Beef Shami Kabab!

I have been wanting to share this recipe for a few days now, but never got around to it. Well, better late than never!! Right? ;) Shami kebabs have been on my list of recipes to try for a long time now and a few days ago, I got the perfect opportunity to do just that, when we invited our friends over for Iftar. What attracted me to try this dish was that it required minimum effort, yet the result was lip smackingly good! These kebabs are to die for with a unique smoky flavor, melt in the mouth texture and a crunchy exterior.

Ingredients: 

To pressure cook:

• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Beef - 500g
• Chana dal (chickpea lentils) - 1/2 cup
• Ginger paste - 1 tsp
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Salt
• Water - 3 tbsp

Whole & powdered spices:

• Black peppercorns - 6
• Cinnamon - 1 stick, broken down into smaller pieces  
• Cardamom - 4
• Cloves - 5
• Bay leaf - 2
• Dry red chilli - 6 or Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin - 1/2 tsp
• Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp (optional)

Other ingredients:

• Red onion - 2 medium, finely chopped
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
• Mint leaves - a handful, chopped
• Green Chilli - 4, finely chopped 
• Egg - 2 (1 beaten, 1 whole)
• Ghee as required for shallow frying

Method:

• Wash the chana dal and soak it 1/2 an hour. In the meantime wash and drain the beef and keep it aside. 
• In a pressure cooker, heat 1 tbsp oil and add all the other ingredients under to pressure cook and whole & powdered spices and mix thoroughly. 
• Cook the mixture for 3 whistles on medium-low heat. Take off heat and let it rest till the pressure escapes. 
• Open the lid and cook again till all the water evaporates. Let the mixture cool for a bit before grinding it to a fine paste in a food processor. 
• Now incorporate all the items under other ingredients except the beaten egg and ghee, into the ground mixture and form a dough.
• To make the kebabs, take a small portion of the mixture and form them into small, round patties.
• Dip the patties in the beaten egg one by one and carefully place them on a plate.  
• Heat the ghee in a skillet and shallow fry the kebabs on both sides till golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
• Serve the kebabs with green chutney, ketchup or onion salad and lime.