Chapli-Kabab Recipe

WHAT IS CHAPLI KABAB?

Chapli kabab are thin ground beef patties made with aromatics and spices. Unlike your usual grilled kebabs, Chapli Kabab are fried so they’re browned on the outside and tender on the inside. Chapli Kabab have a unique flavor, with ingredients like dried pomegranate seeds (anardana) to lend them a slight tang and coarsely ground coriander to enhance their already crispy exterior. Originally a delicacy around the Afghanistan and Pakistan frontier, they are now a popular street food and restaurant favorite.

INGREDIENTS

Only two of the required ingredients warrant a trip to the Desi Grocery Store:
Dried Pomegranate seeds (Anardana) Corn Flour (Makki ka atta) or Gram flour (Besan)

HOW TO MAKE CHAPLI KABAB

• Toast & grind the spices.Toasting deepens the flavor while removing the raw taste of the spices. Add them to a spice grinder (or even a food processor) along with the pomegranate seeds. Roughly crush.
• Toast the corn flour or gram flour. Again, enhances the nutty flavor of the corn flour. You can probably get away with not toasting, but I toast. It takes 5 minutes. You can do it. Or not. Follow your heart on this one.
• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, including the prepped ones above.
• Mix/knead the doughvigorously until you can see the stringy texture of the meat. You can also use the paddle attachment of a stand mixer to do this.
• Fry!There are 2 ways to do this. The first one is obvious. Shape into patties. But, if you can, smash them directly on the pan.