Chapli Kebab

Method

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1. Crush the coriander seeds, pomegranate seeds and cumin coarsely in a mortar. Do not grind them to powder.

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2. Mix the mince, chopped fat, onion, tomato, green chilli, fresh coriander, crushed spices, chilli flakes, cornflour, egg, salt and pepper.

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3. Knead for 4 minutes only — chapli kebabs should stay coarse, not become a paste.

   Mark done Start 4 min timer

4. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

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5. Wet your hands and shape into 6 flat patties, about 12 cm across and only 1 cm thick. They should look too thin.

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6. Press a tomato slice onto the top of each.

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7. Heat the dripping in a wide frying pan to about 1 cm deep, over medium-high heat.

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8. Fry three at a time for 4 minutes on the first side without moving them, spooning hot fat over the top.

   Mark done Start 4 min timer

9. Turn carefully with a wide spatula and fry 3 to 4 minutes more, until dark brown and crusted.

   Mark done Start 3 min timer

10. Drain briefly and serve hot with naan, raw onion rings and lemon.

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Chef’s Tips

• Crush the seeds coarsely. Powder loses the whole character.
• Very thin patties. Thick ones steam rather than crust.
• Shallow fry in fat, not a dry pan. That is where the crust comes from.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the green chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.

Pairing Suggestions

• Naan and raw onion
• Mint raita
• Kahwa or sweet tea

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate the raw mixture 2 days. Cooked kebabs keep 3 days and recrisp in a pan.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.