Shami kabab recipe

Shami kabab recipe  are a kind of meat kebabs that are popular in India and neighboring countries. These are made with ground meat or chunks of meat cooked with chana dal or bengal gram, spices, ginger, garlic and herbs. These are slightly on the heavier side and calorie dense hence these are served occasionally.

These are great to serve as a snack with mint chutney or can also be served in a meal with steamed rice, paratha etc.

Shami kabab are usually made with mutton however they can also be made using chicken the way I have made here. These taste very very delicious and very flavorful due to the addition of chana dal and spices.

I have shallow fried these and they do not absorb oil if the mixture is made right. These turn out to be slightly glossy or shiny as these are dipped in egg mixture before frying.

Preparation for Shami kabab

1. Wash chana dal a few times and soak it for about 2 to 4 hours in ample amount of water. Kababs will have a good texture if soaked well. Later drain the water completely and add to a large pot.

2. Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, red chili powder, whole red chilies, garam masala, cinnamon stick, jeera, green cardamoms, salt and chicken. Pour water just enough to partially cover the chicken. Do not add lot of water.

3. Cook them covering the pot partially until chicken and dal are soft & tender.

4. Ensure you evaporate the water completely otherwise the kebab mixture will turn mushy. Mushy mixture will not hold shape to form kababs.

5. Cool this completely and remove the whole spices and any bones if you have used bone-in-chicken.

6. Transfer this to a processor or a blender and blend to a coarse mixture. The mixture has to be fairly dry and powdery. Next add green chilies, onions, mint & coriander leaves. Mix and check the salt and spice. If needed add more salt.

7. Break an egg to a small bowl and beat it lightly to get a uniform mixture.

8. Pour this little by little & mix to form a dough. Pour the egg in parts & use only as needed for binding. You can also first squeeze the shami kabab mixture a bit for the moisture to release. Then add the egg.

9. Divide the mixture to 8 to 10 equal parts and roll to balls. Flatten them as desired and make shami kebabs on your palm. Place all of them on a plate.

10. Heat oil for shallow frying in a deep pan. I fried all the shami kabab in 2 batches.

11. Break an egg to a wide bowl and beat it lightly to make a uniform mixture.

How to make shami kabab

12. When the oil turns hot enough, dip one shami kebab each time in the egg mixture and lift it with a fork.

13. Gently shake off the excess egg mixture to avoid the oil turning messy & frothy.

14. Gently slide these in the hot oil. Fry on a medium heat until golden, flipping to and fro as needed.

15. When they are golden fried, transfer the shami kababs to a colander.