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Chapli Kebab

Chapli Kebab

By Courtney HillApril 9, 2021

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    1 hour
  • Active time plus cooling
    30 minutes active
  • Rating

Chapli kebabs, a popular South Asian street food, are not grilled skewers of meat. Rather, they’re patties of ground meat seasoned with bold aromatics and fragrant spices that are fried on a flat surface until well-browned and crisp on both sides. We add egg to ours to keep the texture rich and tender, plus a little starch to help with binding and browning. Chickpea flour, also known as gram flour, is commonly used in chapli kebab, but all-purpose flour works just as well, so use whichever you prefer. The kebabs get a little spiciness and color from Kashmiri chili powder, a vivid-red pure chili powder; cayenne pepper is a fine substitute, but since it runs hotter, you may wish to add the lesser amount. We discovered that if the ground beef is very fine, the patties are liable to puff up as they cook, but pressing on them with a metal spatula during frying helps keep them thin and flat. The kebabs are delicious tucked into warmed flatbread, along with fresh cilantro and sliced onion and tomato, then finished with cool, creamy yogurt.

Tip

Don’t cook the kebabs immediately after forming them. The patties are quite thin and delicate; refrigerating them for at least 30 minutes after shaping makes them easier to handle. Also, don’t crank up heat when cooking the patties. Medium heat works well for browning and crisping.

Ingredients
  • 1

    pound 80 percent lean ground beef

  • 1

    medium red onion, half finely chopped, half thinly sliced, reserved separately

  • ½

    cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus ¼ cup lightly packed leaves

  • 3

    medium garlic cloves, minced

  • 2

    Fresno or jalapeño chilies, stemmed, seeded and minced

  • 1

    teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed

  • 1

    teaspoon garam masala

  • ½-1

    teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or cayenne pepper

  • 3

    tablespoons all-purpose flour or chickpea flour (see headnote)

  • 1

    large egg, beaten

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 3

    tablespoons neutral oil or ghee, divided

  • Flatbread, to serve

  • Yogurt, to serve

  • Sliced tomato, to serve

Step 1

Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. In a medium bowl, combine the beef, chopped onion, chopped cilantro, garlic, chilies, coriander, garam masala, chili powder, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Mix until well combined. Add the flour and egg, then using your hands, mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined; the mixture will be slightly sticky.

Step 2

With lightly greased hands, form the mixture into 8 evenly sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Press down on each to form patties no thicker than ¼ inch. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Step 3

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium, heat 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add half of the patties and cook until well browned on the bottoms, occasionally pressing them with a spatula to keep them thin and flat, 3 to 5 minutes.

Flip and cook, pressing the patties, until deeply browned on the second sides and the centers are no longer pink when cut into, another 3 to 5 minutes; adjust the heat as need if the patties brown too quickly or slowly.

Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Cook the remaining patties in the same way using the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Serve with the sliced onion, cilantro sprigs, flatbread, sliced tomato and yogurt.

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