Chapli kebab recipe

A wide, flat Pashtun beef patty whose crunch comes from dried pomegranate seeds and coarsely crushed coriander seeds bound with toasted maize flour.

1 hour and 15 minutesmedium12 ingredients

Ingredients

• 500 g ground beef
• 2 tbsp dried pomegranate seeds
• 3 tbsp coriander seeds
• 4 tbsp maize flour
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 2 green chili
• 1 bunch fresh coriander
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 4 tbsp ghee
• 1.5 tsp salt

How to make Chapli kebab

1. Toast 3 tbsp coriander seeds in a dry pan for 3-4 minutes, add 3 tbsp dried pomegranate seeds and crush them coarsely in a mortar; keep them gritty, never a fine powder, because that crunch is the signature of the kebab.
2. Toast 4 tbsp maize flour in the same dry pan for 4-5 minutes until it smells nutty, then let it cool.
3. Finely dice 1 onion, 2 green chilies, 1 tomato and a handful of fresh coriander, then squeeze the tomato and onion dry; extra water makes the patties fall apart in the pan.
4. Mix 500 g coarsely ground beef with the crushed spices, the toasted maize flour, the chopped vegetables, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 beaten egg and 1.5 tsp salt, knead 2 minutes and rest 30 minutes in the fridge.
5. Shape wide flat patties about 12 cm across and 1 cm thick; a chapli kebab is sandal-shaped and thin, not a meatball.
6. Melt 4 tbsp ghee in a wide pan over medium heat, shallow enough that the patties sit in fat rather than swim; kebab houses use beef or lamb tallow.
7. Press a slice of the second tomato onto each patty and fry 4-5 minutes per side until the crust is dark and crisp.
8. Drain briefly and serve hot with naan, raw sliced onion and a wedge of lemon.

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