Shami Kebab Recipes

SHAMI KABAB | SHAMI KEBAB

Steps:

• Wash and soak chana dal for about 2 to 4 hours. Well soaked dal provides a good texture to the kababs. Drain it and add to a large pot.
• Add ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, whole red chilies, garam masala, cinnamon stick, jeera, green cardamoms and chicken. Add water to partially cover the chicken. Do not add too much water.
• Cook all these partially covering the pot until chicken and dal are soft cooked.
• Evaporate water completely. This step is very important otherwise the kebab mixture will turn mushy and will not hold shape.
• Cool this completely and remove the whole spices and any bones if used chicken on bone.
• Add this to a processor or a blender and make a coarse mixture.
• The mixture should turn fairly dry and powdery.
• Add green chilies, onions, pudina, coriander leaves. Mix and check the salt and spice. If needed add more.
• Break an egg to a bowl and beat it lightly to mix the yolk and the white uniformly.
• Add this little by little to the mixture and form a dough. Do not pour the egg at one time, do it in parts add use only as needed for binding. You can also squeeze this mixture a bit for the moisture to release. Then add the egg only as needed.
• Divide the dough to 8 to 10 equal parts and make balls. Flatten them and make kebabs on your palm. Place them on a plate.
• Heat oil for shallow frying in a wide pan. I fried all the kababs in 2 batches.
• Break an egg to a bowl and beat it lightly just to mix the yolk and white uniformly.
• When the oil turns hot enough, dip one kebab each time in the egg and lift it with a fork.
• Gently shake off the excess egg to avoid the oil turning messy.
• Drop these in the hot oil. Fry on a medium heat until golden, flipping to and fro.
• When they are golden fried, transfer them to a plate with kitchen tissues.
• Serve chicken shami kabab hot with mint chutney.

SHAMI KABAB (BUN KABAB)

Steps:

• Heat a stockpot over medium heat; add ground beef. Stir in garlic paste, ginger paste, coriander, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon ground red chile, and salt to taste. Add water and dal; simmer until meat is fully cooked and all water has evaporated, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Blend beef and dal mixture together using an immersion blender in the stockpot. Add 1/2 cup cilantro; blend to combine. Roll spoonfuls of beef and dal mixture into into walnut-sized balls; shape into smooth flat patties.
• Whisk eggs, 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon ground red chile, and salt to taste together in a bowl. Place bread crumbs on a plate. Dip each patty into egg mixture, then roll in bread crumbs.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry patties in a single layer until golden brown and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes per side.

SHAMI KEBAB

Steps:

• Place lentils in a container. Pour in enough water to cover and let soak, at least 30 minutes. Drain.
• Combine drained lentils, 4 1/4 cups water, ground chicken, onion, green chile peppers, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer until water has been mostly absorbed and lentils are soft, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Place the lentil mixture in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Stir in cilantro.
• Shape mixture into patties and dip into beaten eggs.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry patties in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.

SHAMI KEBABS

Steps:

• Drain the split peas and put them aside.
• Put the onions, garlic, ginger and two tablespoons of water in a mini food processor and blend to a paste.
• Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion paste and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the lamb mince and split peas, pour over enough water to just cover the meat (roughly 400ml/14fl oz), add half a teaspoon of salt, partially cover with a lid and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes then remove the lid and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, or until the meat is just starting to brown and catch on the bottom. It's important that any excess moisture has evaporated. Transfer to a plate and leave to cool for about 15 minutes.
• Tip the mixture into a food processor and blend into a smooth paste. Add the green chillies, coriander, garam masala, chilli powder, cumin, the remaining salt and the lime juice to the lamb mixture and blend again, then gradually add enough of the egg to bind the mixture without making it too wet. Transfer the mix into a bowl and stir in the flour.
• In a separate bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients and drain off any excess liquid.
• To shape the kebabs, wet your hands and divide the mixture into about 16-20 portions. (If the mixture a little too wet to shape into patties, then add another tablespoon of flour.) Shape one portion into a patty about 4cm/1½in in diameter and 5mm thick. Spoon three-quarters of a teaspoon of the filling in the middle of the patty, and draw the edges around and over it to encase the filling and form a rough ball. Then, carefully, flatten it into a 5mm-thick patty. Place on a tray and repeat with the remaining mixture. Refrigerate for an hour.
• Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the patties in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown and cooked through. Remove the patties from the pan and add the lime quarters for 1-2 minutes until warm.
• Sprinkle the kebabs with a little salt and serve with the lime wedges, red onion rings and green chutney on the side.