Chicken mince sesame rolls

My husband and older son are not big meat-eaters and hate mince with a passion, unless it is soya / quorn mince. Also they have some strange fads, no meat in pasta or bread or noodles. My husband is okay with prawns in noodles, but that’s about it.

So, I have had this recipe for ages and my fingers were literally itching to try it. I just made the buns plain without any filling and had good results. Still, my ultimate desire was “to introduce mince” into it. I am a nervous baker. So, I wouldn’t try it out first time for a party or for giving away…….

A couple of weeks back I had to pack lunch for some guests. I was thinking shami kebab / chicken rolls (in roti)…..boring………what else……then…..lo and behold…..brainwave, why not make the rolls for them. They were enjoying my cooking ( at least they said so)…..I kept saying to myself, be brave, be brave…….

I took the plunge and started the process in the morning but I had such a busy day, I ended up baking them late in the night….but…..but, I got rave reviews. They spoke about it even in Dubai. So, I must have done something right. I was not able to click that batch though.

Then 2 days back, I decided to make them again for friends. I made them in 2 batches and luckily both came out good. Happy me!!! This time I did click pictures but just of the end product.

I am not entirely satisfied with the clicks, guess I will have to make them again just for pictures, lol!

The original recipe was from a blog “sailu’sfood.com” but I have tweaked the method to suit me and I have used my recipe for the filling. So, here goes….

Recipe

Ingredients

For the Rolls

Active dry yeast	1 tbsp
Warm water	2 tbsp
Milk warmed	½ cup
Salt to taste	I used ¾ tsp
Vegetable Oil	½ cup
Maida / APF / Flour	2 ¼ cup
Sugar	2 tbsp
Egg	1
Sesame seeds	A few

For the Filling

Chicken mince	500 gms
Onions	2 medium, chopped
Ginger garlic paste	1 tsp
Chilli powder	1 tsp
Coriander powder	1 ½ tsp
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Sunflower oil	1 tbsp
Coriander leaves, chopped finely	About 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

In a small bowl (or if you want to save on washing like me, in the bowl in which you are going to make your dough) add 2 tbsp warm water to 1 tbsp yeast and 2 tbsp sugar. Cover and set aside in warm place until the yeast froths up. This may take anything from 10 to 20 minutes depending on the temperature in your kitchen.

I use this time to measure out my other ingredients and put them out together on my work surface. Sieve the flour if you need to but generally for breads and rolls, you don’t need to. (Unless it says in the recipe)

Once the yeast froths up, you are ready to go. Add the flour, oil, salt and egg to the yeast mixture. Add milk little by little. You might not need all of it. If you are kneading by hand, bring together all the ingredients with a wooden spoon until combines well.

Then tip the dough out on to a clean work surface and knead it until it is soft and pliable. This will take about 10 minutes.

However, if, like me, you are using the stand mixer, once the yeast proofs, add all the ingredients the same way to the bowl of your stand mixer and blend with the dough hook. Keep it going for about 10 minutes.

Grease a bowl big enough to hold the dough (remember it will double in size) or you can even oil the dough on all sides. Place the dough in the bowl, cover it with cling film and leave in a warm place until it doubles in size. This could take an hour in India and up to 3 hours in the U.K. in winter.  I have noticed that it is best not to rush it and let it happen naturally.

In the meantime make your filling.

Wash the chicken mince and drain it in a colander or kitchen paper. Try and get the water out as much as you can. There will be a residue, don’t worry. Set aside.

In a kadai / sauce pan / wok, heat the oil on a medium flame. Add the onions and fry until they are translucent. No need to brown completely.

Once onions are done add the ginger garlic paste and fry until it loses its raw smell, about 2 -3 minutes.

Once ginger garlic is done, add the chicken mince and keep stirring. Make sure it is not lumpy. Separate with your spoon if needed. Do this on a low flame. Dry out the mince. It will cook in its own juices. No need to add water.

Once the water dries, add the powdered masalas and keep frying until mince is cooked. Add coriander leaves and take it off the flame. Your filling is ready. You could add finely chopped green chillies or chaat masala or a dash of lemon juice at this stage if you like it spicy and tangy.

By now, hopefully, your dough will be risen and ready. Punch the dough lightly and divide it into 12 equal parts and roll each part into a ball.

Grease a baking tray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on the tray. Cover the tray with a damp, clean tea towel and set it aside for about 30 minutes.

Remove the tea towel. Take each dough ball, flatten it and put the chicken filling in, about a tsp in each dough ball and bring the ends together and roll it gently, making sure the filling stays in. Flatten it gently.

Once you have done all the twelve rolls and placed them back in the tray, cover once again with the tea towel and set aside for 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200*C. Brush the top of the bread rolls with a mixture of milk and egg or just milk, sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and bake for about 10 – 12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Serve hot on their own or with tomato ketchup. They can be used for picnics or school lunches as well

Notes:

I used sunflower oil

I used normal cup measures that we use in baking

If you are cooking at the same time, you can place the bowl with yeast beside your saucepan. Make sure it is not touching the flame.

You can make the filling according to your taste. You don’t have to stick to chicken, use lamb / paneer / vegetables, whatever. Experiment and let me know the results.

You can freeze them for about a month or you can store them in the fridge for about 2 -3 days.