Shami Kebab

Ingredients

Meat and dal

• 700 gbeef or mutton, in chunks, with some fat
• 200 gchana dal, split bengal gram, rinsed
• 500 mlwater

Whole spices

• 1 tbspginger garlic paste
• 1onion, quartered
• 6dried red chillies
• 1 tbspcoriander seed
• 1 tspcumin seed
• 8black peppercorns
• 4cloves
• 2black cardamom
• 1cinnamon stick
• 2bay leaves
• salt

To bind

• 1egg
• 3 tbspchopped coriander
• 2 tbspchopped mint
• 1onion, very finely chopped
• 2green chillies
• 1 tspgaram masala
• 1 tbsplemon juice

To fry

• oil or ghee, for shallow frying
• 1egg, beaten, for dipping

To serve

• mint chutney
• sliced onion and lemon
• naan or paratha

Directions

1. Soak the chana dal for an hour first, which shortens the cooking and helps it break down evenly. Put the meat, drained dal, ginger garlic paste, onion and all the whole spices in a pan with the water and salt.
2. Use the smallest amount of water that will just cover, because every extra spoonful has to be boiled off later. Bring it to a boil, then simmer covered for about 45 minutes. It is ready when the meat shreds easily and the dal is completely soft and collapsing.
3. Stir constantly at this stage so it does not burn. Cool it fully before grinding, because warm meat turns greasy and pasty in the grinder. Now grind the mixture to a smooth, stiff paste.
4. Grind it until it is genuinely smooth. It should hold together firmly with no moisture squeezing out. Mix in the egg, chopped onion, herbs, green chilli, garam masala and lemon juice. Squeeze the chopped onion dry in your hand before adding it, since raw onion is mostly water.
5. Knead the mixture with your hands until smooth and uniform. Now chill it for at least 2 hours, and overnight is better. Shape into flat round patties about 1.5 cm thick, pressing them firmly.
6. Make them flat rather than domed, so they cook through in the short time they are in the pan. Now heat a thin layer of oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Dip each patty in beaten egg and lay it in the pan. Fry 3 to 4 minutes on each side until deep brown and crisp.
7. Turn them once only, and turn them with a wide spatula rather than tongs. Do not crowd the pan and do not fuss with them, because every prod is a chance for one to break. Drain them briefly and serve them hot with mint chutney and lemon. Galouti kebab is the related Lucknow dish, made so soft with raw papaya that it barely holds together at all.

Technique

• Chana dal is essential and other lentils behave differently.
• They keep three days refrigerated and freeze for months.
• In Pakistan they are made in large batches for Eid and for Ramadan.

Substitutions

• Chicken or lamb in place of beef, with the same method.
• A food processor in place of the stone grinder.

Variations

• Stuffed with onion, mint and chilli.
• Made with chicken, which is lighter.
• Shaped small, as party kebabs.

History

A pan-fried patty made from minced meat and ground chana dal, or split chickpeas, cooked together and mashed into a smooth paste before being shaped and shallow-fried, developed within Mughal court cooking traditions carried into the Indian subcontinent from Persian and Central Asian culinary influence beginning in the 1500s. Its name is thought to derive from Sham, an old regional name for the Levant or Damascus, suggesting an origin story tracing the dish’s roots back through the broader Persian-influenced Islamic culinary world to the west, though the precise historical chain connecting the name to the dish’s actual development is not fully documented. Shami kebab spread widely across Pakistan following the 1947 Partition, carried by Muslim refugees who brought Mughal-influenced Delhi and North Indian culinary traditions with them.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shami Kebab?

Shami Kebab is a snack from Pakistan: shallow-fried patties of minced meat and chana dal. A pan-fried patty made from minced meat and ground chana dal, or split chickpeas, cooked together and mashed into a smooth paste before being shaped and shallow-fried, developed within Mughal court cooking traditions carried into the Indian subcontinent from Persian and Central Asian culinary influence beginning in the 1500s. Its name is thought to derive from Sham, an old regional name for the Levant or Damascus, suggesting an origin story tracing the dish’s roots back through the broader Persian-influenced Islamic culinary world to the west, though the precise historical chain connecting the name to the dish’s actual development is not fully documented. Shami kebab spread widely across Pakistan following the 1947 Partition, carried by Muslim refugees who brought Mughal-influenced Delhi and North Indian culinary traditions with them.

How long does Shami Kebab take to make?

Shami Kebab takes 30 min plus 2 hr chilling of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes about 16 patties. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Shami Kebab?

Yes, within limits. Chicken or lamb in place of beef, with the same method. A food processor in place of the stone grinder.

What is the most important thing to get right in Shami Kebab?

Soak the chana dal for an hour first, which shortens the cooking and helps it break down evenly. Put the meat, drained dal, ginger garlic paste, onion and all the whole spices in a pan with the water and salt.