Kebabs with Yoghurt-Garlic Dip

by dotsha747 · Published 15 May 2021 · Updated 26 December 2021

I still had some of Mum’s Prawn Biriyani (recipe for this will be obtained some day! ) left over from yesterday, so I supplemented it with some kebabs together with a Yoghurt-Garlic dip.

Salad was leftover too and consists of lettuce lives, mint, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, dressed in olive oil and lime juice.

I make kebabs either from minced beef or minced mutton — my preference is for mutton as there is more fat and it is more flavorful. You can also mix the two.

Defrost the mince and place it into a mixing bowl.

Assemble the spices:

Cumin powder 1.5 tsp
Coriander powder 1.5 tsp
Cayenne pepper 1 tsp
Mint 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper 1 tsp

Minced Garlic
1 Onion, diced finely
a handful of chopped Parsley

If you’re not a fan of raw/not-fully-cooked onions, sauté the diced onions for a few minutes (and let them cool) before adding to the mix.

Add everything into the mixing bowl.

Add a bit of olive oil. This is just to help the mince bind together better.

Oh yeah, don’t forget salt. Start with 1/2 teaspoonful.

Mixed the mince and other ingredients thoroughly. I find it best to use my hands and press through with my thumb repeatedly.

I make the kebabs in my air-fryer, as it is very convenient. The small size is fine for kebabs, and it is so much easier to clean compared to the oven. Set the air-fryer to 200C/max and let it run for a minute to pre-heat it.

I find it useful to do a “test” piece first … take a small amount of mince mix and roll into into a small “finger” and place it inside the air-fryer. Check on it after 5-6 minutes. Take it out, let it cool and see if the insides are sufficiently cooked. Have a taste. Now go back and add whatever spices to the mince mix you think it needs more of.

Now we make the actual kebabs. Since we’re not grilling the kebabs we don’t need skewers, however I find it useful to form them around some long thin object: Chopsticks, a thick straw or a cocktail-stirrer will do.

Try to keep the thickness uniform, so that it will cook evenly.

When you pull the meat of the stick, it should leave a hole in the center of the kebab. This will help with cooking the insides.

Lay the kebabs inside the air-fryer. I find it better to make multiple batches than to try and squeeze too many into the air-fryer — it helps to let the hot air circulate around the space between the kebabs.

Coat the outsides with some oil.

Let the kebabs cook in the air-fryer for 6-8 minutes. Bear in mind the retained heat will still go on cooking the meat once you remove it from the air-fryer, so I would err on the shorter time period. The longer you cook it, the dryer the kebabs will be.

Don’t forget to use different plates for the uncooked kebabs and the cooked ones.