Shami Kababs

This is a recipe for shami kababs made from scratch.  Shami kababs are probably my favorite type of kabab with a mix of beef and chana daal (split bengal gram).  This recipe uses a number of aromatic whole spices, which give them a lot of flavor.  Next time that I make these though I will probably grind up the spices before adding them to the pot because grinding them up at the end resulted in a few chunks of whole spices in the mixture that I had to sift through and pick out which wasn’t fun.  

Other than that little mishap, these were amazing.  The kebabs can be formed and frozen so that you can make a large bunch and freeze them for when unexpected guests pop in or for a quick dinner.  All you have to do is pull them out of the freezer, coat with beaten eggs, and shallow fry them on a medium high heat skillet.   

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless beef, 1 inch cubed
1/2 cup channa daal, presoked for 1 hour
2 red onions, sliced
7-8 cloves garlic
2 inch ginger, sliced
7 dried red chilies
1 bay leaf
10 black peppercorns
10 whole cloves
2 cinnamom sticks
2 black cardamoms
10 green cardamoms
1 tsp whole cumin (zeera)
1 tsp whole corriander (dhania powder)
1 tsp salt, or to taste
4 cups water
1 egg, for binding the kababs together
more eggs for coating before frying

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients, minus the egg, in a large pot and let them come to a boil.
2. Lower heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the meat is tender.
3. Let it cool, then remove any whole spices and grind the rest in a food processor.
4. Add 1 egg to bind all together and then form the kababs.
5. Before serving, coat the kebabs with beaten eggs and shallow fry in a flat pan.

Serve with chutney