Chapli Kabab
Blog: cookingwithnelo.com
Servings: 18 kababs
Ingredients
Blended mix
- 1 medium (100 g) tomato - seeds & soft pulp removed
- 6 cloves garlic - peeled
- 1 inch piece of ginger - peeled
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice - fresh
Crushed spices
- 3 tablespoons coriander seeds - aka sabut dhaniya
- 2.5 tablespoons dried pomegranate seeds - aka sabut anardana
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds - aka ajwain
Other spices
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder - aka zeera powder
- 1.5 teaspoons ginger powder - aka saunth
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes - aka chilli flakes / kutti lal mirch
- 1.5 teaspoons garam masala powder
- 2 teaspoons chaat masala
- 4 teaspoons salt - white/table salt
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
Other ingredients
- 2 medium (200 g) onions - peeled
- 30 sprigs cilantro - aka coriander/dhaniya, very finely chopped
- 8 small green chillies - very finely chopped (Note A)
- 2 pounds (900 g) ground beef - aka beef mince/keema, 20% fat
- ¾ cup (90 g) corn flour - aka maize flour / makkai ka ata, not cornstarch (see Note B for subs)
- 1 medium (100 g) tomato - seeds & soft pulp removed, very finely chopped, optional
- cooking oil for frying - or beef tallow, ghee, or their combo
Instructions
- Puree everything listed under "blended mix" in a blender. Don't add water.
- Coarsely crush the ingredients listed under “crushed spices” (spice/coffee grinder or mortar & pestle). Don’t let them turn powdery, they add texture.
- In a large bowl, add the blended mix + crushed spices + ingredients mentioned under “other spices.”
- Chop onions super finely (I use food processor). Squeeze out all their liquid as best you can using a cheesecloth or clean hands. Put the onion into the same large bowl along with chopped cilantro and green chillies. Mix well.
- Now add ground beef. Using gloved hands, knead the kabab mixture for 8 to 10 minutes or until the meat gets stringy and clingy.
- Add corn/maize flour. Start with ¾ cup of flour, mix well, then add ¼ cup at a time until you get the right consistency to form thin patties that hold their shape.
- Cover, marinate 2 hrs or up to overnight in fridge. When ready to cook, divide into 18 portions. Don’t flatten them into kababs yet.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed or cast iron pan over medium-high heat to ~350°F/175°C. Use just enough oil so patties get submerged when frying.
- Take one portion of kabab, optionally, mix in 2 to 3 tiny bits of finely chopped tomato. Flatten into a big kabab. See Note C below.
- Carefully place into the oil, and lower the heat to medium. Fry 2 to 2.5 mins per side. Watch closely, frying time may vary slightly. Adjust heat as needed. Target is a crisp crust and a center that's fully cooked to 160°F/71°C. Repeat with remaining patties.
- Transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Serve with lemon wedges + chutney or raita of choice. Enjoy with hot naan or roti.
Notes
Note A: Chilies & Spices – The amount of spicy ingredients might seem a bit much, but this recipe yields many kebabs. Individually, your kababs won't taste very spicy, just well-rounded. That said, feel free to adjust quantities depending on preference and level of heat your ingredients pack. Your green chillies, for example, might be more or less spicy than mine.
Note B: Flour – In some countries, like in Pakistan, what’s sold as corn flour is actually corn starch. You need makai ka atta (aka maize flour) for this recipe. If you can’t find it, use besan (aka gram flour) or whole wheat flour. When using these subs, start with half the mentioned amount of corn flour. Then mix in more, if needed, very gradually, until the mixture holds well enough to shape into kebabs.
Note C: Shaping Kababs – Aim to shape the patties into thin rounds, but they don't have to be perfect or uniform. Also, dhabas/restaurants use huge frying pans, which is why they can make much bigger kababs. At home, you won’t be able to match that size. The kababs shrink as they fry, so they end up even smaller.