Here is an ultimate recipe for kabab-lovers around the world! Packed with the goodness of spinach, green peas, and corn and the exquisite flavors of the most exotic Indian spices, this Hara Bhara Kabab makes a perfect companion to your evening tea.
Moreover, this delectable finger food is an instant energy-boosting snack and is ideal for kids who are picky vegetable eaters.
Spinach and vegetable kababs are great party starters and perfect appetizers on any occasion. These vegetable patties, bursting with flavors and nutrients, please the palate and the soul alike!
Plus, this recipe for Hara Bhara Kabab is an excellent alternative to non-veg kababs; it entices every kabab admirer with its savory taste and fascinating green color.
What is Hara Bhara Kabab
Hara Bhara Kabab is a popular North Indian dish that is high in nutrition and taste. Hara bhara means ‘loaded with greens.’
These veg Hara Bhara Kababs or Spinach Peas patties are delicious tikkis/ kababs made with loads of veggies like peas, carrots, corn, bell peppers, and leafy greens such as spinach and cilantro.
Hara Bhara kababs can be devoured crispy-hot when just out of the pan, accompanied by green chutney, sauce, or any dip of your liking. Serve them with the evening tea for a tasteful and blissful experience.
Reasons You’ll ♡ the recipe for Hara bhara kabab
These Spinach and vegetable kababs are a healthy and hearty indulgence. You will also love this recipe as it is a —
- Simple and easy recipe,
- Full of flavors and completely irresistible,
- Completely customizable, you can add any veggies of your choice,
- Super addictive alternative to non-veg kababs, and
- Serves as one of the best ways to include the goodness of spinach and veggies into the diet.
The best part is, that these fuss-free, child-friendly spinach and potato patties can be comfortably packed in tiffin or served as wholesome after-school treats to delight the little ones with their charming color.
Hara Bhara Kabab Recipe Ingredient List
Besan — Chickpea/ gram flour/ besan is used as a binding agent in this recipe. It is roasted over a low-medium flame until it loses its rawness. Roasted besan lends a lovely flavor to the kababs.
Vegetables — Green bell peppers, corn kernels, peas, carrots, spinach – Veggies add health and flavor to the kababs. Finely chop the veggies for this recipe as they can be quickly cooked and pulsed.
Potato — Boiled and mashed potatoes form the base of these kababs. Make sure not to over boil them as they will get a pasty kind of texture.
Paneer — Crumbled paneer lends softness to the dough and also helps in binding the veggies.
Spices — cardamom powder, Ginger powder, Cinnamon powder, Nutmeg powder, Mace powder, Cumin powder, Coriander powder – A mix of the most flavorsome and aromatic spices lend the authentic savory taste to these kababs.
Red chili powder — This brings the desired spiciness to the recipe.
Chaat masala — Added for a slight tanginess that makes these kababs irresistible.
Curry leaves — Known for their distinctive flavor and aroma, curry leaves are added to the dough for flavor.
Green Chilli — Lends striking hotness to our veg hara bhara kebabs.
Cilantro Leaves — Added for flavor and color.
Coconut powder — Desiccated coconut is used in this recipe for its nutty flavor and to render a hint of sweetness and a slight crunch.
Breadcrumbs — They are added to the dough to absorb extra moisture. The dough devoid of excess water holds the shape better.
Oil — for frying the kababs.
Green Chutney — Served with the Hara bhara kababs as the taste-enhancing dip.
How to make the BEST Hara Bhara Kabab
Perfectly roasted besan — Besan should always be roasted on a low-medium flame to avoid sticking to the base of the pan and getting burnt. A slow-roasted besan also roasts perfectly and emits a fascinating aroma to our hara bhara kabab recipe.
Use blanched spinach — Remove the stems from the spinach leaves. You can leave them on if using baby spinach. Thoroughly clean and rinse the spinach under tap water. Shake off the excess water.
Green leafy spinach should be washed thoroughly to remove the pesticide residues, dirt, and debris. However, a quick blanching is desirable to remove the toxins that have stayed. Blanching also ensures removing oxalate from the spinach leaves, making it safe for those avoiding oxalate.
