Before cooking, the meat-spice mixture requires a rest in the refrigerator to bring all the flavors together and to give the kebabs their requisite melt-in-the-mouth tenderness. If you cannot get a baking pan of just this size, something a bit smaller or a bit larger will do. (You could also use a 6-inch-square cake tin and cut the kebabs into rectangles—in which case, bake for only 30 minutes.) Serve these pâté-like kebabs with drinks, offering flatbread pieces or crackers to eat them with, or serve them as part of a meal with vegetables or salads. They need an accompanying chutney, such as the Peshawari Red Pepper Chutney, page 243, or the Bengali-Style Tomato Chutney, page 244.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8 as an appetizer, 4 as a main course
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Combine the turkey, mint, cilantro, garlic, cayenne, yogurt, salt, garam masala, coriander, and 3 tablespoons of the onions in a bowl. Mix well. Add the egg and mix again. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least 4–6 hours.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Step 3
Pat the meat firmly into a loaf pan measuring about 3 1/2” × 7 1/2” × 2 1/2". Scatter the remaining 1 tablespoon onions over the top and lightly press them in. Bake 40 minutes. Place under a broiler/grill briefly until the top is just browned. Unmold, with the onion side on top. You may cut into slices or squares and serve or put the loaf out like a pâté and let people help themselves.
