    • Preheat the oven to 200 C (395 F)
    • Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, greased with butter or oil
    • Place the kabab on the pan and place it in the middle rack of the oven. Turn on the top heat (broiler) on High (550°F/287°C).
    • Bake for a total of 8 mins, flipping the kababs at 5 min mark.

    Notes

    • The fresh red and green chilies I’ve used are large and mild. You can use Jalapenos if you can’t find medium sized green chilies. You can also use a piece of red bell pepper if you can’t find red chilies.
    • I have used mild English Cheddar, but you can use any that you like, Sharp Cheddar and Monterary Jack both go well with this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese is better for this recipe because those cheeses are covered with a layer of cornflour

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1kebabCalories: 125kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 11gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 228mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4g
    Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae