Shami kabab is the perfect dish to be served as an appetizer, with tea as a side dish, or taken along with you when you go out for a picnic. Shami kababs can be made ahead of time in a large amount and can be fried to eat whenever wanted. Shami kabab recipe is equally liked among kids and adults. The Shami kabab recipe is interactive as the children and other family members can be involved while making the mixture of kababs into patties.
Contents
What is Shami Kabab?
Shami kabab is a modified form of a mutton cutlet or patties made with Bengal gram or with lamb meat. To enhance the flavour, many spices including whole spices are added to the mixture. Such recipes are popular not only in Pakistan and India but are very common all around the world. Mutton which is usually the basic ingredient for kababs can be well substituted by fish or chicken or even vegetables. But the taste would not be the same as with mutton.
What Is the Origin of the Shami Kabab?
It is a mystery where the name shami kabab originated from. The word shami literally means Syrian in Arabic. That makes shami kababs, Syrian kababs. Some people say that shami kababs were introduced in Pakistan and India by Muslim emigrants from the Middle East during the Mughal era. These emigrants served as cooks in the royal kitchen and brought their own traditional touch to the dishes. Whatever the origin, shami kabab surely is a delightful and tasty experience.
Can We Make The Shami Kabab Ahead of Time?
Shami kababs can be made ahead of time and frozen during weekends. This will let you have a quick snack during weekdays by simply removing shami kababs from the fridge and frying them. People usually make shami kababs before Ramadan month starts as they can be prepared and frozen before time and fried instantly when needed. This way you would not need to spend hours in the kitchen preparing for suhoor or iftar.
People new to cooking and looking for easy yet delicious recipes to try can definitely give this shami kabab recipe a go. Follow the recipe to make the best shami kababs out there and be compelled to make them again and again. The ingredients required can be easily found right in your pantry.
Ingredients
Here is a list of ingredients required for this tasteful shami kabab recipe;
- Minced mutton – 500 gm
- Roughly cut small onions – 2
- Water – 2 cups
- Bengal gram – ½ cup
- Green cardamom – 2
- Cinnamon stick – 1
- Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
- Green chili – 2
- Salt to taste
- Egg – 1
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- Red chili powder – 1 tsp
- Garlic cloves – 4 to 5
- Handful of coriander leaves or cilantro
- Oil for frying
Important things to Remember While Making Shami Kabab Recipe
- Always grind the meat and other mixtures in the food processor.
- For better results, let the ground dough sit in the refrigerator for 1 hours. This way shami kababs bind better and it is easy to make the mixture into discs.
- Add eggs to prevent the kababs from breaking during frying.
Instructions
- Add the minced meat, onion, water, chana dal, cardamoms, cinnamon, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander seeds and garlic in a pan.
- Let the mixture boil for once and then lower the heat to medium low.
- Wait for the water in the mixture to evaporate quickly. By now the meat in the mixture should become tender. If the water is not evaporated completely, it will be extremely hard to make the kababs without them falling apart.
- Remove the pan from the stove and let it sit. Remove the whole spices from the mixture as they do not grind well.
- Add meat, green chilies, coriander leaves and egg in a food processor and grind the mixture.
- Make patties of the mixture, fry and serve.
Serving
To bring out the amazing taste, deep fry mutton dices. They can also be enjoyed as a snack. Serve shami kababs with mint chutney or honey mustard for maximum flavor.
