SHAMI KEBAB

As we inch closer to the weekend, my cravings for Kebabs get stronger. If you have been a regular at my Blog's Food Posts, then you know of my Friday Kebab Roster. Me and my husband love to whip up different varieties of Kebabs, for our Friday night dinner to pair with some good Bourbon . From Malai Kebab, Haryali Kebab , Chicken Tikka, to Shami Kebabs, we love it all. A few months back, I made a batch of Chicken Shami Kebabs. It was an adaptation of the traditional Shami Kebab recipe. So many of you, loved the post and requested that I also bring for you a batch of the traditional Shami Kebabs.

And there it is - Lamb(Mutton) Shami Kebab in all its glory.

Shami Kebab is made with minced meat, with ground yellow lentils used as a binder. Chopped mint leaves, chopped cilantro leaves , caramelised onions, add in layers of flavors. The minced meat patties are then dipped in egg, and shallow fried. Don't get intimidated by the number of steps, in making this Kebab. Once yo take your first bite of Lamb Shami Kebabs, you will surely not be able to stop there. Binge eating is a compulsory side effect, when you make it beauty at home.

When I made the Chicken Shami Kebab, I had not pre-cooked the meat or the lentils. White meat cooks much faster. And I had also used ground yellow lentils. This time around , I decided to pre-cook the mince meat, with the spices and lentils, and then grinding them together , with the herbs , raw eggs, and caramelised onions. I had to do it in a couple of batches, in my food processor, to get a silky paste. If you dilute this mixture, then it will be difficult to make the patties later. I added in eggs both as a binder and then later dipped the patties in them, before shallow frying.Eggs make everything better, right !

I made this batch of Kebabs, with minced Lamb, but you could make it with minced goat, or even minced beef, if you want to work with red meat. Turkey is generally so lean, so I would avoid that. If you did want to try to make it with white meat, then chicken could be a better alternative.

LAMB SHAMI KEBAB :

Ingredients :
Lamb Mince : 1 lb
Split Bengal Gram/ Yellow Lentil/Chana Dal : 1/4 cup : Soaked in water for around 4 to 5 hours
Eggs : 2+1
Mint : 1 handful
Cilantro : 1 handful
Onion : 1 large : Finely sliced
Ginger - Garlic paste : 2 tbsp
Canola Oil
Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder - Paprika : 1tsp + 1tsp + 1 tsp
Caraway Seeds : 1 tbsp
Dried Red Chilies : 2 to 3

Procedure:
In a non stick pan, add in some canola oil. Once the oil is hot, add in caraway seeds, dried red chili, minced lamb, ginger-garlic paste and dry spices.

Season with salt and brown the meat. Add in the soaked chana daal. Cover and cook till the daal and lam is cooked. Open the cover and dry out most of the liquid which the meat might have released. Take off the heta and cool the mixture.

In a different pan, caramelise the sliced onions.

Roughly chop the mint and cilantro(coriander) leaves .

In a blender or a food processor, make a mixture of the cooked meat and daal, herbs, caramelised onions and two eggs. Make the mixture as smooth as possible.