Where the galouti melts to a paste of finely pounded meat, the shami kebab is its sturdier cousin from the same Mughlai kitchens — minced meat boiled with chana dal until both collapse, ground to a smooth mass, then bound and fried into a firm little patty. The lentil is the difference: chana dal gives the shami its body and bite where the galouti has none, and the shami is studded with the chopped onion, green chilli, coriander and mint that galouti deliberately leaves out, bound with a beaten egg that keeps it from breaking in the pan. The name is said to point to Sham — greater Syria — and the cooks who carried it to the courts of Awadh and Delhi, where it became the everyday kebab, fried in ghee and eaten with green chutney, sliced onion and a squeeze of lime. This version follows Hina of Hinz Cooking, whose shami keeps the dal-and-mince base and the fresh herbs that set it apart from the galouti.
INGREDIENTS
- 500 g lamb or mutton mince
- 1 cup chana dal (split chickpeas, soaked 1 hour)
- 1 onion (quartered (for the boil))
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2.5 cm piece ginger
- 4 dried red chillies
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 1 tsp salt (for the boil, or to taste)
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 1 –2 green chillies (finely chopped)
- 3 tbsp chopped coriander
- 1 tbsp chopped mint
- 1 egg (beaten)
- oil or ghee (for shallow-frying)
- sliced onion (green chutney and lemon wedges, to serve)
METHOD
- Put the mince, drained chana dal, quartered onion, garlic, ginger, red chillies, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and salt in a pot with a little water.
- Cook until the meat and dal are very soft and every drop of liquid has gone, stirring near the end so it dries without catching.
- Pick out the whole spices, cool the mixture, then grind it to a smooth, firm mass.
- Mix in the chopped onion, green chilli, coriander and mint, then chill until firm.
- Shape into small flat patties, dip each in the beaten egg, and shallow-fry in hot oil or ghee until deep golden and crisp on both sides.
- Drain and serve hot with sliced onion, green chutney and lemon.
