Shami kebab are soft patties made with red meat and chana dal (yellow cut up peas), and then dipped in eggs and pan-fried. those kebabs are youngster-pleasant, obviously gluten-loose, and so healthful! This smooth recipe makes a large batch to experience some now, and freeze the rest for later.

My family loves Shami kebab, these are always in my freezer we mostly make it as a sandwiches patty along with tea.

Ramsha Baig

Shami Kebab

in case you’re Pakistani, it’s probably your mother/relative/aunty has a shami kebab freezer stash waiting for the following unexpected visitor, hungry baby, or lazy nighttime to strike.

It’s a really customary exercise, and with exact reason. It means whilst existence gets busy, there will be shami kebabs within arm’s attain. Silky, healthy, deeply flavorful kebabs geared up to be thawed, pan-fried and served to a someone who’ll in all likelihood be glad about them.

Shami kebab are not only freezer pleasant – as in no detectable alternate in texture, best, or taste – they’re also pretty versatile. Have them along with your afternoon chai, as a side to make any dinner menu extra plentiful, or, my preferred, in a shami kebab sandwich drizzled with ketchup or hot and bitter sauce.

How to Make Shami Kebab

Shami Kebab are one of those kitchen endeavours that appearance lots greater intimidating than they in reality are. here’s a stroll-via:

• Step 1: Grind the whole spices to make a shami kabab masala. in case you don’t have a spice/coffee grinder, you may also use a mortar and pestle, even though this may be greater tedious.
• Step 2: add the red meat, lentils (dal/daal), onion, and spices to the instant Pot or stovetop together with water. cook dinner. Sauté out extra moisture.
• Step three: Pulse to cut up an onion, a green chili pepper, and herbs in a meals processor. take away the ones and add the pork and lentil aggregate. procedure until smooth.
• Step 4: Crack in an egg, mix the whole thing and shape into patties. Pan-fry.
• Step five: Awe at how easy it became to actually make those treasures all alongside.

The History Behind Shami Kebab

Shami kebabs were actually brought to South Asia by the Syrians. In Urdu, the word “Sham” refers to ‘Syria’. Eventually, they were picked up and popularized in Mughlai cuisine.

To learn more about the origins and culture of Shami Kebab, check out this beautifully written piece by my friend Maryam, founder of the Saveur-award winning blog Pakistan Eats.

Shami Kebab Q&a

Can these be made an afternoon or two earlier and refrigerated earlier than pan-frying?
sure! you may preserve the aggregate (both shaped or as-is) included in the refrigerator for two-3 days.

Can shami kabab be baked?
sure, i used to be surprised that they bake quite well! Line baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease the top. Dip the kebab in the egg mixture as you typically would, and then bake them at 450°F for 12-15 minutes, turning midway.

Can shami be air-fried?
yes. Preheat the air-fryer to four hundred°F. Spray the bottom of the air fryer with cooking spray. place the egg-washed kababs at the greased tray and air fry at 400°F for six-7 mins on every aspect.

How do you freeze shami kabab?
As you shape the kebabs, place them on a tray and freeze 1 half to 2 hours. Then cautiously put off from the tray and switch them to an hermetic container or zipper storage bag.

How do you thaw them after freezing?
I go away them out at room temperature till barely thawed. If I’m in a hurry (that’s frequently), I’ll defrost them within the microwave before I pan-fry. if you’re afraid they’ll spoil, you can also skip thawing and pan-fry straight from frozen on low-medium heat. Coat in egg and cook for an extra 1-2 minutes per aspect.

Can you operate different meat besides ground beef?
yes! i have tried the usage of chicken tenders and cherished the consequences. in case you’re using a meat with less fat (like chicken breast), you could want to mix in an extra egg to assist bind the mixture. See under on the use of beef chunks instead of ground.

Using Beef Stew Meat Vs Ground Meat

Shami Kabab purists will, rightly so, insist that beef chunks should be used instead of ground beef. This lends them the traditional, silky texture with ‘resha’, as is often said in Urdu. I grew up with the ground beef version and that’s what I typically use. I hope to try it with beef ‘boti’ sometime and I’ll update you when I do.

The main difference will be an increase in cooking time (typically 45 min in the Instant Pot). You will also have to run the beef stew pieces in the food processor first, similar to haleem.

More Tips and Notes

The key to properly shami kebab is to get the mixture dry sufficient in order that the kabobs don’t have extra water and might keep their shape. if you feel the mixture is simply too wet, try sautéing longer than you observed you need to. when you have time, refrigerate overnight the mixture in a single day after permitting it to cool. finally, if it’s still not keeping up, strive including breadcrumbs to soak up moisture.
This recipe calls for the chana dal (yellow split peas) to be soaked for as a minimum 1 hour. Soaking longer (up to overnight) is even higher, however I’ve discovered that but lengthy you soak, a few bits of lentils are certain to remain in tact. (any other awesome recipe using this dal is my immediate Pot Pakistani Chana Dal.)

This recipe requires the chana dal (yellow cut up peas) to be soaked for as a minimum 1 hour. Soaking longer (up to overnight) is even higher, however I’ve found that but long you soak, some bits of lentils are bound to stay in tact. (any other super recipe the usage of this dal is my instant Pot Pakistani Chana Dal.)

How to Serve

When it comes to serving, Shami Kabab are incredibly versatile. Here are a few ideas:

• Serve alone with hot and sour sauce, ketchup, or green sauce (chutney) of choice. (Preferably along with chai!)
• Use as a patty for burgers (aka ‘bun kebab’), sandwiches or naan.
• Serve as side along with pulao or naan along with chutney or raita.