Shami kabab or shaami kabab is a South Asian variety of kebab, composed of a shallow fried small patty of minced meat, generally beef, but occasionally lamb or mutton (a chicken version exists as well), with ground chickpeas, egg as binder, and spices. It originates from the Lucknow region of the Indian subcontinent developed during the Mughlai cuisine. It is a popular dish in modern-day Indian cuisine, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisines.
They are often garnished with lemon juice and served with sliced raw onions as a side salad, and may be eaten with chutney made from mint or coriander.
Preparation
Shami kababs are boiled or sauteed meat (beef or lamb) and
chickpeas (
chana daal) with whole hot spices (
garam masala,
black pepper,
cinnamon,
cloves,
bay leaves), whole ginger, whole garlic and some salt to taste until completely tender. Onions, turmeric, chili powder, egg, chopped green coriander, chopped green chillies and chopped mint leaves may be added in preparing kebab. Garam masala powder (ground spices) may be used in place of whole hot spices.
The cooked meat is then ground in such a way that it is fibrous and does not become a paste. It is then shaped into diamond or round patties and is shallow fried. The Kashmiri variation uses a proportion of 3 parts mutton to 1 part lentils (chana) and is cooked and then ground to a paste consistency before frying the patties to a brown outer crust while keeping the inner soft.
File:Shami Kebab.jpg| Shami kebab ready for frying
Serving
Shami kebabs may be served with
roti along with ketchup, hot sauce,
Szechuan cuisine, chilli garlic sauce,
raita or
chutney. Before serving the kebabs, it is also common to dip them in a beaten egg mixture and double-fry them. They are also commonly eaten in
Hyderabad with cooked rice or chapati.
Etymology
There are several etymological explanations behind the shami kebab. One explanation is that the name of the dish derives from the word
shaam, which means "dinner" and "night" in
Persian language. It also means
evening in
Urdu language and
Hindi language. The name may also derive from the scent of an
Rose oil called
shamama.
The name
shami kebab may also refer to
Bilad al-Sham, the modern
Syria, as many cooks from that region migrated to the wealthy
Mughal Empire of South Asia during the
Middle Ages.
See also
