Shami Kebab (chicken, lamb, mutton or beef)

Pakistani Shami Kebab

Shami kebab is really the king of all kebabs in Pakistani cuisine. Combining traditionally lamb or beef with chana daal and an array of spices take the kebabs to the next level. They are smooth and soft in texture, the frying in beaten egg gives a slight crispiness to the outer shell. They really are a delight to eat.

These are the kebabs that any organised Pakistani household will have stashed away in their freezer (along with spring rolls) ready to serve unexpected guests. I however am not so organised. I have a dinner party this weekend that I am very unprepared for. So I thought to help with the starters, I would make these easy shami kebabs during the week whilst the children are at school and get them stashed away in the freezer. Then on the day all that will be left is the frying and making the mint chutney. I breathe a sigh of relief.

Why make this Lamb Shami Kebab Recipe

The key difference in flavour of these kebabs to any other Pakistani kebabs is the chana daal. The combination of daal and red meat, whether that be lamb, mutton or beef is just delightful. The rich flavours just sing together beatifully and the texture is smooth and soft to bite into. The red meat and the lentils also make this a great protein-rich appetiser. You could of course switch out the lamb for chicken instead, it will of course be a healthier edge to the kebabs.

These kebabs definitely take longer to make than other kebabs, but they are well worth the effort. Not only will you appreciate eating them, but your guests will know the effort that have gone into make these meaty treats.

They freeze really well, so you can make them in bulk and eat some on the day and pop the rest away in the freezer. When you need a quick dinner, you can fry these quickly and put them into a pitta bread with salad and chutney or make them into burger buns for the kids. They are incredibly versatile to eat and enjoy.

Alternative ways to make Pakistani shami kebab

Traditional method

Traditionally, whole pieces of meat are use to make these kebabs. It will take longer to make them this way, lamb pieces would take at least an hour to become tender. However you could use a pressure cooker at step 3 below and the lamb would be tender in around 10 minutes (obviously add enough water to the lamb so it can cook in the pressure cooker, 1 litre of water will be enough for 500 grams).

Once the lamb is falling apart (use a fork or spoon to help you pull the lamb apart), it’s ready to be mixed in with the chana daal as per step 4. You will not need to use a food blender to process the mixture, just mix it by hand. The chana daal with retain a lot of it’s texture in the shami kebabs. Personally I do prefer a smoother and softer texture for shami kebab as this is how my mum always made them.

Easy Shami Kebabs in 20 minutes

If you were really short of time, you could combine steps 1-4 in making these shami kebabs. Basically put all the ingredients mentioned in these steps into the pressure cooker and cook. Any excess water left in the pressure cooker after 10 minutes you can let evaporate by leaving the pressure cooker simmer on a low heat with the lid removed. Then proceed to step 5 and follow the instructions from there. The browning of the garlic ginger does add additional flavour to the kebabs, so I would recommend doing this for maximum flavour. Sifting out the spices and the onion will be a bit trickier after being cooked in the pressure cooker, but it is still very much possible.

See my video on Youtube,  Instagram or TikTok to see how to make shami kebab!

INGREDIENTS for Shami Kebab

• 200 grams chana daal (3/4 mug) washed and drained of the water
• 1 tsp salt
• 800 ml water
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil or any other oil you prefer
• 1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 500 grams mince lamb meat you can use, chicken, mutton or beef instead of lamb mince
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
• 3 green chillies, sliced down the middle
• 2 eggs one for binding the patties and one for coating the patties in before frying
• 3 tbsp of fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped optional

Spices for mince

• 7 whole black peppercorns
• 3 black cardamom pods
• 3/4 tsp salt for mince mixture, to taste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder

INSTRUCTIONS for cooking via pressure cooker

Cooking the daal

• Add the chana daal, water and salt to the pressure cooker, bring to the boil. Then cover the pressure cooker with the lid. Once you hear the steam escaping, start to time the cooking of the daal, after 15 minutes turn off the hob and take off the lid.

• There will be some remaining water in the pressure cooker, turn the hob back on and let it simmer on low heat until all the water has evaporated. This should take around 8-10 minutes.

• (If you do not have a pressure cooker, you will need to rinse and soak the daal overnight. Then cook in saucepan with salt for around an hour until the daal/ lentils have softened and again make sure the water has evaporated.)

Cooking the mince meat

• Whilst the daal is cooking, I would start to prepare the mince. In another saucepan, heat the oil and then add the garlic and ginger. Stir through. Then add the mince meat, and break it down so there are no lumps, cook until the mince has browned.

• Then add the chana daal, onion cut in half, the black cardamom, black peppercorns, salt , red chilli powder and green chillies. Cook on low heat for 12-15 minutes. Keep stirring through at regular intervals to make sure the mixture is not catching on the bottom of the pan.

• Then take it off the cooker and remove the onion, black cardamom and try and to remove as many of the black peppercorns as possible.

Blending the mixture

• Put the mixture in food processer and add in the garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder and the beaten egg and blend until smooth.
• You may need to stop blending half way through and use a spoon to move the mixture that has clung to the sides of the food processor into the middle of the processor again. Just ensure the mixture if fully blended until smooth or to a consistency you are happy with. There will be bound to be a few grains of the chana daal that haven’t full blended with the meat, but this texture is absolutely fine.

• Once blended, add the fresh coriander. (You can also add in a finely chopped onion at this point if you like a crunch to your shami kebabs). Mix through. I would taste for salt and chillies here.

Frying the shami kebab

• Then make up your patties.

• If you are cooking the shami kebabs straight away, dip them in a beaten egg and shallow fry in a frying pan. Make sure the oil is very hot before you start to fry. Fry each side for 2-3 minutes. I often spoon the oil from the frying pan over the shami kebabs to help the edges of the kebabs cook.

• When frying from frozen, I would pop the shami kebabs into your microwave and defrost for 1-2 minutes (make sure you do not fully defrost them, as the kebabs will crumble). Then dip the patties into a beaten egg and shallow fry. Spoon over the oil in the frying pan over the shami kebabs to make sure the kebabs are full defrosted.

Freezing tips

• If you are freezing your shami kebabs, then after you have made the patties put them in a layer in your food container (make sure they are not touching each other) and cover the layer with baking paper. Then add another layer of shami kebabs on top and cover with baking paper again until your container is full.

See my video on Youtube, Instagram or TikTok to see how to make these kebabs.