🥙 Shami kebab

Name: Shami kebab
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Pakistan · Indian subcontinent
Ingredients: 500 g lean minced beef; 100 g chana dal (split chickpeas), soaked 1 hour; 1 onion, quartered, plus 1 onion finely chopped; 2 cm ginger and 4 garlic cloves; 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 4 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 dried chillies; 1 egg; Chopped coriander and mint; 3 tbsp oil for frying, salt

Origin: Pakistan · Indian subcontinent

460kcal

per serving · 200 g

230kcal

per 100 g

32 gProtein16 g / 100 g

26 gFat13 g / 100 g

24 gCarbs12 g / 100 g

Shami kebabs are soft, round patties of minced beef cooked with split chickpeas (chana dal), onion, ginger, garlic and warm spices, then ground smooth, bound with egg and shallow-fried. They are crisp outside and almost melting inside, and are served as a snack or starter with green chutney, sliced onion and lemon, or tucked into a meal of rice and curry.

Diets

✓

No porkfor halal, the meat must be halal-slaughtered

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

High protein16 g protein per 100 g — 28% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: minced beef

Not veganbecause of: minced beef, egg

Not keto12 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Eggs

What it is made of

minced beefchana daloniongingergarliceggoil

Recipe

4 servings75 min

Ingredients

500 g lean minced beef
100 g chana dal (split chickpeas), soaked 1 hour
1 onion, quartered, plus 1 onion finely chopped
2 cm ginger and 4 garlic cloves
1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 4 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 dried chillies
1 egg
Chopped coriander and mint
3 tbsp oil for frying, salt

Method

Put the beef, drained dal, quartered onion, ginger, garlic, whole spices and salt in a pot with 400 ml water.
Simmer covered for 40 minutes, then uncover and cook until completely dry.
Cool slightly, remove the cinnamon stick and grind the mixture to a smooth paste.
Mix in the egg, chopped onion, coriander, mint and garam masala and shape 12 flat patties.
Shallow-fry in oil over medium heat for 2–3 minutes per side until golden.

How to make it lighter

Use lean minced beef and pan-fry in a non-stick pan with a thin film of oil.
Patties can be brushed with oil and baked at 200 °C for 15–20 minutes instead of fried.
Serve two kebabs with a large onion-and-cucumber salad rather than with paratha or rice.

History

Shami kebabs are usually associated with the Mughal and Nawabi kitchens of North India, especially Lucknow and Hyderabad. The name is usually linked to Sham, the old Arabic name for the Levant, though the exact story is uncertain. Today they are a staple of Ramadan iftar tables, weddings and tea-time across Pakistan and North India.

Count it in one photo

Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Shami kebab and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.

Download on the App Store

Similar dishes

Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →