Kabappe – Kababs In An Appe Pan

Ever since I got over my fear of using the appe pan, I had been wanting to use it again and again and again. When I cooked Dhanshak a couple of days back, I made kababs (kebab – we Parsi’s call them kabab) but I did not want to deep dry them. As most of you know, I use adequate oil (actually, more than adequate) in my food and yet, I refrain from deep frying food at home. What better chance than this, to use the appe pan.

What inspired this recipe…

I took inspiration from the tiny Muslim cafes and carts that dot all of Mumbai. Those chefs nailed the flavour so brilliantly. That was precisely what I was itching to recreate. The flavour of those kababs is so firmly etched in my memory and on my palate. They allow the flavour of the mutton kheema to shine and they enhance it with a few precise ingredients. That is exactly what I did and voila! Kababs perfectly recreated at home and… sone pe suhaga… sans any extra oil as these puppies aren’t deep fried. 

If you are wondering whether the kheema was cooked to correct doneness in the appe pan or whether the kababs tasted as delish as they would have, had they been deep fried, don’t take my word for it; read the recipe carefully and give it a try. You can thank me, later. *very evil grin*

Ingredients - Part 1:

500 grams mutton / beef / buff mince
2 onions, cut in small dices
3-4 green chilies, chopped fine
2 heaped tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons oil

Ingredients - Part 2:

Cooked Kheema
2 medium or 3 small potatoes, boiled, peeled, and mashed smooth (I used a ricer)
2 green chilies, chopped fine
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder (I used MDH Deghi Mirch Powder)
½ teaspoon pepper powder
Salt, only if needed – to adjust seasoning
A large handful coriander leaves, finely chopped
A large handful mint leaves, finely chopped
¾ cup fine breadcrumbs
3 eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper, well-beaten
Oil as needed, for the appe pan

Method – Part 1: 

1. Rinse the mince (of course) in a sieve or a colander. Keep aside for the excess water to drain.
   
   
   
   
   
2. In a non-stick pan (or wok), heat 3 tablespoons oil, add the cumin seeds and allow to splutter.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Add onions and green chilies and sauté.
   
   
   
   
   
4. When the onions are just about to turn translucent, add the drained kheema and continue sautéing, on high flame, for a minute.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Add the ginger-garlic paste and continue sautéing the kheema until it loses the clumped-up look and begins to turn crumbly and grainy.
   
   
   
   
6. Add salt to taste, reduce the flame, and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring intermittently. Do NOT add any water to the kheema.
7. The kheema after 3 to 4 minutes will be cooked to 80 percent doneness. At that point, turn off the stove and empty the kheema into a large platter/thali.

 Method – Part 2: 

1. Add the mashed potatoes, 2 chopped green chilies, turmeric powder, red chili powder, pepper powder, coriander leaves, and mint leaves to the cooked kheema.
2. Mix the ingredients into the kheema with your hands. Kind of as you would when kneading dough. It should all come together smoothly and nicely.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Check seasoning; add/adjust, if needed.
4. Keep the mince aside, covered, for about 30 minutes.

 Method: Cooking Kabappe: 

1. Take breadcrumbs in a large plate.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Grease your hands with a little oil (to ensure the mince does not stick to your hands) and make kababs the size of ping-pong balls from the marinated mince and put them in the plate that has breadcrumbs. Continue making the kababs until all the mince is used up. (I usually use a small ice cream scoop to get equal sized kababs.)
   
   
   
   
   
3. Once all kababs are made, roll them lightly, but properly, in the breadcrumbs. The kababs must be well coated, all over.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Heat the appe pan. Add half a teaspoon oil into each indentation. When the oil heats up, turn the flame to its LOWEST SETTING.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Dip each kabab into the beaten eggs and put one kabab into each indentation.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Add a quarter teaspoon of beaten egg over each kabab. You may, of course, dribble the extra egg with your fingers. I did. (The oil, at this point, though merely half a teaspoon, will foam, as it does in a regular frying pan - don't give it a second thought)
   
   
   
   
7. Cover the pan immediately and cook the kabappe on LOW heat for 2 minutes or until they turn golden. (yes you will have to uncover the pan to check... sigh!)
8. Flip the appe with a teaspoon or a fork.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Cover and cook the other side, on LOW heat, for 2 minutes or until they turn golden.
10. Once both sides are golden, remove the Kabappes into a plate.
11. Continue making Kabappes until all the mince is used up. This quantity makes 32 kababs.
    
    
    
    
    

 Chef Notes: 

1. Please note, dice is different from finely chopped and for these kababs we need the onions cut into small dices. 
2. Very little masala goes into making these kababs. As I mentioned earlier, the idea is to allow the mince to shine. The added chilies, green herbs and the little bit of spice all add up to ensure that happens. 
3. I would advise the use of fine mince (not paste-y though).
4. You may increase the green chilies if you prefer spicy kababs. Me, I wouldn’t. I want to taste the mince, not the chilies.
5. Do mash the potatoes well. The blend, when mixed, should be such that one is unable to decipher mince from the potatoes. 
6. The kheema mixture will seem dry when cooked but if you taste it when it is cooked to 80% doneness, your palate will experience moist kheema. That’s the diced onion doing its job; lending moistness to the kabab.
7. Every time you add new kababs to the appe pan, do remember to add half a teaspoon oil into each indentation.
8. This quantity made 32 kababs. Don’t consider 32 to be too many. These babies get polished off in a jiffy.
9. IMPORTANT: I cannot stress enough the importance of cooking this dish on LOW heat from Point 5 to Point 11.
10. Heartfelt thanks to Zaraius Contractor for the cover photo advise and edit. 
11. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Some more photographs:

Banana Oats Appe

Have you ever bought a cooking equipment and been petrified to use it because you’re new to it? That is precisely what happened to me coz I’ve had the appe pan for over five years and I’ve been petrified to use it… until a couple of weeks ago when I saw a post on Instagram, by Monalisa Mehotra. She’d made Banana Oats Appe and they looked so stunning, I just had to make them. Monalisa, heartfelt thanks for the recipe. 😊 Also, your recipe helped me get over my ‘appe pan fear’ 🙈 hence, truly, THANK YOU! ❤️

While the original recipe idea is Monalisa’s, I’ve added tiny touches and specific instructions to ensure the recipe does not go wrong. I never post a recipe unless I perfect it and I will always pen a detailed recipe to ensure it works just as beautifully in your kitchen as it does in mine. With the tiny changes I incorporated, I’ve now made this recipe thrice and I promise you, it’s perfect! I am writing the recipe exactly (proportions, extra ingredients, timings, et al) as made by me. Follow the recipe to a T and you shall have a bowlful of delicious Appe(s). I would say, these are very similar to banana fritters, just sans the excess oil as fritters are usually deep fried. Makes for a perfect evening, tea-time snack. 😊

Ingredients:

½ cup oats flour
1 tablespoon rice flour
2 over-ripe bananas
2½ tablespoon jaggery powder or grated jaggery
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
A pinch of cinnamon
A good of pinch salt
½ cup milk (room temperature)
½ teaspoon baking powder
Oil for the Appe pan

Method:

1. In a pan or a wok, stirring constantly, roast the oats flour on extremely low heat until a lovely aroma reaches your olfactory senses. Remove into a bowl and keep aside.
   
   
   
   
   
2. In the same pan/wok, stirring all the time, roast the rice flour on the lowest flame possible. When well roasted, remove the rice flour into the same bowl in which you have emptied the roasted oats flour. (The same rule of patience applies to this flour too. It will get done way fast, though, as the quantity is very little.) 
   
   
   
   
   
3. In the same pan/wok, now add the desiccated coconut and on very low flame, stirring all the time, roast it until the coconut gets a tad crisp. The desiccated coconut may turn one shade darker, which is quite alright. When roasted, empty the contents into a bowl, keep aside and allow to cool a bit.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Add cinnamon powder and salt to the roasted flours.
   
   
   
   
5. Using your fingertips, crush the roasted desiccated coconut as finely as possible. 
6. Add the crushed coconut to the dry flour mix.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Peel and mash the bananas as smoothly as possible. 
   
