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Shami Kabab

Serves 8 to 10

Cuisine: Middle East

Category: Burgers, Sandwiches & Salads

Tender spicy little beef patties inspired by Pakistani cuisine. This recipe requires the split lentils to be soaked for at least 1 hour. Soaking longer (up to overnight) is even better. The key to good shami kebab is to get the mixture dry enough so that the kabobs don’t have excess water and can retain their shape. Pro Tip: using a gentle touch when frying and flipping the patties keeps them from falling apart. Use a fish spatula to gently flip the kebab while frying.

Prep Time

15 mins

Other Time

1 hr

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

2 hrs

Ingredients:

1 pound Certified Angus Beef^® 80/20 ground beef
1 cup dry split lentils
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cardamom pods
3 whole cloves
10 black peppercorns
cheesecloth
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 onion, diced
4 cups beef stock
1/2 cup chick pea flour
Oil for frying
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Optional accompaniment: cucumber yogurt sauce

Instructions:

Soak lentils in a bowl submerged in water for minimum of 1 hour.
In a small sauté pan over medium heat toast the whole spices until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes (cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, whole clove and black peppercorns). Wrap toasted spices in cheesecloth, tie with butcher's twine; set aside.
In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat sear ground beef to brown one side, about 3 minutes without stirring. Break up ground beef, stir in salt, chili flakes, cumin, coriander, garam masala, garlic, ginger and diced onion. Strain and rinse lentils; stir into beef. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often.
Pour in beef stock, bury spice satchel into liquid. Cover, simmer on medium-low heat 35 to 40 minutes until lentils are tender and all stock has been absorbed; remove from heat to cool 15 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a food processor. Pulse to a fine texture while adding chickpea flour, 1/4-cup at a time. Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, scoop 12 balls of mixture onto a clean sheet pan, lightly form into 1/2-inch thick pucks.
Shallow fry each puck in oil in a clean Dutch oven, 3 minutes per side; transfer to sheet tray with paper towel. Serve with a cucumber yogurt sauce and fresh cilantro.