Shammi kebab - minced lamb patties
Shammi kebabs are an extremely moist kebab made by simmering spices, chana dal and lamb mince until the chana dal are soft and the liquid has evaporated. The patties can then be deep-fried, like falafel, or cooked in a pan. They are traditionally served with a refreshing, thinly sliced raw onion salad, but thinly sliced cucumber or even radish works great as well.
Extracted from On The Himalayan Trail by Romy Gill (Hardie Grant, £27)
Ingredients
Kebabs
- 500g of lamb mince, or goat mince
- 100g of chana dal
- 6 garlic cloves , peeled
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 black cardamom pods
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- 800ml of water
- 1 handful of fresh coriander , leaves and stems roughly chopped
- 50g of gram flour, optional
- sunflower oil, for frying
To serve
- brown onions , sliced, or cucumber or radish
- raita
- lemon wedges , or lime wedges
Method
Put all the ingredients for the kebabs, except the fresh coriander, flour and oil, in a large saucepan
- 500g of lamb mince, or goat mince
- 100g of chana dal
- 6 garlic cloves , peeled
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 black cardamom pods
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- 800ml of water
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes until the chana dal is cooked and the water has reduced. If there is still a little water left, strain the mixture to eradicate any excess liquid. Leave to cool
Discard the whole spices and transfer the mixture to a food processor along with the fresh coriander. Blitz to a rough paste. Don’t turn it into a purée, as it won’t hold together properly
- 1 handful of fresh coriander , leaves and stems roughly chopped
Add the flour, if using, and blitz to combine. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes
- 50g of gram flour, optional
Divide the mixture into 12 equal-sized portions and shape each one into a patty
You can either shallow-fry or deep-fry the patties. For deep frying, pour the oil into a deep, heavy-based pan so that it is half full. Set the pan over medium heat
- sunflower oil, for frying
If you have a digital thermometer, then heat the oil to 175°C. Alternatively, drop a tiny bit of the kebab mixture into the oil, to test if it is ready. If the mixture floats up, the oil is hot enough
To shallow fry, you just need to heat enough oil in a frying pan (skillet) until it is hot. Test the heat of the oil with a small piece of kebab mixture before you start to fry the patties
- sunflower oil, for frying
Fry the patties for 3–4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan
Serve with raw sliced onions or a raita of your choice, and with lime or lemon wedges on the side for squeezing
- brown onions , sliced, or cucumber or radish
- raita
- lemon wedges , or lime wedges
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Shammi kebab - minced lamb patties
