The sizzling sound in the frying pan and the aroma that surrounds is sensational while preparing shami kababs. AND the taste…delightful!
Kababs are immensely popular throughout Bangladesh. There are different types of kababs and numerous ways they can be prepared. There is also a considerable regional variation of kababs in Bangladesh. Amongst all, Shami kabab is the most common and immensely popular for festivals, Eid, weddings and any other celebrations or just to enjoy with the family.
Bangladeshi cuisine refers to the Bengali cuisine prevalent in Bangladesh. Although Indian cuisine from West Bengal is also referred to as Bengali cuisine, the usage of beef greatly sets Bangladeshi cuisine apart from the cuisine in West Bengal in India. Bengali cuisine of Bangladesh incorporates many Persian-Arabic elements and Beef is an integral part of it. Beef dishes are a must item in parties, celebrations and banquets. Traditionally, shami kababs are made of minced beef, but can also be prepared with chicken or a combination of the two.
If you make a big batch like I do and freeze, the kababs are a great protein source that take only minutes to prepare with various meal options to choose from at the end of a long working day. Though there are several steps to making the kababs, the steps are not hard. The best part is that the kababs freeze very well so you can make several days or weeks ahead of time if you are planning to serve at parties or family get together. They become soggy and fall apart when completely defrosted, so fry them in medium heat within 10-15 minutes after taking out of the freezer.
If you walk into my home unannounced, chances are I will have some of these kababs in the freezer. Depending on the time, I serve them as snack with salads and a chatni(the radish chatni or the green sauce pairs very well) or make a sandwich for lunch with regular bread or pita, or serve with rice dishes for dinner. You get the point? They are versatile and can be served anytime of the day.
- 1 lb lean ground beef (or ground chicken)
- ½ cup yellow split pea(chana dal)
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 8-10 black peppercorns
- 1 ½ spoon garam masala
- 2-3 dry red chili
- Salt, according to taste
- 2 green chilies, chopped (optional)
- 1 ½ cups water approximately
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup oil, for frying
- Soak yellow split pea (chana dal) in water for about 30 minutes.
- Sautee sliced onion until golden and aromatic. Set aside.
- Clean and wash ground beef and yellow split pea (chana dal). Drain all water.
- Add ginger paste, garlic paste, peppercorns, garam masala, red chilies and salt.
- Add water to cover the ingredients and cook on medium heat until meat and dal is tender and all the water dries up.
- In a food processor, grind the cooked meat and dal to make a paste.
- In a bowl, take the paste; add one egg and rest of the ingredients, including the fried onion, except oil. Mix well.
- Make small, round, flat shaped kababs with the paste mixture.
- Heat oil in a pan in medium heat.
- Beat one egg in a separate bowl.
- Dip each kabab on the beaten egg to coat well.
- Fry kabab till golden brown on each side.
Instead of sautéed golden onion, the sliced onion can be added before cooking meat and dal and cooked.
Ground beef can be substituted with boneless beef pieces, minced or boneless chicken pieces or a combination of ground beef and chicken.
To avoid shami kabab falling apart during frying, always add egg to the kabab mix. If you do not use eggs in the kabab mix, make sure to dip each kabab in egg before frying.
