Succulent, melt in your mouth meat that is a rich mix of flavours and a popular starter – Kebabs – I love sheekh kebabs the most and close on their heels are Chapali Kebabs. I decided to do a taste experiment and used 500gm of lamb mince or kheema to make Chapali Kebabs using a packet shop bought ready to cook masala mixture and used the remaining 500gm of lamb mince to make the very same kebabs using a mixture of my own spices and homemade garam masala – oh yes I finally got around to making my own Garam Masala (recipe coming up this week with a huge surprise!)
But before I let you in on my easy peasy recipe a ”sliceoff” history behind the dish – oh yes – every great recipe has a story!
The word Chapli derives from the Pashto word Chaprikh which means flat. It is prepared flat and round and served with naan.Kebab (also kebap or kabab) is a Middle Eastern dish of pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables roasted or grilled on a skewer or spit originating in the Eastern Mediterranean and later adopted in Central Asia and by the regions of the former Mongol Empire and later Ottoman Empire, before spreading worldwide.Indian cuisine is widely influenced by the various rulers and dynasties that ruled and colonised India at various periods including the British Raj. The Mughal Empire has left a heavy influence on the food,culture and tradition and is deeply woven into the fabric of society to create a new ,beautiful and modern day cuisine that has been adapted,modified to local taste and is now our own.
In American English, kebab with no qualification refers to shish kebab (Turkish: ?i? kebap) cooked on a skewer, whereas in Europe it refers to doner kebab, sliced meat served in a pita. In the Middle East, however, kebab refers to meat that is cooked over or next to flames; large or small cuts of meat, or even ground meat; it may be served on plates, in sandwiches, or in bowls. The traditional meat for kebab is lamb, but depending on local tastes and religious prohibitions, other meats may include beef, goat, chicken, pork or fish. Like other ethnic foods brought by travellers, the kebab has remained a part of everyday cuisine in most of the Eastern Mediterranean and South Asia.
Though traditionally these are kebabs are large and very flat – almost as large as the palm of your hand , I wanted to make a smaller patty , easy to fry and serve as a starter and easy to pop in the mouth while wielding a chilled glass of wine don’t you think?
Ingredients:
- 500gm of lamb mince or kheema
- 1 tsp of dried pomegranate seeds
- 2 tsp freshly crushed ginger
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 heaped tsp red chilli powder
- 1 heaped tsp coriander powder
- 1 heaped tsp Cumin powder
- a handfull of fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 a medium juicy red tomato finely chopped
- 2 small green chilli finely chopped
- 3 small eggs
- Salt to taste
- 3 heaped tsps of rice flour or corn meal
Method:
- In a large mixing bowl ,crack the eggs and beat lightly, add all the spices and mix with a fork.
- Then work in the corn flour and then the meat.
- Ensure any excess water is drained out and then add the finely chopped tomatoes and red onions.
- Spread a large sheet of kitchen plastic foil on a flat table or kitchen platform and place the flatted patties on it,cover with another sheet and refrigerate.
- If like me you like in a tiny but expensive urban flat with the an open plan kitchen – read tiny as a birds nest,then probably bets to leave the entire mixture in the bowl,cover and refrigerate for about half an hour.
- In a kadhai or wok take enough oil for frying and fry them , serve hot with lots of chopped tomato and red onions.
- Delicious with a fresh green coriander mint chutney or the life saving ketchup 🙂
References :Wikipedia
Am submitting this recipe to Made with Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior on his blog Cookinwluv
I love chapli kebabs, my favourite foods. I did some on my blog too a while back. Do check it out when you get the chance.
Surely will Tina, after I stop salivating at that Pancake photo on your post!
Thinking how I can convert this to a veggie recipe???any ideas??
Yes Nayna why not try the Quorn Meatless Meat Mince – I made ”meat” Kheema with them and they were bang on it taste and lower on calories too !
Looks DIVINE and I also LOVE your plate too! Karen xx
Thanks Karen!Oh that plate was begging to used in my food photos finally!
Manjiri, I love your plate..and kebab looks great …its a great treat for weekends, isn’t ?
Hi Ananda thanks for stopping by! Yes its a fab weekend treat! Thanks that plate is from a budget shop so its quite a steal 🙂
This would work really well with beans I reckon. Nice flavours although I have no idea where you can get dried pomegranate seeds. And Ananda is right, it’s a lovely plate.
Thanks Choclette , that plate was begging to used in one of my posts, finally! Its also a budget buy and therefore more fun to possess! Yes this recipe would work well with beans and with crisp veggie patties coated in mashed boiled potato and shallow fried ummm! I purchase my dried pomegranate seeds from my fav Indian shop but I have seen them in the World Foods Section of some of the supermarket chains too.
Those look lovely! I might even try sometime…I love this kind of spicy bite sized food
Me Too Fiona!you should try them sometime soon!
Looks and sounds wonderful, I love all the ingredients in here, a wonderful fusion of flavours
Thank you so much! and thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy the posts that will follow too 🙂
A fascinating history on the different kinds of kebabs – and I love the use of lamb for these. Very tasty…
Thanks Mark!very succulent and tasty indeed!
This looks lush Manjiri! I never tried chapali kebab before but would love to!
Come Over girl!
I had no idea that the American view of kebabs was so different from the rest of the world. I’ve always though of kebabs a chunks of meat on a stick, corn dogs excepted.
The things we learn from Wikipedia is simply mind boggling!I too was amazed by how differently a single dish is interpreted across the globe!
Oooh, now they look nice Manjiri. I’m not too keen on Doner Kebab (actually can’t bear the thought of them!) but these look scrummy 🙂
Janie x
Thanks Janie, yes the doner kebab may not be up to everybody’s taste, it does have loads of other things other than meat.
This looks absolutely delicious! We are very lucky to have a good local kebab house where they have a charcoal grill, it is a semi regular night out.
Oh wow Helen ur a major kebab fan I see ! Me too. Thanks I love making these for a drinks party!
Such a delicious recipe! I cannot wait to try it!
Thank you , do let me know when you do!