Cook Vegetables — Veggies are cooked, pureed, and added to boiled, mashed potatoes and crumbled paneer that forms the base of the patties. Roasted gram flour/ sattu also renders flavor and helps in binding the dough. Breadcrumbs are used for soaking away excess moisture that disturbs while shaping the kababs.
Pulsing the veggies — The cooked veggies are pulsed well in a food processor to attain a sticky paste kind of texture. Please do not add any water; else, it will become runny.
Methods of cooking these patties/ kababs — You can either pan-cook or deep fry the kababs. The choice is entirely yours. You may cook these hara bhara kababs in an air fryer as a healthier option for deep-frying or pan-frying. Cook the kababs at 375 ° F for 7- 8 mins on both sides or until they are crisp.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Use fresh besan — Fresh besan tastes best and renders the right texture. Always use besan, which is within its shelf life as old besan may taste bitter or may have turned rancid.
Roasted besan for best taste — Add roasted besan to the blended kabab mixture, as the raw besan will ruin the taste of the Hara Bhara kababs.
Drain the spinach well after blanching — Any water left in the blanched spinach will make the vegetables soggy when added to the cooking vegetables. Therefore, let the spinach drain well after being blanched.
Gluten-free — Breadcrumbs can be easily substituted with gluten-free oats flour for a gluten-free version.
Size of the veggies — These spinach and vegetable Kababs can be prepared with veggies of your choice. However, ensure that the veggies used here are finely chopped as they can be pulsed easily and quickly.
Cook the veggies to remove rawness — Veggies like carrots, peas, and bell peppers have to be cooked before being pureed. Cooking the veggies until soft will free them from the raw taste. It also makes them easy to pulse.
To remove the raw taste — Blanching may leave the spinach taste raw. It is best to cook the blanched spinach to remove the natural flavor. Add the spinach to the veggies at the end, when they are soft and cooked. Spinach will wilt off and mix with the veggies soon.
Breadcrumbs absorb excess moisture — The prepared mixture must be sticky and not runny. For this, you should not add any water when blending. If it still feels runny, add a tablespoon or two of extra breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs will absorb the excess water.
Spices for flavor — To remove the raw taste from the veggies, you can add the spices to the cooking veggies and combine them well. Spices render flavor and aroma to the veggies mix, making them look and smell delicious.
Alter spiciness as desired — This recipe is moderately spiced. However, you can amp up the spice level by adding more green chilies or red chili powder to the dough.
Use unsweetened coconut — Coconut is added to the dough for its nutty flavor and texture. Use the unsweetened desiccated coconut for this recipe.
Let me what you think!
So, are you ready for the cooking? Keep reading through the recipe with step-by-step instructions below and refer to the no-fail recipe tips given here, and you will soon find yourself preparing these delicious Hara bhara kababs like a pro!
But make sure you make extra batches because the first one will surely disappear within minutes.
Should you make this recipe, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below. And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.
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Hara Bhara Kabab
INGREDIENTS
DRY ROAST
- ½ cup Besan sifted
COOK VEGETABLES
- 2½ tablespoons Oil
- ¾ cup Green Bell peppers finely chopped
- ⅓ cup Corn kernels boiled
- ¾ cup Peas boiled
- ½ cup Carrots finely chopped
- 1 pound Fresh Spinach ( Baby spinach leaves) 1 cup after blanched
- 1 small Green chili finely chopped
SPICES
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon Ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg powder
- ¼ teaspoon Mace Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Red chili Powder
- 2 teaspoons Chaat Masala
- – – Salt to Taste
OTHER INGREDIENTS TO ADD WHILE BINDING
- 1½ tablespoons Cilantro Leaves
- ¾ cup Paneer crumbled
- 3 tablespoons Coconut Powder
- 4-5 – Curry leaves
- ¾ cup Breadcrumbs
- 1 large Potato boiled, peeled, and mashed
GARNISHES
- – – Onion rings
- – – Green Chutney
INSTRUCTIONS
DRY ROAST
- Take a heavy-bottomed kadhai or pan and keep on low heat. Add besan to the kadhai. Begin to dry roast besan. Keep stirring, often so that besan gets browned evenly and does not burn.