রেসিপি: শামি কাবাব
উপকরন:
১ পাউণ্ড (আধা কেজি) গরুর কিমা
১/২ কাপ বুটের ডাল (চানা ডাল)
১ টি মাঝারি পেঁয়াজ, পাতলা করে কাটা
১ চা চামচ রসুন বাটা
১ চা চামচ আদা বাটা
৮-১০ টি গোল মরিচ
১ ১/২ চা চামচ গরম মশলা
২-৩ টি শুকনো মরিচ
লবণ, স্বাদ অনুযায়ী
২ টি কঁাচা মরিচ, কাটা (ইচ্ছা)
১ ১/২ কাপ পানি (আনুমানিক)
১ চা চামচলেবুর রস
২ টি ডিম
১ কাপ তেল, ভাজার জন্য
প্রণালী:
১. বুটের ডাল প্রায় ৩০ মিনিট ভিজিয়ে রাখুন।
২. পেঁয়াজ বেরেস্তা করে রাখুন।
৩. গরুর কিমা ও বুটের ডাল ধুয়ে সমস্ত পানি ঝরিয়ে নিন।
৪. আদা, রসুন, গোল মরিচ, গরম মশলা, শুকনা মরিচ এবং লবন যোগ করুন।
৫. কিমা, বুটের ডােল পানি দিয়ে মাঝারি তােপ রান্না করুন। মাংস ও ডাল শুকিয়ে গেলে এমনভাবে পানি দিন যেন পানি শুকালে ডাল ও কিমা সেদ্ধ হয়ে যায়।
৬. একটি ফুড প্রসেসের রান্না করা কিমা এবং ডাল পেস্ট করুন।
৭. একটি বাটিতে কাবাব পেস্ট, বেরেস্তা এবং তেল ছাড়া অন্যান্য সব উপাদানগুলো ভালোভাবে মেশান।
৮. ছোট, গোলাকার আকৃতির কাবাব তৈরি করুন।
৯. মাঝারি তােপ একটি প্যােন তেল গরম করুন।
১০. একটি পৃথক বাটিতে ডিম ফেটান।
১১. প্রতিটি কাবাব ডিমে ডুবিয়ে গরম তেলে ভেজে নিন।
প্রয়োজনিও কিছু টিপস্ এর জনে্য দয়াকরে আটির্কেল অথবা ইংরেজি রেসিপির নোট সেকশন টা একটু দেখে নেবেন।
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These kababs look very good and I like that they are freezer friendly. I would like making a lot and use for bento and busy weeknight! Beautiful photos, Lail!
Thank you, Nami. These kababs are excellent for bento.
am drooling over my computer seeing this 🙂
Thanks Nishas.
What yummy kebabs! So full of protein and deliciousness!
Thanks, Liz.
One of my favourite kebabs but I didn’t know they were so popular in Bangladesh. Yours are so perfectly shaped and golden brown. Reminds me it’s been a while since I had some. I know in Hyderabad they are extremely popular and my aunts always have them on hand. They really have a unique taste to them with the daal. The Hyderabadi ones are heavy on the cardamom and cinnamon, which I love also. So, Lail, where do you guys live?? Texas? I’m coming through there next week 🙂 I hear you have shami kebabs on hand at all times 🙂
Nazneen
Oh, Nanzeen, I would have loved to meet you and invite over to serve some of these kababs. Only if you had sometime to spare for me 🙁
Better luck next time. Have a great trip.
I have had these several times at my friend’s but never attempted myself. They definitely look yummy!
Thanks, Balvinder.
Oh yum, nothing beats this! Perhaps I need to make some right now!
http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.in/
Thanks for your kind words, Purabi.
I can definitely imagine how tasty it would be with chutney on the side 🙂
Thanks a lot, Kiran.
oh man, this looks absolutely delicious. I don’t eat beef, but I could only imagine how this would taste, with chicken or lamb.
I often make shami kabab with chicken and they are delicious too. Give it a try sometimes, my friend. Thank you!
Scrumptious! That is such a wonderful combination.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks, Rosa.
I have always wanted to try make shammi kabab, but somehow they are in my ‘difficult list’. Yours turned out so delicious looking, and I like the idea of frozen kebabs ready for snacking in matter of minutes! Great minds, Lail:-)
With your cooking skills, this won’t be hard at all, Jehanne. Hope you’ll give it a try sometimes.
Wow, your page has loaded in no time and thankfully, i can comment on lovely Kebabs.
I feel to grab them and feel it again & again when I look at it. 🙂
Hahaha
Take care dear, love
Thank you for your kind words, dear.
So glad that you are able to access the page. I am not sure what happened. Please let me know if you face similar issues again.
These kabobs sound so fantastic that it’s explained why they are so popular for festivals and many other occasions. I love how crispy outside and soft inside they look to be…
Thanks Denise.
Lail, my mom makes these and we can’t get enough of them. They’re a lot of work, but so worth the effort.
Yours look beautiful. Nice and plump with a beautiful crisp outer layer. xo
Shami kababs are addictive. Agree, they are lot of work. That’s why, I am always making a big batch and freezing the shami kababs so that we can enjoy some later as well.
So glad to have found you, but more importantly, your incredible culinary secrets, again! Much love to you and the daughter. –Nupi
Wow! Are you really the Nupi I used to know during the college years? I often think about you and tried to look you up on FB but in vain. So glad to find you. Much love to you too.
Khub valo….
Dhonnobad