Shami Kebabs

Shami Kebabs are very popular both in Pakistan and India. In our Family we have them as snacks or have them as a side dish with peas/chick pea/mix veggie pulao, you can also make shami kebab sandwiches or bun kebabs. I love having shami kebab with paratha during sehri time in Ramadan. Shami kebabs with parathas reminds me of my childhood days, when we used to visit my nani ami to Faisalabad during our summer vacations, we used to go by train at night time and reached there in early morning hours…… as early as 5 am.  I remember ami used to pack shami kebabs and parathas along with a thermos full of tea to have during our journey…

Ingredients:

500 gm Minced meat (lamb/beef)

100 gm chana dal (washed and soaked for 1-2 hours),

2 medium onions peeled and roughly chopped

5-6 garlic cloves (peeled)

1 inch piece of ginger (peeled and cut in to 2-3 pieces)

1 tsp. cumin seeds

3-4 cloves

8-10 black peppercorns

2 large black cardamoms

1 inch stick of cinnamon

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp.  Red chili powder

2 green chilies

Salt to taste

2-3 cups water

To be used latter:

2 eggs lightly beaten

A small bunch of coriander leaves finely chopped (optional)

A small onion finely chopped (optional)

Oil for frying

Method:

Place all ingredients in a pan (except the green chilies), Cook until meat and dal are cooked and all the water is absorbed. (Just before all the water dries up add 2-3 medium green chilies) To finish off, stir fry on high until all the water is dried.  Take out and discard large cardamoms, cinnamon stick and bay leaves (you can also take out the ginger pieces if you want). Allow the meat to cool and then grind in a food processor until smooth.  Adjust salt and spiciness at this stage and add in the chopped coriander and onions (optional). Divide into 20-25 portions and shape them in to round kebabs. Size and shape is your choice. Heat some oil in a frying pan on medium heat dip the kebab in egg and fry the kebabs until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per sides. Fry 4-5 kebabs at a time.

Note:

You can also freeze the kebabs for up to 3-4 months. Don’t fry the kebabs if you intend to freeze them, take the frozen kebabs out and leave them at room temperature for 30 minutes and then fry them as usual

 It’s better to make and fry one or two shami kebabs first, if the shami kebab mixture feels difficult to hold together while shaping or frying then add 1-2 tbsp of gram flour to the mixture before making all the kebabs.