Seekh Kabab — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Finely minced lamb or beef mixed with fresh herbs, green chilies, and aromatic spices, shaped onto metal skewers and grilled over hot charcoal until smoky and charred on the outside while remaining juicy within.

Ingredients

500g minced lamb or beef
1 large onion, very finely chopped
4 green chilies, minced
1/4 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons chickpea flour (besan)

Instructions

1 Combine minced meat with finely chopped onion, green chilies, coriander, mint, and all dry spices in a large bowl. Add the egg and chickpea flour as binding agents and knead the mixture vigorously for five minutes until it becomes sticky and cohesive.
2 Cover the mixture and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the flavors to meld and the mixture to firm up, making it easier to shape onto skewers.
3 With wet hands, take portions of the meat mixture and press them firmly around metal skewers, forming elongated cylindrical shapes about six inches long and one inch thick.
4 Grill the skewered kababs over hot charcoal or under a broiler set to high, turning every three to four minutes until evenly charred on all sides and cooked through, about twelve to fifteen minutes total.
5 Slide the kababs off the skewers onto a warm platter and serve immediately with green chutney, sliced onion rings, and fresh naan bread.

Did You Know?

The word 'seekh' means skewer in Urdu. Street vendors in Lahore's old food streets can shape and grill seekh kababs in under five minutes, a skill passed down through generations.