Seekh Kebab (Spiced Minced Lamb Skewers)
Local name: सीख कबाब
In short: Ground lamb mixed with herbs, ginger, green chili and roasted spices, shaped onto skewers and grilled until charred. Serve with mint chutney and onions. It takes about 45 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Resting
- 1 h
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 450 kcal
Seekh kebabs are the grilled skewers of Mughlai and Punjabi cooking, with ground lamb pressed around long flat skewers and cooked over charcoal. The meat needs about 20 percent fat, plus herbs and warm spices, to stay juicy. Chilling the mixture before shaping is what keeps it on the skewer. At home a grill, grill pan or hot oven all work, and the kebabs go into rolls or alongside mint chutney and onion rings.
Instructions
- Dry-roast the gram flour in a small pan over low heat for 2 minutes until it smells nutty, then let it cool.
- Combine the lamb, onion, ginger-garlic paste, chilies, herbs, gram flour, spices, salt, lemon juice and oil in a large bowl. Knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is sticky and holds together.
- Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. If using wooden skewers, soak 12 of them in water for 30 minutes.
- Wet your hands and divide the mixture into 12 portions of about 65 g. Mold each around a skewer into a sausage about 12 cm (5 in) long, pressing firmly and pinching the ends.
- Heat a grill, grill pan or oven broiler to high and brush the kebabs with oil. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes, until browned all over and 71°C (160°F) in the center.
- Rest the kebabs for 3 minutes, then serve with mint chutney, onion rings and lemon wedges.
Tips
- If the mixture is too soft to hold on the skewer, chill it another 30 minutes or add 1 tbsp more gram flour. Very lean meat turns dry, so ask the butcher for 20% fat.
- No skewers? Shape flat ovals and bake on a tray at 220°C (425°F) for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, or pan-fry in a little oil.
Questions and answers
Can I make seekh kebabs with chicken or beef?
Yes. Use dark-meat chicken mince or beef mince with some fat. Chicken cooks quickly and benefits from an extra spoonful of oil in the mixture.
Can I freeze seekh kebab?
Freeze the shaped, uncooked kebabs on a tray, then bag them for up to 3 months. Cook from partly thawed and add a couple of minutes.
What do you serve with seekh kebab?
Mint-coriander chutney, onion rings with lemon, and naan or a thin roti are typical. Rolled into a roti with chutney they make a good handheld meal.
How long does it take to make Seekh Kebab (Spiced Minced Lamb Skewers)?
About 45 min in total: 30 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Seekh Kebab (Spiced Minced Lamb Skewers)?
About 450 kcal per serving, with 27 g of protein, 6 g of carbohydrates and 34 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 450 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 27 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6 g |
| Fat | 34 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Sodium | 830 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
