Lamb Kebabs with Green Chutney

Shallow fried lamb mince cutlets with flaky brown crusts and soft insides. This lamb kebabs recipe is perfect with hot parathas and cilantro-mint chutney!

Lamb kebabs, also called shami kebabs, are an all-time favourite in my home and a life-saver for lazy days.

The beauty of this lamb kebabs recipe is that it can be made in advance and the kebabs frozen in Ziploc bags.

This is how you do it:

After you’ve shaped the cooked and ground mince into kebab shapes, line a platter with cling wrap and arrange the kebabs on it. Ideally, the kebabs should not be touching each other. Cover them with more cling wrap (enough to cover the whole surface), and place another layer of kebabs on it. Repeat until there are no more kebabs left and cover the topmost layer with more cling wrap. The cling wrap prevents the kebabs from sticking to each other.

Place the platter in the freezer. When frozen, transfer the individual kebabs to a Ziploc bag and refreeze. The frozen kebabs will not stick to each now.

When you have a hankering for some, just whip ’em out, shallow fry and serve!

What I love about kebabs is that they are so versatile. I can think of so many ways to eat them, all of them delicious and deeply satisfying:

• As a snack with salad and green chutney – Cut some greens and drizzle the green chutney on top of the kebabs.
• As an instant kebab roll –  Spread one kebab on a roti or paratha (Indian flatbreads), drizzle some chutney or ketchup, top with sliced cucumbers and onions and roll it up. Voila! You have a ready-to-go snack all prepared.
• For brunch or lunch – Have a couple of kebabs with parathas on a plate, like a regular meal if you’re feeling especially ravenous.
• And why just bread, you can have kebabs with rice if you so fancy!

There are no rules to follow here, people. Just go with what makes you happy.

Personally, I love lamb kebabs with parathas 🙂

What’s your favourite way to have them?

lamb kebabs with green chutney

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

Shallow fried lamb mince cutlets with flaky brown crusts and soft insides. This lamb kebabs recipe is perfect with hot parathas and cilantro and mint chutney!

• Author: Saima Zaidi
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 20 kebabs 1x
• Category: Appetizers/Lunch
• Cuisine: Indian

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

Kebab ingredients:

• 2 lb lean, ground lamb
• 4–5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2” piece ginger, peeled and chopped coarsely
• ½ cup split chickpea lentils, soaked in water for 10 mins and drained
• 1 small onion, chopped in four pieces
• 1 small onion, cut omelette style
• 4 cloves
• 8–10 peppercorns
• 1 black cardamom
• 4 small green cardamom
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp red chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves
• 1 green chilli, chopped finely
• 3–4 tbsp light olive oil for shallow frying
• sea salt

Green chutney ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh coriander leaves
• 1 bunch fresh mint leaves
• ½ tomato
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small green chilli
• 2 tbsp water
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Put the mince in a stovetop pressure cooker along with all the ingredients except the oil, omelette style onion, coriander leaves and green chilli. Do not add any water. Mix with a large spoon. After one whistle, turn down the heat to minimum and cook for 15 mins. Let the steam escape naturally and open the cooker when cool.
2. Grind the cooked mince in a food processor and transfer to a shallow dish. The mince should have a dough like consistency.
3. Add the omelette-style onion, coriander leaves and green chilli. Mix well.
4. Apply a little oil to the palms of your hands and shape the mince into flat, round kebabs.
5. Heat oil in a shallow, non-stick pan and fry the kebabs on medium heat until browned and crisp. Flip and repeat on the other side. Serve hot.

Green Chutney

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend till done. Serve in a small bowl with the kebabs.

Notes

1. If there is water in the mince when you open the pressure cooker, don’t fret. Just cook the mince on a medium flame for some time until all the water dries off. Keep an eye on the mince though, don’t let it burn! If the mince has excess water, you won’t be able to shape it into kebabs.
2. Split chickpea lentils (chana dal) are easily available in Indian grocery stores or in the international aisles of supermarkets like Walmart. If you can’t find them, add some cornflour to the ground mince and shape into kebabs. Some people also add egg batter or even cornflour to the mince. Whatever it is, be sure to add some kind of binding agent, or the kebabs will not hold together when you fry them. 

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 kebab
• Calories: 121.8
• Sodium: 146.7 mg
• Fat: 9.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 2 g
• Protein: 7 g
• Cholesterol: 30 mg

Did you make these lamb kebabs? Don’t forget to give the recipe a star rating below!