Chapli kebab is the king of all kababs. It has a crunchy texture and tangy and nutty taste. It is full of aromas and bursting with flavors.
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Origin:
Chapli kabab is a specialty of Pukhtun Cuisine, the food of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province of Pakistan. These chapli kebabs are also called Peshawari kabab named after Peshawar, the capital city in the same province. You can learn more about chapli kabab here!
The word chapli is derived from chaprikh which means 'to flatten' in the Pashto language. The kebabs are round and flattened minced meat cutlets with coarsely grounded spices and chopped tomatoes.
They have also spelled chapli kabab or Chapli kebab. These kababs are widely sold in neighboring Afghanistan and hence, also called Afghan chapli kabab.
I just love kebab because they are high in protein and loaded with a good fat as Draxe.com call them. Here are more Pakistani kebabs like keema cutlets, keema samosa, shami kebab, and seekh kebab.
Why this recipe taste so good?
- High in Fat: This is most important for chapli kebab because the mince has high fat. Consider adding tallow in the mince that also helps bind the kebab. I used butter as it is readily available but if you have tallow, that is best.
- Whole spices: The crunch and flavor from whole spices like dried pomegranate arils, cumin, and coriander are very uniques and delicious.
- Moisture: Moisture goes in this recipe through onions and tomatoes. Make sure to squeeze excess water from onions before adding to the kebab. Add tomatoes just before frying the kebab as they can release too much water and break the kabab.
- So easy: These kababs are so easy to make just mix, marinate and fry.
- Fry in tallow or ghee: This can make a major flavor change.
Ingredient and Substitutes
Below is an image of spices and veggies that go in the kabab marination. Apart from it tomato, cornmeal, and egg are also added which is visible in the steps image.
- Mince: While mince of other kabab is processed twice for a fine texture. Chapli kabab's mince is processed just once and is like regular coarse mince (keema). It has 30% fat. Extra fat in the mince keeps the kabab moist and soft. It also binds the kabab and prevents it from breaking.
- Spices: These kababs have a strong aroma of various spices. You need basic Indian spices to make chapli kabab. One less common spice is dried pomegranate arils. You can find it easily in Indian stores. If you can't find it, substitute it with mango powder ( AKA amchoor powder).
- 1 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses can also be a good substitute. The pomegranate arils add both tangy flavor and gritty texture to the kabab. Another common but non-staple spice is fennel seeds (AKA sauf), but it is optional.
- Red chili flakes: I'm using red chili flakes to control the heat in the recipe. You can switch red chili with a load of slices of green chilies that are more authentic.
- Onion: Onions add some sweetness and taste to the recipe, just be sure to squeeze excess onion water.
- Tomato: Use firm and ripened tomatoes. Avoid soft and tender tomatoes with loads of water. Add tomatoes just before frying and roll kebab as go.
- Cornmeal: This ingredient is not the same as cornflour. Cornmeal is yellow slightly gritty flour that binds the kebab and absorbs the moisture. Adjust the measure if kebab is breaking.
- Egg: This ingredient also helps bind the kebab.
- Butter: These are high-fat kabab, usually, animal fat is added to the mince, I didn’t have tallow in hand so I used, clarified butter which will keep the chapli kebab moist.
- Green chilies, ginger, and garlic: Freshly minced or paste are best.
- Authenticlly white bone marrow pieces and fried scrambled eggs are also embedded in the kabab to make special chapli kebab. But I found them both extra effort as the classic version is so good itself.
How to make it?
Overall the chapli kebabs are quite easy to make. I know, the making of spice mix is a bit of extra effort but you can make it ahead. And the taste of freshly roasted spices is bursting with flavors.
What makes Chapli kabab so unique is the spice blend. We'll begin by preparing the spice blend. You can prepare this spice blend ahead in fact if you make this kabab often, I suggest double or tripling the spice mix recipe and storing it in the fridge. It'll stay good for up to a year.
