7.103
17 (Sun) April 2016
Nokdu & Zucchini Fritters
2.5
by me
in my apartment
-Malate, Manila-
solo
A couple days ago (see 7.101 Chicken Kebab Wrap), at the farewell party for ADL — who’s Pakistani-American — she bequeathed to me an assortment of spice packs that she didn’t feel like taking with her.
Just like how CAL — who’s Spanish — had left me her stuff (see generally 5.364 Grilled Shrimp…).
Shami Kabab is a Pakistani/Indian meatball. Typically minced lamb, sometimes chicken, with ground chickpeas and/or potato, egg, aromatics, spices. Shaped into small disks, pan-fried in oil. Served with any manner of dipping sauce, often simply fresh lemon. Ubiquitous as a snack, appetizer, main dish.
For my first dish with this windfall of seasonings, I tried the Shami Kabab. No meat on hand, however — the lack of meat would disqualify this as shami, which is essentially a meat item — I substituted with nokdu and zucchini. When the mash wouldn’t bind properly, I added steamed rice and pancake flour for better structure. Overall, not too bad. With some refinements, the fritters could be part of my gradually developing Middle Eastern / South Asian repertoire (see for example 6.257 Chicken & Cauliflower Tikka…).