- Roast the besan on low to medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes. After 12 minutes of cooking, you will notice the color of besan has deepened compared to the pale yellow in the beginning.
HOW TO BLANCH SPINACH
- Remove the stems from the spinach leaves. You can leave them on if using baby spinach. Thoroughly clean and rinse the spinach under tap water. Shake off the excess water.Green leafy spinach should be washed thoroughly to remove the pesticide residues, dirt, and debris.
- Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt to it.
- Add fresh spinach leaves to the boiling water. With the help of a slotted spoon, immerse the leaves completely in water.
- Cook the leaves for 2-3 minutes. You will notice that the leaves will slightly change their color. With the help of a slotted spoon, remove the spinach leaves.
- Immediately plunge the leaves in a large bowl of ice-cold water. Swish or move them around and allow them to soak for 1 minute. This ice bath will halt the cooking process and retain the beautiful color of spinach leaves.
- Remove the leaves from the water and gently squeeze out excess moisture from the spinach leaves.
- Blanched spinach is ready to be used in the recipe.
MAKE HARA BHARA MIXTURE
- Heat oil in a pan. Once hot, add cubed carrots and sauté until fork-tender.
- Add corn kernels and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in green peas and sauté for additional 2 minutes over medium heat.
- Stir in diced bell pepper and chopped onions.
- Sauté until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Stir in salt and mix it well.
- Now add blanched spinach leaves.
- Sauté for additional 2-3 minutes over medium-low heat with intermittent stirring until the spinach and vegetables are cooked, and all the moisture has evaporated. The veggies should feel dry (but slightly greasy) when touched.
- Stir in all the dry spices.
- Sauté the veggies with the spices for 1 minute over a medium-low flame. Take the spinach-veggie mix off the heat and allow it to cool.
- Once cooled, transfer it to a food processor.
- Add curry leaves, green chilies, cilantro leaves, coconut powder, and crumbled paneer to the food processor.
- Pulse the mixture until it looks like thick, creamy and dark green paste.
ASSEMBLE HARA BHARA KABAB
- Transfer this hara (green) paste into a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in mashed boiled potato, breadcrumbs, and roasted besan.
- Mix until everything is well blended and looks like a homogenous mixture.
- Cover the spinach mixture and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
- After the rest time is over, divide the mixture into 12 kababs.
- Grease your hands with oil, and taking a small portion of the mixture between your hands, shape it into a kabab.
PAN-COOK HARA BHARA KABAB
- Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is moderately hot, add the kebabs and cook for 3-4 minutes per side.
- Flip the kebabs halfway through cooking and cook to a light golden color.
- Remove the kebabs from the oil and drain them on paper towels. Repeat the process until all the kebabs are cooked.
- Hara Bhara kababs can be devoured crispy-hot when just out of the pan, accompanied by green chutney, sauce, or any dip of your liking.
VIDEO
RECIPE NOTES
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use some other veggies? Yes, you can use vegetables of your choice. In addition to the ones used in this recipe, you can also use other veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, kale leaves (blanched), or even cabbage. However, it would be best to cook the veggies until they were soft before pulsing them. Can I store these Kababs? Yes, any leftover cooked kababs can be stored in the refrigerator for 3- 4 days in an airtight container. But then again, raw and shaped kababs will stay well for only a day in the fridge because the salt in the dough starts releasing water, turning the kababs soggy. Can I reheat these kababs? Yes, sure you can. To reheat these delicious kababs, use an air fryer or simply heat them in a pan. Are these kababs freezer-friendly? Yes, these spinach and peas patties are entirely freezer-friendly. You can store them in a freezer-safe container for about 2 to 3 months and use them after thawing for a few hours. Serving Suggestions These kababs taste wonderful when relished on their own. However, you can reveal these kababs in a new avatar. You can stuff them and come up with amazing new recipes, like —- Stuff them in pita bread for a fantastic twist.
- You can also use it for a sandwich and enjoy the scrumptious treat.
- If Kathi rolls entice you, shape them into long kababs and stuff them in a tortilla or roti as a Kathi roll. Enjoy the wholesome meal!
- You can also slide it inside the burger buns and enjoy it as a super-tempting veggie burger!