- Dry roast whole spices (coriander, cumin, pomegranate, and fennel seeds) in a pan for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Remove the pan from heat and add powdered spices to the hot pan. Stir for a few seconds so the powdered spices also yield some fresh aroma. Then transfer the spice mix to a food processor.
- Crushed the spices coarsely. Just 2-3 pulses are enough to break the spices, do not ground them into fine powder. Chapli kabab spice mix is ready, you can store it in the pantry for a few weeks or in the fridge for months.
- Take mince in a bowl, add onions, clarified butter, chapli kabab spice mix, green chilies, ginger, garlic, and fresh coriander, and mix well. Marinate for 30 minutes at least. (Preferably 4-6 hours in the fridge.)
- Before making the kababs, add an egg, tomatoes, and cornmeal. Cornmeal makes the kabab crunchy alternately you can also add wheat flour.
- Do a taste test by frying a small petty of kabab. Adjust spices and salt if required. This step is not necessary but it is always worth the effort to get the perfect taste.
- Now roll out a flat patty (kabab) from mince dough. The size of a restaurant-style kabab is very big. We find these smaller and single-serving kababs easier to handle. ( You can embed a slice of tomato instead of adding chopped tomato in each petty, but it is mostly discarded and not eaten.)
- Fry kabab on medium heat for 2 minutes on each side until golden, then turn heat to high and cook further for a few seconds for crispy edges. Serve hot with naan and chutney.
How to serve?
Honestly, I'm a big fan of chapli kabab and I can eat all of it alone. Spicy mint coriander chutney or tamarind chutney or raita pair well with these kababs. Traditionally, these are served with tandoori naan.
But they taste great with rice too like afghani Pulao. They pair as great protein side with daal chawal too.
Experts' Tips and Variations
- Ground Meat: you can use ground beef, lamb, or chicken for this recipe. Remember the fattier the better.
- Some people add a scrambled egg to the chapli kabab but I feel it is an extra step with not much taste. You can add scrambled eggs (made with 2 eggs) with tomatoes in the recipe.
- Most commercial dhabas add MSG in chapli kabab for the flavor kick. But I feel the recipe tastes great on its own.
- Chapli kababs are shallow fried in tallow (charbi ka tel), which is hard fat obtained from cows. You can learn more about tallow here. If you do not have tallow then shallow fry in ghee.
FAQ and Trouble Shooting
A lack of fat in mince can make the kabab dry and break. Make sure the mince has 20%-30 fat. The lack of a binding agent can also cause the kabab to break. The usual binding agent for chapli kabab is flour, usually wheat flour or cornmeal. Lastly, if you add tomato to the marination. Tomatoes will release excess moisture and break the kebab while frying. So make sure to add tomatoes just before frying.
If your chapli kabab is breaking while frying, you can try one or both of the two tricks. If the mince mixture is too moist add extra flour to bind it. Or if the mixture is stiff and can absorb little moisture, add a few tablespoons of a beaten egg. Do not add whole egg altogether as this will make the mixture too soft and difficult to roll into kabab. So go slow adding just one tablespoon at a time.
Since these are high-fat kabab, they can make a great keto main course. Make sure to reduce or skip onions and tomatoes. Use almond flour instead of cornflour as a binding agent. Also, add extra bone marrow pieces and or in the center of the kabab when you roll it. Some people also add scrambled eggs to the raw mince to mimic fat like the taste.
Chapli kabab is a large and flattened ground meat patty. It has a crunchy texture due to coarsely grounded spices. Tangy and nutty taste that comes from dried pomegranate aril. It is very more flavorful compared to other kabab.
Want more Kabab recipes? Check these!
If you try this chapli kebab recipe, I'd LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments. Your 5-ratings motivate me to do my best. Stay connected for more recipes and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube.
