Veg Shami Kebabs
Crunchy from outside and melt in mouth from inside , these vegetarian shami kebabs are silky, incredibly flavorful and super tasty. Shami Kebab is an Awadhi dish made with minced meat, lentils and spices. My recipe is a vegetarian version made with soya mince/ quorn mince, lentils and aromatic spices served with coriander chutney, onion rings and lemon wedges.
These kebabs can also be eaten as a patty in your burgers, a filling in your rolls or a sandwich. When served on a buttery naan with salad, onion rings and coriander mint chutney , you won’t be able to stop at one.
Ingredients required :
Quorn mince/ Soya chunks : Quorn mince is easily available in UK. I used quorn in the recipe but it can be easily substituted with soya chunks . This is the key ingredient in the recipe and a source of plant based protein.
Lentils : Chana dal also known as skinned split chickpeas acts as binding agent and imparts a mouth melting texture to the kebabs .
Seasonings : Ground spices like red chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala along with whole spices like cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves are used to enhance aroma and give extra flavor to the kebabs.
Herbs : Ginger, garlic , coriander and mint add a refreshing flavor to the kebabs
Onions and green chillies
Pro Tip :
- Kebab mix can be made the day before and refrigerate overnight . They will be easier to shape and have better texture.
- Shami Kebabs are freezer friendly. Shape into patties and freeze. They can be shallow fried directly from frozen.
Vegetarian Shami Kebabs
Ingredients
To pressure cook together
- 300 gms quorn mince OR 1½ Cup soya chunks
- ½ cup chana dal washed and soaked for 1hour ( more if you have time )
- 1 medium potato peeled and chopped roughly
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 2-3 dry red chillies
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 Bay leaf
- 3-4 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 cup water
Other ingredients :
- 2 small onions chopped finely
- 2-3 green chillies chopped
- 14-15 mint leaves finely chopped
- a handful coriander leaves finely chopped
- ½ inch ginger grated
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 3-4 tbsp oil to fry ( or more if necessary)
Instructions
- First of all, wash the chana dal throughly and soak it for 1 hour (longer if you have time).
- Next , take quorn mince, chopped potato, saoked chana dal, garlic, ginger , red chillies , red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin seeds , cloves, salt and a bay leaf and add 1 cup of water ( add all the ingredients listed under the list - pressure cook together) . Cook for 3-4 whistles. Switch off heat. ( or you can cook all these together in a deep pan until everything is cooked, daal is soft and the moisture is gone )
- If cooking in Insta pot, cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
- Once the steam is escaped naturally, check if there is still any water in it. If there is still some water left, put it back on medium heat and let it cook until it is completely dry. The chana dal should be completely cooked and mushy. Keep stirring and don't let it burn. It will be difficult to bind if there is any moisture in it, so the mix should be completely dry.
- Once it is cooled down,remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf and discard. Transfer the mix to a food processor and process it until it resembles a paste scraping the sides several times in between. Do it in batches if necessary.
- Take it out in a wide bowl. Mix chopped onions, green chillies , mint leaves, coriander leaves, grated ginger and garam masala in the quorn mix. Mix everything nicely.
- Apply a little oil on your hands and make small round shaped kebabs or patties . Don't make them very thin or they will break.
- Refrigerate the patties for 30-40 minutes (or overnight if you have time ).
- Heat oil on medium heat in a frying pan in a thin layer as the kebabs need to be shallow fried. Once the oil is hot , add the shaped kebabs into pan (without over crowding) and let them fry for a minute. After a minute , move the kebabs around so they are evenly browned.
- Once you see golden crust on inside edges, flip the kebabs carefully and cook. They should be golden brown and crisp from both sides.
- Serve garnished with lemon wedges and onion rings accompanied with mint coriander chutney.
- Enjoy!!
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