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5.0 from 9 votes

Pakistani Chapli Kabab (Beef Kebab)

Spicy and juicy Pakistani ground beef patty seasoned with dried pomegranate seeds, onions, tomatoes and freshly ground spices. This easy recipe will give you the perfect balance of flavours!

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 10 kababs
Calories: 193 kcal
Course: Side Dish , Main Course
Cuisine: Pakistani

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon carom seeds
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoon dried pomegranate seeds
  • 500 g (1.1 lb) ground beef preferably with 20% fat
  • 2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoon cornmeal cornflour (US), maize flour (UK), substitute with gram flour
  • 2 tablespoon fresh coriander finely chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 cm (~1.5") piece of ginger minced
  • 2-3 green chilies finely chopped
  • 1 small (~90g) tomato diced
  • 1 small (~100g) red onion finely diced and excess juices squeezed
  • 1 egg
  • ⅓ cooking oil for frying

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat a small pan and add cumin, coriander, carom, and black peppercorns. Toast for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the ground spices release their aroma.
  2. Transfer the spices to a spice grinder or a mini blender (a mortar and pestle will work too) along with dried pomegranate seeds. Blend 2-3 times until roughly crushed. Do not turn them into a fine powder.
  3. Add the coarse spice mix to the ground beef, along with the rest of the seasonings, corn meal, fresh coriander, ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Mix well with gloved hands for a couple of minutes until the mixture is homogenous. It should be slightly sticky at this point and not crumbly. Cover and put aside in the fridge for 30 minutes (you can also keep overnight). This step enhances the flavors.
  4. Add the tomatoes, red onion, and egg. Mix well until everything is equally distributed.
  5. Heat oil in a skillet or frying pan. While it heats, grease your hands and make flat patties of around 9 cm (3 ½") diameter (you can also make them bigger than this). Don't round off the edges as the unevenness gives it that characteristic look. This mixture makes around 9-10 kababs.
  6. On medium-high heat, in a single layer, add the patties to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip carefully. Press lightly with a spatula to char the edges. Cook again for another 3-4 minutes until brown and crispy from the edges. Don't overcook since we want the chapli kabab to be tender and juicy from the inside.
  7. Shake off excess oil and transfer the kababs to a plate.
  8. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with green chutney and naan!

Notes

  • Traditionally these chapli kabab are double the size of the palm. Street vendors form the kababs on their pan directly by smashing with their fingers. You can achieve a similar result by forming the kabab on a piece of baking paper and then transferring onto the pan. Be more cautious while handling because the kabab will be more fragile.
  • Kababs break when they have extra moisture in them, to troubleshoot that see my tips on How To Prevent Chapli Kababs From Breaking.
  • You can substitute beef with ground chicken, lamb, mutton or veal and even use lean meat. If you are using lean meat add some more egg to compensate for the lack of fat. Cooking time may vary with the type of meat

Nutrition Information

Serving 1kabab Calories 193kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 4g (1%) Protein 10g (20%) Fat 15g (23%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 52mg (17%) Sodium 370mg (15%) Potassium 230mg (7%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 236IU (5%) Vitamin C 4mg (4%) Calcium 34mg (3%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10kababs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 193

% Daily Value*

Serving 1kabab
Calories 193kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 4g 1%
Protein 10g 20%
Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 52mg 17%
Sodium 370mg 15%
Potassium 230mg 5%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 236IU 5%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 34mg 3%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.