The Perfect Shami Kabab Recipe
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Additional Time
30 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
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Servings
24 kababs
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Calories
140 kcal
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Course
Side Dish, Main Course, Snacks
The Perfect Shami Kabab Recipe
Description
This Shami Kabab recipe starts with cooking beef cubes and chana daal with aromatics until tender, then evaporating excess liquid to achieve a dry consistency essential for shaping. Potatoes boiled till soft provide a smooth binding texture, while bread crumbs absorb moisture and add structure. Eggs integrate into the mixture to hold it together.
The finely chopped green onions, serrano chilies, and cilantro add freshness, spice, and herbaceous notes. Grinding the cooled beef mixture to a fine, silky texture ensures the kababs will be cohesive without crumbling. After combining all ingredients, chilling the mixture allows easier forming of patties.
The kababs emerge as a balanced, flavorful preparation with a tender yet firm bite. They are ideal as snacks, appetizers, or part of a meal, delivering robust savory notes accented by spices and herbs.
Extensive notes provide tips on ingredient selection such as using stew meat and split Bengal gram lentils, proper potato types and texture for binding, alternative breadcrumb options, and the importance of drying the meat mixture fully. The chopping size of herbs is crucial for kabab integrity, with finer cuts preferred. The quantity yields roughly 20-24 medium-sized kababs.
Ingredients
- 2½ lb beef cubes (see notes)
- ⅜ cup chana daal see notes, split bengal gram
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 inch ginger piece
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 small potato see notes, boiled
- 1½ lice bread (see notes)
- 3 egg
- 5 green onions
- 1¼ cup cilantro
- 3 serrano chili
Instructions
- Add the beef, chana daal, roughly diced onion, peeled and sliced ginger, garlic cloves, salt, red chilies, and 2 cups of water to a pot and bring to a boil (see notes).
- Cover and cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes till the beef is tender.
- Uncover and turn on high so that all the water can evaporate.
- In a separate saucepan, boil the potato till it's soft enough to be mashed (see notes).
- Grind the slice of bread in a food processor to make bread crumbs (see notes).
- Beat the eggs and set them aside.
- Finely chop the whole green onions, the serrano chilies, and the cilantro and set aside (see notes).
- Peel and mash the potato till there are no lumps in it.
- Once the water in the beef mixture is dry, leave it uncovered and let it cool down a bit before you grind it in a food processor (see notes).
- Add the bread crumbs, potato, and eggs and mix everything well by hand (see notes).
- Add in all the chopped greens next till they're well mixed.
- Shape the prepared mixture into 20-24 equal-sized patties (see notes).
- Preheat some oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the patties till they are a nice and crisp dark brown on both sides (see notes).
Notes
- Use regular stew meat for the beef to achieve tender kababs.
- Chana daal (split Bengal gram) is essential; it can be found in South Asian stores or online.
- Choose Yukon Gold or red potatoes for mashing; use half the amount if using russet potatoes.
- Mash the potato thoroughly until smooth with no lumps to ensure proper binding.
- Pulse bread into crumbs in a food processor to help absorb moisture; breadcrumbs can be substituted at ¼ cup per slice.
- Chop green onions, serrano chilies, and cilantro finely to mix evenly and prevent kabab breakage.
- Cook beef mixture until tender enough to shred easily, then dry fully by cooking off all water before grinding.
- Mix in mashed potatoes, breadcrumbs, and eggs thoroughly; mixture will feel sticky initially but firms up after resting.
- Refrigerate the mixture 10-15 minutes before shaping to aid in forming uniform patties.
- This recipe makes approximately 20-24 kababs depending on size.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 24kababs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 140 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1kabab | |
| Calories | 140kcal | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 5g | 2% |
| Protein | 18g | 36% |
| Fat | 4g | 6% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.3g | 2% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 0.003g | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 69mg | 23% |
| Sodium | 392mg | 16% |
| Potassium | 359mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 135IU | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 6mg | 7% |
| Calcium | 28mg | 3% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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