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Murg Malai Kebab

Riesling with Asian food is as much a given as Muscadet with oysters. A couple of months ago, at the new Tamarind Tribeca, I had a terrific kebab of tender, marinated chicken breast, zapped judiciously with spice. It was enough to give pause to all those, including me, who consider chicken breast a boring blank slate. A glass of Mosel spätlese riesling coaxed a tempting measure of elegance from the chicken.The restaurant does not serve the chicken on skewers, as one might expect for a kebab. But I found that using them greatly simplified turning the chicken while it cooked.

Ingredients

For the murg malai kebab

  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (halves)
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • 1 one-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 tablespoon malt vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ⅔ cup Greek-style yogurt
  • ⅓ cup paneer (Indian cream cheese) or fromage blanc
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon minced green chili
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground white pepper
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Chat masala sold in Indian stores or 1/2 teaspoon each coarse black pepper and sea salt
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

      389 calories; 20 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 43 grams protein; 167 milligrams cholesterol; 506 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

4 servings

Preparation

For the murg malai kebab

  1. Slice each breast crosswise into 8 pieces. Place in a bowl and massage with the garlic, ginger, vinegar and salt. Set aside 20 minutes. Combine the yogurt, paneer, egg, cilantro, chili, cardamom and white pepper. Add the chicken and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours.
  2. Lay 4 of the chicken slices side by side on a cutting board. Run an 8- or 9-inch thin wooden skewer through all 4 slices, slightly off-center. Slip a second skewer into the 4 slices parallel to the first. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
  3. Heat an oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the kebabs on it, slathering them with any leftover marinade. Bake about 15 minutes, turning once, until cooked through. Sprinkle with lemon juice and chat masala or salt and pepper.

40 minutes

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