Shami kebab

Meat and chana dal boiled together until tender, ground, and bound with egg.

Beef, Lamb, Egg. Not vegetarian — contains beef, lamb.

Ingredients

• 600 g minced beef, or minced lamb
• 150 g chana dal, soaked 2 hours
• 1 onion, quartered
• a 5 cm piece of ginger, whole
• 8 cloves garlic, whole
• 4 dried red chillies
• 6 green cardamom pods
• a 5 cm stick of cinnamon
• 8 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 3 green chillies, chopped
• a handful of coriander leaves
• a handful of mint leaves
• 4 tablespoons ghee, for frying

Method

1. THE MEAT AND THE CHANA DAL ARE BOILED TOGETHER UNTIL TENDER, GROUND, AND BOUND WITH EGG. Its article's preparation is one long sentence and every clause is a step: shami kebabs are BOILED OR SAUTEED MEAT (BEEF OR LAMB) AND CHICKPEAS (CHANA DAAL) WITH WHOLE HOT SPICES (GARAM MASALA, BLACK PEPPER, CINNAMON, CLOVES, BAY LEAVES), WHOLE GINGER, WHOLE GARLIC AND SOME SALT TO TASTE UNTIL COMPLETELY TENDER. Together, not separately -- the dal takes up the meat's flavour while both soften.
2. AND THE EGG IS NAMED AS THE BINDER, WHICH IS WHY THESE HOLD WITHOUT BREADCRUMBS. Its first sentence calls the kebab A SHALLOW FRIED SMALL PATTY OF MINCED MEAT, GENERALLY BEEF, BUT OCCASIONALLY LAMB OR MUTTON, WITH GROUND CHICKPEAS, EGG AS BINDER, AND SPICES.
3. THE SPICES GO IN WHOLE AND COME OUT AGAIN. Ginger in a piece, garlic in cloves, onion in quarters, and the whole spices loose. Fish out the bay, cinnamon and cardamom husks before grinding; everything else goes in.
4. BOIL IT DRY, NOT WET. Just enough water to cover, and cooked uncovered at the end until almost nothing is left in the pan. A wet mixture cannot be shaped and no amount of egg will rescue it.
5. COOL IT, THEN GRIND IT COARSE. A food processor in short bursts, or a mincer. Ground to a paste it becomes rubbery; left coarse it stays short and crumbly, which is what a shami kebab should be.
6. THE RAW ADDITIONS GO IN AFTER THE GRINDING. Its article lists them as optional -- ONIONS, TURMERIC, CHILI POWDER, EGG, CHOPPED GREEN CORIANDER, CHOPPED GREEN CHILLIES AND CHOPPED MINT LEAVES MAY BE ADDED -- and they are what keeps the patty fresh-tasting against all that long-boiled spice. Chop the onion fine and squeeze it dry first.
7. ONE EGG IN THE MIX, ONE FOR DIPPING. Shape twelve small flat patties with the first egg worked through, chill them half an hour, then dip each in the beaten second egg as it goes into the pan.
8. SHALLOW FRY IN GHEE, THREE MINUTES A SIDE, AND SERVE THEM WITH ONION AND LIME. Its article asks for them GARNISHED WITH LEMON JUICE AND SERVED WITH SLICED RAW ONIONS AS A SIDE SALAD, with mint or coriander chutney, and notes they are served with sheer khurma at Eid.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes