Shami kebabs
Shami kebabs were apparently invented by a highly skilled chef for a toothless Nawab of Lucknow. The Nawab was so fat from overindulgence that he couldn’t get on a horse, and his teeth were all gone, presumably for the same reason. So a kebab was made so fine that it required no teeth to eat it. When I hear stories like that I’m inclined to think, ‘If you believe that, you’ll believe anything.’ But then again, it’s a nice story, and so are the kebabs – silky smooth and stuffed with just a little finely chopped onion, mint and green chilli.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 11 of 14 ingredients — the other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 11 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Lamb | 100g cooked | 294 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Pea | 1/2 cup (72g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Coriander | not in our table | 0 |
| Peppermint | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 90g/3¼oz chana dal (Bengal gram or split yellow peas), soaked in cold water for about an hour
- 2 medium onions
- 8 garlic
- 60g/2¼oz fresh root ginger
- 2 tbsp gheevegetable oil
- 500g/1lb 2oz lamb mince
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 fresh green chillies
- handful coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp black cumincumin
- 1 lime
- 1 free-range egg
- about 2 tbsp plain flour
- , for shallow-frying vegetable oil
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 lime
- 1 fresh green chilli
- handful mint
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- lime wedges, red onion