Shami Kebab: Spicy Meat And Lentil Burger
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Shami Kebab is a delicious kebab with a fine texture and a delicate spiciness, mixed with savoury meat. It’s one of the must-have snacks in Pakistani/Indian households. Simply because they’re just too good to exclude.
Shami Kebab
Shami Kebab is a delicious kebab that was apparently created to please the appetite of a Nawab (Mughal ruler) in Lucknow. The kebab has a very fine texture and delicate spiciness that marries with savoury meat.
Traditionally served as a snack, these meat and lentil kebabs have become a must-have in Pakistani/ Indian households. Simply because they’re just too good to exclude.
And in Ramadan (the fasting month), shami kebab is one of many appetizing foods to enjoy for breaking the fast (iftar).
The shami kebab recipe I’m sharing here is based on the Pakistani way of cooking that I learned from my extended family.
Delicious Snacks or Starter
This type of kebab is also popular as a starter in Pakistani cuisine. And often you can find it as a starter at happy occasions such as weddings or family gatherings.
Simplified Ingredients
The first time I learnt how to make these lentil and meat kebabs, I used whole spices and found it difficult to process the mixture in my food processor.
To make things easier, I now use ground spices. And only a few whole spices that I can discard once the cooking process is done.
So, to make toothsome shami kebabs easily, you will need minced/ ground meat, onions, ginger, garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, green cardamom, cinnamon sticks, black pepper, bay leaves, salt, water, cilantro/ coriander leaves, green chillies (optional), and eggs.
I have now stopped buying ready-made ground spices. I just buy whole spices and grind them myself whenever I need them. Not only does it work out cheaper, but I also find the spices smell better when I grind them myself. The quality is far superior. Especially when I take time to pan-roast the spices first before grinding them in my spice grinder.
As for Kashmiri red chilli, I’m afraid I have to get them ready-made. This chilli powder is my favourite. It has a better flavour and a more vibrant colour than other red chilli powders.
How to Make Shami Kebab in an Easy Way
If you want, you can use a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot to make the kebab mixture. But here, I used a regular cooking pot on the stove/ cooker. Feel free to use what’s convenient for you. All these types of equipment have a similar, if not the same, way of the cooking process anyway.
So, you soak the lentil beforehand for at least a few hours. Then, drain them and place them in a large cooking pot.
Add the meat to the lentils, along with the rest of the ingredients except eggs, green chillies, and cilantro/coriander leaves. Give it a good stir until everything is mixed.
Then start cooking over moderately high heat until the water begins to boil. Reduce the heat and continue cooking until all the liquid evaporates, leaving a dry mixture of meat and lentils.
You may need to keep checking and stirring the mixture every now and then to prevent the bottom from burning.
Once the mixture is cooked, leave it to completely cool down. You can refrigerate it overnight to help it solidify.
When you’re ready to shallow fry the kebabs, take a tablespoon or two of the mixture and shape it into a round, flat disc. Dip it in lightly beaten eggs and shallow fry in a flat frying pan for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
Storing Matter
The best way to keep the kebabs is by shaping the mixture into round, flat discs. Place them on a tray with enough space between them and freeze for about half an hour.
Then, take the discs off the tray and put them in a food container bag. Don’t forget to put the name and date on the bag before storing it in the freezer. The kebabs are kept well frozen for about 8 weeks.
When you need to serve, take some of the frozen kebabs out of the freezer. No more than half an hour before you fry them. Otherwise, they will become too soft and mushy due to temperature changes. And when you shallow-fry them, make sure you leave enough space between the patties so you can turn them easily.
Ways to Enjoy
Shami kebab tastes amazing on its own or with a dipping sauce like tomato chilli chutney, tamarind chutney, or plum chutney.
However, if you need an extra carb to go with it, you can have it with naan, chapati, or pitta bread. Just wrap one or two kebabs in any of those flatbreads, then top with salad, sauces, or chutney. Promise, it makes one of the best-tasting wraps for you.
Another idea is to eat the kebab in a burger bun, and you’ll have the most uniquely delicious burger ever.
Other Kebab Recipes
Thank you for checking this Shami Kebab recipe. Hope you like it and are now thinking of trying it. If you do, please share your thoughts in the comments below. I’ll really appreciate it.
Don’t forget to take a look at my other kebab recipes that you may like as well.
And please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and/or Pinterest. To sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen.
Thank you and all the best.
Shami Kebab: Spicy Meat And Lentil Burger
Ingredients
- 35.27 ounces minced meat/ ground meat see the note.
- 1 cup chana dal.
- 3 medium brown/ yellow onions chopped.
- 1 inch ginger minced.
- 7 cloves garlic minced.
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander.
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin.
- ½ teaspoon turmeric.
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper.
- 1 ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder.
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom seeds see the note.
- 2 inches cinnamon stick.
- 2 bay leaves.
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt see the note.
- 5 cups water.
- 2 generous handfuls of cilantro/ coriander leaves finely chopped.
- 2-3 fresh green bird’s eye chillies optional, finely chopped.
- 2 eggs.
- Cooking oil.
Instructions
- Place the meat, chopped onions, ginger, garlic, ground coriander, cumin powder, black pepper, Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ground cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, salt and water in a large cooking pan/ pot. Give it a good stir and start cooking at medium-high until it reaches boiling point.
- Spoon off and discard the foam and any impurities from the meat that float on the water surface. Then, put the pan lid on and lower the heat. Leave it to cook until all the liquid evaporates. Do take care by checking and stirring it every now and again. To ensure it doesn’t burn at the bottom of the pan. It takes approximately an hour until all the water evaporates and everything is fully cooked. Leave it to cool.
- If possible, leave the meat and lentils mixture overnight in the refrigerator/ fridge.
- Next, mix chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves and green chillies into the meat mixture. Put some of it in a food processor and process it until you get a smooth mix. Keep doing so until all mixture is processed and become smooth.
- Then take about 1-2 tablespoons of kebab mix, roll it and flatten it into ⅓ inch thick disc.
- Lightly beat the eggs and heat the oil on a frying pan just enough to cover its surface. About ¼ inch deep. Dip the patty in the egg and shallow fry it.
Notes
- – You can use either beef or lamb minced/ ground meat.
- – If you don’t have cardamom powder, you can grind the cardamom seeds yourself using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder. For this recipe, you only need seeds from 6 green cardamoms.
- – I appreciate that everybody has their own taste on how much they like in their food. So, feel free to adjust the salt according to your taste. Though we find this recipe is just right for the saltiness that we like.
- – You can skip the green chillies altogether if you don’t want spicy kebabs. And add the chillies however many you like if that’s what you prefer.
Nutrition
Devy founded So Yummy Recipes and Drizzling Flavor to share her love of food after exploring various cultures and cuisines for more than two decades. Her mission is to help others easily recreate traditional and non-traditional food with readily available ingredients. Her works have been featured in Reader’s Digest, Al Jazeera, MSN, Yahoo, Bon Appétit, and more.
Hi Devy. Another hit! I made these yesterday and, as always when making something for the first time, played it by the book. Absolutely delicious little mouthfuls – savoury with a hit of chilli that creeps up on you. I had them with crunchy leaves, a chopped relish and cucumber and mint raitha. Just perfect. My tummy thanks you! As usual …
Hi Susan, thank you so much for sharing and I’m so happy to hear from you with yet another happy news. Wish me luck, I’ve got a long list of recipes to publish. So watch the space.