8. Add 1½ tablespoon jaggery powder to the mashed bananas and mix it well. It will melt quite fast as it’s in powder (or grated) form.
9. Add the banana-jaggery mixture to the dry roasted flours and give it a mix. 
   
   
   
   
10. Add the milk and mix to form a smooth batter. Taste the batter and add the remain 1 tablespoon jaggery powder if you prefer a sweeter batter (I did). Mix the batter until the jaggery is well blended into the batter.
    
    
    
    
11. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes.
    
    
    
    
    
12. Just a minute before making the Appe, sprinkle baking powder and give it a GENTLE mix.
    
    
    
    
    
13. Heat an Appe pan. Into each indentation add half teaspoon of oil and when the oil is hot, lower the flame. 
    
    
    
    
    
14. Depending on the size of the appe indentations, spoon batter into each one. Cover and on LOW HEAT cook the appe for 2 minutes (yes, i marked time) on one side. 
    
    
    
    
    
15. After the 2-minute mark, flip each appe to cook the other side. Use a teaspoon or a fork to flip the appe. 
16. After flipping the appe, add a few extra drops of oil into each indentation if you so wish (I did). Cover and cook the other side, on LOW HEAT for 2 minutes.
17. Remove the appe into a bowl. Continue making appe until all the batter is used up. 
    
    
    

Chef Notes:

1. I used the Bagrry’s brand of oats flour. Pick up any brand available in your vicinity.
2. When roasting the oats flour and the rice flour I urge you NOT to be in a hurry. Roast both the flours very patiently, on low flame. The flours are to be well roasted to ensure the appe do not taste raw. A beautiful ‘roast aroma’ will reach your olfactory senses when the flour is well roasted. 
3. Preferably, do not allow the flours to change colour but… don’t fret too much if they go one teeny-tiny shade darker. Teeny-tiny, truly does mean just that. Do NOT allow them to go dark. Also, remember, the rice flour will roast faster as the quantity is small.
4. Ideally, mash the bananas with a fork, in a plate instead of a bowl for a smooth mash. I say this because I’ve seen people (in videos) struggling to mash them in a bowl. (Just a question of common sense, sometimes… not very common *evil grin*)
5. Please use over-ripe bananas. Just ripened ones or slightly raw ones will not lend the desired soft texture (within) or the sweetness.
6. The desiccated coconut crisps up a wee bit hence, once cool, crush it with your fingers. There is no right, or wrong, size here so crush them as much as possible and continue with the recipe.
7. I used 2½ tablespoons jaggery powder. You may add jaggery powder a little at a time and achieve the sweetness as desired by you. The quantity of jaggery powder will also depend on how sweet the over-ripe bananas are. 
8. This quantity of batter yields 18 regular size appe. Please don’t ask me to measure the indentations of the appe pan. *heavy sigh*
9. Ideally, keep serving the appe as soon as you bring them out of the appe pan. The only downside to doing this is, there may not be any left for you coz they get polished off in a frikkin’ jiffy. I should know, I barely get to eat three. Sigh!
10. Add half teaspoon oil into each indentation to ensure the appe cooks well. Yes, these are healthy appe but if you are too stingy with oil, you will be left holding an appe that tastes dry. By the way, how do I know?? I merely brushed the appe indentations with oil the first time I made these babies. They popped out quite dry. Now, you don’t want that, do ya? I think not! 😝 Posting a pic of the 'less-oil' version. If you don't mind this texture, then you may merely brush the pan with oil.
    
    
    
    
    
11. Some GK… The Appe pan is also known as Paniyaram pan and the Dutch call it an Aebleskiver pan. 
12. I recommend you remember the direction in which you fill the appe pan and begin flipping the appe in the same direction. This is to ensure the appe are evenly cooked. 
13. As mentioned at the onset, the original recipe belongs Monalisa Mehrotra. This version of the recipe and the photographs, though, belong to my blog, Kenzy’s Kitchen Korner. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
    
    Some more photographs:

Rice Flour

Desiccated Coconut

Milk

The Less-Oil Version