Step-by-step guide to making seekh kebabs at home without a tandoor

Succulent Seekh Kebabs are the appetizers everyone seeks on a kebab platter. What’s not to love about spiced meat mince moulded into cylindrical bites around a skewer (seekh) that dissolve in your mouth?

Often it’s the lack of a tandoor – the traditional clay oven that restaurants and chefs use to grill kebabs to perfection using just dry heat. Then there’s also the pesky business of moulding pliant mince around a skewer without the sausages falling apart or disintegrating at the slightest touch.

Luckily, you can make juicy seekh kebabs at home by simply pan-frying them.

Follow the detailed steps in the video and pictures below and you’ll have the aroma of sizzling kebabs wafting around your kitchen in no time.

Serves: 6 skewers

Preparation time: 15 mins + 30 mins marinating time

Cooking time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients

500gm boneless lamb meat with fat removed

50gm of Amul Cheese

20gm ginger

30gm garlic, peeled

2 ½ tbsp Kashmiri chili Powder

1 tbsp Garam masala

4 ½ tsp cumin powder

4 ½ tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp green Cardamom powder

2 tsp salt

1 lime or lemon

50gm salted butter

4 pcs green chili

15gm coriander leaves

15gm mint leaves

4 tsp of fried onions

2 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter), for frying

2 tsp chat masala, for seasoning

Method

Step 1: Making the lamb mince

1. Place the lamb meat in a large bowl.

2. Then add the ginger, garlic, fried onion, herbs and green chillies, mint and coriander leaves, garam masala and other spice.

3. Add the butter and cheese too. Season with salt and mix well with both hands rubbing all ingredients into the meat.

Tip: The reason we add cheese is because the lamb is fat-free and the cheese adds juiciness to it.

4. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Step 2: Shaping the seekh kebabs

1. Transfer the marinated lamb to a mixer, blender or food processor and process to a fine paste. Don’t add water while mincing. If you find your mince is on the dryer side, add some oil to it instead, so the kabab will cook in fat.

2. Transfer the mince to a bowl and check the seasoning and mix well. The consistency of the mince shouldn’t be very dense or watery.

3. Moisten your hands with water and divide the mixture into 8 to 10 equal portions and roll them into balls. The fat-rich mince is sticky and can stick to your hands.

4. Spread the meat ball along the length of wood or metal skewers, flattening the mixture into a sausage shape and moulding it around the skewers until the kebabs are 8cm to 10cm (3-4 inches) long each.

5. To mould the kebabs around the skewer and achieve a perfect cylindrical shape, gently use the space between thumb and index finger to run the mince through.

6. The seekh kabab’s thickness has to be proportionate throughout the skewer; it can’t be thick on one end and narrow on the other.

Tip: Alternatively, you can also shape your mince into burger-style patties or meatballs.

Step 3: Frying the kebabs

1. Heat the ghee in a large flat tawa, griddle or frying pan (skillet), just enough to grease the bottom of the pan as the lamb is already rich with cheese and butter. The perfect temperature would be somewhere around 180⁰C. You can also use butter or oil.

2. Gently arrange the kebab skewers on the tawa ensuring you keep some space between each kebab skewer. This helps you rotate the kabab on the pan holding just the ends of the skewer and ensure it is evenly cooked.

3. Fry on very low heat for 2-3 minutes. If the lamb kababs you’ve made have ended up on the thicker side, cover the pan with a lid to speed up the cooking process – 1 or 2 minutes per side is enough.

4. Carefully turn the kebab, add more ghee and roast the kebab for a further 2 to 3 minutes on all sides until golden brown and tender all over and is slightly charred.

Tip: If you’re frying the kebabs as a patty, cook it on each side for about 40-60 seconds.

Step 4: Checking doneness and plating

To check if your kebab has cooked properly, rotate the skewer while it’s still inside the kabab. If it swirls smoothly, the kebab is well-done.

When you remove the skewer from the kabab it should come clean with no raw mince sticking to the skewer.

Plating

1. Brush a plate with some mint chutney

2. Cut the puckered edges of the kabab so they’re a flat-edged cylindrical sausage.

3. Scatter some microgreens over the kabab and some onion rings. Sprinkle chat masala and lemon juice.

Note: This article was first published in June, 2021.

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