📖 Recipe
Chapli Kebab
Ingredients
Whole Spices
- 1½ tablespoon dried pomegranate arils, (anar dana) more if like extra crunch
- 2 tablespoon red chilli flakes, adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1½ tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ tablespoon fennel seeds, (sauf), optional
Ground spices
- ½ tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder, (for color, substitute with paprika)
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon black salt, or pink salt or just salt
- ½ teaspoon gram masala powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
For Kabab
- ½ kg ground meat, (lamb or beef) 20-30% fat
- 1 cup chopped onion, about 1 large, squeeze excess water (if any) and discard
- 1 cup cornmeal , or maizemeal (makai ka atta)
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
- 2 tablespoon chopped green chilli
- 2 tablespoon butter, (or clarified butter )
- ¾ cup chopped tomato, squeeze excess water and discard
- Ghee , or butter or tallow
Instructions
For Spice Mix
- Roast cumin, coriander, dried pomegranate aril and fennel seed in a pan for 1 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Immediately, add ground spices in the hot pan and stir for few second. Transfer spices to a food processor and crushed them lightly to get a coarse powder. Set aside.
For chapli kabab
- In large bowl take mince, spice mix, green chillies, ginger, garlic, onions, fresh corriander and butter, mix well. Marinate for 30 minutes.(Preferably 4-6 hours.)
- Just before frying, add tomato, egg and cormeal. Mix well until mince gets a dough like consistency.Protip: Fry a small petty of kabab and do a taste test. Adjust if needed. (This step is optional.)
- Roll out balls of kabab and flatten with hands.
- Shallow fry kabab in clarified butter or tallow for 2-3 minutes on medium flame until crispy and lighty charred.
Notes
- Ground Meat: You can use ground beef, lamb, or chicken for this recipe. Remember the fattier the better. Ground meat or mince needs to have 20% to 30% fat. Extra fat in the mince keeps the kabab moist and soft. It also binds the kabab and prevents it from breaking.
- Spices: Dried pomegranate arils can be found in Indian stores. If you can't find it, substitute it with mango powder ( AKA amchoor powder) or 2 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses can also be a good substitute. Fennel seeds (AKA sauf), is also optional.
- Red chili flakes: I'm using red chili flakes to control the heat in the recipe. You can switch red chili with a load of slices of green chilies that is the more authentic way.
- Onion: Onions add some sweetness and taste to the recipe, just be sure to squeeze excess onion water.
- Tomato: Use firm and ripened tomatoes. Avoid soft and tender tomatoes with loads of water. Add tomatoes just before frying and roll kebab as go.
- Cornmeal: This ingredient is not the same as cornflour. Cornmeal is yellow slightly gritty flour that binds the kebab and absorbs the moisture. Adjust the measure if kebabs are breaking.
- Egg: This ingredient also helps to bind the kebab.
- You can add scrambled eggs (made with 2 eggs) along with tomatoes in the recipe.
- Most commercial dhabas add MSG in chapli kabab for the flavor kick. But I feel the recipe tastes great on its own.
- Chapli kababs are shallow fried in tallow (charbi ka tel), which is hard fat obtained from cows. You can learn more about tallow here. If you do not have tallow then shallow fry in ghee or butter.
- Store Chapli Kabab: Cooked Chapli kabab can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight jar. Reheat in a covered plate in the microwave before serving. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
Jameela Kapasi says
It turned out to be amazing and soo scrumptious!! Simply delicious!! The clear instructions and useful tips helped to achieve the perfect result in the very first try! It was a family hit. Thank you Mariam!!
Mariam Sodawater says
Thank you so much for such elaborate praises. My pleasure!
Fatima Kaisar says
This was super helpful!! Can i freeze the marinated mixture if i've already added tomatoes in it?
Recipe 52 says
Freezing is not a good idea, the mince, onions, tomatoes, will release more water upon freezing and you have to adjust so much to make this kebab. They are more likely to break.
Shilpa says
Such a flavorful recipe, love the easy to follow recipe!
Recipe 52 says
Thanks Shilpa. I'm glad you find it easy to follow.:)