Name: Mutton Shami Kebab
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 g Ground Goat Meat, fine minced mutton, washed and thoroughly squeezed dry; ⅛ cup Split Bengal Gram, soaked for 30 mins; ½ inch Ginger, roughly chopped; 3 clove Garlic; ½ Assorted Whole Spices, 1 black cardamom, 3 green cardamoms, 4 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 10 black peppercorns; 2 Dried Red Chili Peppers, broken; ½ tsp Cumin Seeds; ½ tsp Coriander Seeds; ½ tsp Salt, to taste; ¼ cup Water, use cautiously; ½ Onion, very finely chopped (added later); 1 Green Chili Pepper, finely chopped (added later); 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped (added later); ½ Egg, lightly beaten, for binding (optional but recommended); 1½ tbsp Ghee, or oil, for shallow frying

1 hr 15 mintotal

45 min hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 10 min · Cook 35 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Hard
Spice: Medium

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Method

In a pressure cooker, combine the well-dried mutton keema, the soaked chana dal, ginger, garlic, all the whole spices, broken dried red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, salt and the measured water.
Mix well. Close the cooker and cook over medium heat for 4-5 whistles. The meat and lentils should be completely tender. Let the pressure release naturally.
Open the cooker. If any water is left pooled at the base, turn the heat to high. Cook uncovered, stirring constantly, until the mixture is completely dry. Let it cool to room temperature.
Transfer the dry, cooled mixture to a food processor. Grind it to a very fine, smooth, dense paste. Do not add any water at this stage.
Transfer the ground paste to a cold mixing bowl. Add the finely diced onions, green chillies, fresh coriander and the beaten egg. Knead firmly by hand until evenly combined.
Oil your hands lightly. Take lemon-sized portions of the meat dough and shape them into flat, round discs about half an inch thick.
Induce medium-low thermal energy into ghee or oil within a broad, flat-bottomed skillet.
Place the kebabs in the hot pan. Shallow-fry undisturbed for 4-5 minutes on the first side, until a deep brown, crisp crust forms.
4–5 min
Turn them over carefully with a thin spatula. Fry the second side the same way until equally crisp and browned.
Lift them onto kitchen paper to drain the excess oil. Serve hot.

How to tell it's done

Demand a structurally resilient, highly savory, dark brown pan-fried armor that instantly collapses to expose an impossibly delicate, velvet-smooth, melt-in-the-mouth interior, broken only by the sharp crunch of raw alliums.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: The ground keema mixture must be completely dry before it goes near the oil. A wet mixture turns to mush and falls apart in the pan. The egg is what holds it together.

What to serve it with

An elegant appetiser. Serve it with neat onion rings, lemon wedges and a sharp mint and coriander chutney.

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Ingredients