Tender meat patties made from beef and split chickpea lentil. Perfect to serve as side or make a big batch for freezing.
Shami Kebabs are an all-purpose, freezer-friendly Pakistani dish. Serve them as a side with Pea Pulao, enjoy as a teatime snack, or turn them into a quick sandwich for lunch. In most Pakistani households, you’ll find a batch of Shami Kebabs stocked in the freezer—perfect for reheating and serving whenever needed.
What is a Shami Kebab?
Shami Kebabs are flavorful meat patties made with ground meat, chana dal (split chickpeas), and aromatic spices. Unlike kebabs like Seekh Kebab or Gola Kebab, which are made from raw meat and grilled or fried, Shami Kebabs are first cooked, then shaped into patties and pan-fried.
There are many variations — they can be made with minced or boneless beef, chicken, or even lamb. They’re a popular Pakistani freezer staple, often served as a snack, appetizer, or in sandwiches.
Ingredients for Shami Kebabs
Here’s what you’ll need to make delicious Shami Kebabs:
- Oil (for frying): Canola oil or any neutral oil works well.
- Meat: Use lean beef chunks with no fat for best texture.
- Split Chickpeas (Chana Dal): These act as a natural binder and add body to the mixture.
- Spices: A blend of red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin, and garam masala gives the kebabs their rich, layered flavor.
- Green Chillies: For heat and added depth of flavor.
- Onion: Adds moisture and a slight sweetness.
- Fresh Coriander: Brightens the mixture and enhances the aroma.
- Egg: Helps hold everything together during frying.
What Sort of Meat to use for Shami Kebabs?
Authentic Shami kebabs are made from beef chunks. Ground/mincemeat is also widely used but there is a bit of difference in the texture not as much in the taste as such. Meat chunks give the shami kebab the proper authentic texture. It’s like pulled meat with very thin silky threads.
You can also use boneless chicken to make chicken shami kebabs.
The cooking time varies for each type of meat used as well as cooking method. Cooking time for chicken is usually 15 minutes and goat or lamb is 20 minutes.
How to Make Shami Kebabs
Shami Kebabs may look complicated, but they’re actually simple to prepare — especially if you use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. You can also cook them in a regular pot; it just takes a little longer.
- Start by adding the meat, chana dal (split chickpeas), whole spices, and a small amount of water to a pressure cooker. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is very tender and most of the moisture has evaporated.
- Transfer the cooked mixture to a large bowl. Using a heavy spoon or wooden spatula, mash the mixture until smooth — or pulse it in a food processor for a finer texture. Let it cool down.
- Add egg and chopped coriander, mix with hands until well combined.
- Make small patties and then shallow fry them until golden brown on both sides.
QUICK HACK TO SHAPE THE SHAMI KEBABS
Shaping Shami Kebabs can be the most time-consuming and tricky part, especially when making a large batch.
Here’s a simple hack that speeds up the process and helps you get perfectly even-sized kebabs every time:
- Take a small bottle or jar lid and line it with cling film, leaving some excess hanging over the edges.
- Press enough meat mixture firmly into the lid to fill it completely.
- Carefully lift the lid, then flip it over and gently peel away the cling film to release the shaped kebab into your hand.
This method saves time and gives you uniformly shaped kebabs without the hassle!
Watch How to Make Shami Kebabs
How to Freeze the Shami Kebabs
I like to freeze the fully cooked kebabs. Once they are fried allow them to cool down, put them in an air tight container or zip lock bag.
When ready to consume, thaw them slightly or microwave them for a minute. Then heat them in a pan with little oil.
Serving Ideas for Shami Kebabs
Here are some of the ways to enjoy Shami Kebabs. Try any of these or be inspired to find your own combination:
- Serve them with tomato sauce, chilli sauce or Mint Chutney and enjoy with cup of Chai.
- Make a sandwich with your favourite bread and sauce. Toast the bread slightly or enjoy it untoasted.
- Make a shami kebab burger, add any cheese, salad leaves and sauce and build your own burger.
- Serve the kebabs as a side with Pea Pulao or Pulao
Other Kebabs Recipe to Try
Perfect Shami Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 kg Boneless Beef (Cut In Cubes) See Notes for other options
- ¾ cup Split Chickpea lentil
- 1 Medium Onion
- 1 cup Coriander/Cilantro
- 1 tsp Ginger paste
- 1 tsp Garlic Paste
- 2-3 Green Chilliies
- 1½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Chilli Flakes
- ½ tsp Tumeric Powder
- 1½ tsp Garam Masala
- Salt to taste
- 2 Eggs
- Oil for Shallow Frying
Instructions
- Wash and soak split chickpea lentil for around 1 hr or more.
- In a Pressure cooker add meat, split chickpea lentil, onion, green chilli and all the spices except garam masala. Add 1 cup of water, cover the pressure cooker and cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes meat would be tender and falling apart. The cooking time for meat really depends on quality and type of meat. If after 20 minutes the meat is still tough, pressure cook for another 5-7 minutes. Make sure there is some water before cooking it again. If there is some water in the meat, dry it off on high heat.
- Once the meat is tender it should easily fall apart when pressed with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat on medium so that any moisture left is evaporated. Keep mixing to prevent it from sticking to the pot.
- Transfer a mixture into a wide dish or bowl. Using a heavy wooden spoon or potato masher pound the meat until it is pulled apart and forms a mixture.
- Add chopped coriander/cilantro, green chillies, garam masala and eggs. Mix until combined well. The mixture should be able to hold its shape when pressed together.
- Divide the mixture into small portions and make patties.
- In a pan heat oil and shallow fry kebabs while turning them over. Once golden on both sides drain them over a paper towel.
- Serve Immediately with sauce of your choice.
Notes
- Make sure the beef is fat free.
- You can choose between beef, chicken, lamb or goat. If using chicken use breast fillet, you can also add some thigh fillets. For lamb and goat use lean fat free meat preferably boneless or leg cut into pieces as they have minimum bones in it.
- For Chicken add 3/4 cup if water and cook in pressure cooker for 15 minute.
- For goat or lamb use 1 cup of water and cook in pressure cooker for 20 minute.
Best Shami Kebabs ever. Its so easy. I love the hack of shaping them, thanks for sharing it
Thanks for trying it out Mariam. Yes i agree, it definitely makes it easier to shape them using g the hack!
I love this recipe. Finally I was able to make the perfect tasting kebabs with authentic flavour. I got lots of compliments on these kebabs.
Thankyou for trying this recipe
I made a batch of these kebabs over the weekend. Love the recipe and more than that the hack to shape them. I couldn’t get over the fact that all the kebabs were evenly shaped and looked so professional. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Thankyou for trying the recipe. I agree the shaping hack makes the perfectly sized kebabs, it is very handy.