Hara Bhara Kabab

Hara Bhara Kabab - Pan-fried mildly spiced spinach and green pea kababs flavoured with fresh herbs and aromatic Indian spices. 

In North India, people like to munch on some snacks with ‘Adrak Wali Chai’ in the evening to make their evening even more relaxing and enjoyable and Hara Bhara Kabab is one such popular snack which is most commonly made during evenings. 

Kebab is a popular snack in Asian countries, they are usually prepared with meat, lots of spices and then deep fried or grilled over hot coal, but there are many vegetarian  versions of kababs also which are very popular and perfect snack/appetizer like Kala Chana Kabab, Rajma kabab, Palak Chhole kabab, Beetroot kabab, Veg Seekh kabab, Soya kabab, Dahi Kabab and Hara Bhara Kabab. Hara Bhara Kabab is the most famous one. Hara means “green” and bhara is “full”, so basically these kababs are full of greens! 

You can find Hara Bhara kabab in all Indian restaurant menus as in starter or appetizers however in restaurants these are always deep fried. I am a homemade food lover and I really don’t like eating outside much. So whatever I want to eat or crave to eat, I prefer to cook at home by my own. Homemade food is always a preference for me. In home cooking you always have an option to use the fresh and best quality ingredients. Choosing homemade food over outside food is also a great option to stay healthy. I am planning to post recipes for all the veg kababs I mentioned above. Here I am starting with the most popular one. 

Hara Bhara Kabab is made with spinach, green peas, fresh coriander & mint and potato. They are crispy from outside while melt in your mouth from inside. You can also add more veggies to it like green capsicum, green beans. Earlier I tried to sautéed raw spinach leaves with the green peas for making hara bhara kabab but it makes the mixture very sticky as spinach loses a lot of water while sautéing. So I started blanching the spinach leaves and then sauté a little with green peas, this helps in reducing the excess moisture from the veggies. 

I have added breadcrumbs to the vegetable mixture. It is very important as it helps to absorb the moisture and binds them properly. You can use the roasted gram flour instead of breadcrumbs or can use both of them. I tried making my kababs with gram flour once but I didn’t like the taste and texture much. I realized that they lost their softness because of gram flour so I replaced it with bread crumbs in my kababs. Some people add paneer also. But I don’t prefer that my Hara Bhara kabab taste like veg cutlets. Pan frying the kebab is optional, you can also deep fry or shallow fry them. I also add some haldi/turmeric into the veggie mixture; it gives a lovely bright colour to kababs on top of that it is healthy as well because of its powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant. 

These melt in mouth and easy to make. Hara Bhara kababs are a great evening snack and a perfect appetizer for any party or small get together. They go well with Adrak Wali Chai (ginger masala tea). These green kababs can also be stuffed in veggie wraps, sandwiches and veg burgers. As they are made with fresh green veggies so they are very nutritious as well delicious and are best way to add nutritious spinach in your diet. 

How to serve Hara Bhara Kabab-

Hara Bhara Kabab taste best when served just removed out of the pan as they are hot and crispy. They loss their crispness when they cooled down. So serve them hot with coriander & mint chutney or tomato ketchup or yogurt dip and lemon pickled onions on the side for sure. 

Read through this recipe and see if you find it interesting enough to try. I am sure you would love it. If you try this healthy and delicious Hara Bhara Kabab recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment, rate it, or share a photo…. Can’t wait to see your photos!

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Servings- 18 kababs

Course- Starter/Appetizer
Cuisine- Indian

Preparation Time- 10-15 minutes

Total Time- 45-50 minutes

Ingredients-

1 cup frozen green peas (thawed)

500 grams fresh Spinach (well washed and stem removed)

3-4 finely chopped fresh Mint leaves

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

6 small green chillies, roughly chopped (or as per taste)

1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

1 large potato (Boiled, peeled and then grated)

1/4 cup bread crumbs for binding and 1/2 cup for coating the kababs

5-6 cashew nuts, finely chopped 
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoon cumin powder (freshly roasted and grounded cumin seeds)

1 teaspoon Chat Masala

½ teaspoon garam masala

Salt to taste

Oil for pan frying
Lemon pickled onion rings and green chutney for serving

How to make Hara Bhara Kebabs-

Step 1- In a large pan, boil 1 cup water. When the water starts boiling, add the washed spinach, put the lid on and turn off the flame. Let it blanch for a couple of minutes then drain the water with the help of a colander. Immediately pour some cold water over the spinach, this helps to retain the green color of the spinach. Leave the blanched spinach in the colander for 5 minutes so that it leaves all the excess water. 
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Step 2- Heat just 1 tablespoon oil in a flat wide pan and add finely chopped ginger and green chillies into it, cook for few seconds. 
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Step 3- Add green peas and sauté for a minute. 
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Step 4- Roughly chop the blanched spinach and add it into the green peas, add freshly chopped mint leaves, turmeric powder and sauté for 2-3 more minutes. (Sautéing the veggies will help in reducing the excess moisture from them.) 
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Step 5- As now you can see the moisture is reduced so turn off the heat and let it cool. 
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Step 6- Meanwhile on a tawa/pan, dry roast 2 teaspoons cumin seeds till they become brown and fragrant, then transfer them into a mortar & pestle and make a coarse powder of it. 
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Step 7- Once green peas and spinach mixture is cool enough, grind it into a coarse paste (Do not add water). 
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Step 8- Take the ground mixture in a large mixing bowl and into this add chopped cashew nuts, boiled and grated potato, bread crumbs, finely chopped coriander leaves, freshly prepared cumin powder, chat masala, garam masala and salt. 
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Step 9- Mix everything very well with the help of your hand. Check the seasoning. Note: If you feel the mixture is still very sticky then add more bread crumbs to absorb the excess moisture. 
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Step 10- Take small portion of the mixture on your palm and shape it into a ball and then press it between your palms to give it a flat patty/tikki like shape. (Your hands may become sticky; in that case you can apply some oil on your palm) 
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Step 11- Now coat the patty/tikki with breadcrumbs and keep it aside. Repeat the process and make patties of all the mixture. 
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Step 12- Now for pan frying the kababs, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a flat pan; spread the oil on all over the pan. 
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Step 13- When the oil becomes medium hot, place the prepared patties one by one. 
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Step 14- Once the down side is brown and crispy then gently turn over each patty upside down with the help of a flat spatula. If needed then apply some oil on the patties with a brush or spoon. (The kababs get fried really quickly so keep an eye) 
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Step 15- When both the sides become equal brown and crispy then remove kababs from pan and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel. 
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Step 16- Our Hara Bhara Kababs are ready to serve now. Serve them hot with coriander & mint chutney or tomato ketchup or yogurt dip and lemon pickled onions on the side. 

How to make Lemon pickled onion rings-  
Step 1- Peel off the onion and discard the skin. Wash the onion.
Step 2- Cut the onion into rings and separate each ring by pressing it on the centre OR normally cut it into halves lengthwise and then lay each half flat on cutting board and slice vertically through the onion on the longside. 
Step 3- Put sliced onions in a bowl or in a small jar, pour over lemon juice of one whole lemon and add 2 teaspoons salt into it.
Step 4- Mix everything properly, cover it and leave it for at least 20 to 30 minutes. After 30 minutes lemon pickled onion rings are ready to eat.