Attempt #5 – Veggie Shami Kabab/Indian Style Veggie Burger

Veggie Shami Kabab V5.0

I was recently asked to write an article for my alumni newsletter related to the comfort food we consumed in college. One of the key ingredients of a sandwich from those days was a meat patty, a Shami Kabab, to be precise, and that started my craving to have one.

For those of you who don’t know, a Shami Kabab is a deep fried or pan fried meat patty that is very popular in North India and Pakistan. Eaten with a mint chutney, chopped raw onion and lemon juice, it is the perfect snack to have with beer. The name Shami comes from Sham (which means Syria in Persian). Legend has it that these type of kababs were introduced to North India during Mughal times by Syrian immigrants.

Shami Kababs were my lifeline to half-decent food when I was in boarding school. The food at the school, like boarding schools the world over, was terrible. However, there was a mosque right across from our school that had a little tea shop that sold Shami kababs. That is where I headed to whenever the school food was just too much to take.

Since I don’t eat meat anymore, I do miss the kababs. But I have been trying over the years to create a veggie substitute. Here is the latest attempt and it is pretty good.

NOTE: You can use the kababs as veggie burgers. They taste really good with all the fixins’.

INGREDIENTS (for 5-6 kababs)

50g Dry chana dal (Yellow split peas) – soak them in water for about an hour. They will cook faster.

1 medium potato

Cooking oil

1/2 Medium onion finely chopped

1 Thai green chili

200g Morningstar Veggie Crumbles (or real minced meat)

1 tsp minced ginger

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 Tbsp Shan shami kabab mix (go easy on this stuff, it is STRONG)

½ tsp Garam masala

Salt to taste

1 Egg white

STEPS

1. Cook the chana dal and boil the potato.

2. Drain the water from the cooked dal.

3. Peel the potato and mash with the dal. Set aside.

2. Finely chop the onion and mix with garlic and ginger.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a frying pan.

4. Add onion, garlic and ginger to hot oil till the onion start to brown.

5. Add veggie crumbles, and let it cook for 1-2 mins.

6. Add the potato/dal mix and mash everything together.

7. Add the green chili and spice powders and let it cook. If it is too liquidy, let the water evaporate. If it is too dry add some water.

8. Cook on low heat till the mixture looks well blended and the water has evaporated.  About 10 minutes. NOTE: If you are using real minced meat you will need to cook till the meat is completely cooked. The time will vary based on meat.

9. Let it cool and adjust the seasoning. Add the egg white for binding. Mash as though your life depended on it and make the mixture really homogenous.

10. Roll into balls and flatten into patties about 3 inches in diameter.

11. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a frying pan and pan fry on both sides. TIP: You can also deep-fry the kababs if you like.

Attempt #4 at a veggie shami kabab

Veggie Shami Kababs – Attempt #4

As many of you know, I have been at this for a while. Ever since I quit eating meat, Shami Kababs are something I have sorely missed. For the uninitiated, Shami Kababs are an extremely popular appetizer in North India and Pakistan. They are typically made with beef or ground goat meat, bound with Chana Daal and spices. The belief is that Mughal invaders introduced this dish to the Indian palate and that these came over with Syrian cooks that the Mughals brought with them (the Sham in Shami, refers to Syria).

I had not attempted these in a while and then when my mother made the Chickpeas Veggie Patties recently, it rekindled a desire to try and make Veggie Shami Kababs again. The reason being that Veggies Patties, made with Chickpeas, had a taste profile that intersected quite heavily with the taste of Shami Kababs. To add the meaty texture I once again relied on the trusty Morningstar Meat Crumbles (Soy-based meat crumbles). I sauteed the meat crumbles in a little oil with some salt and red chili powder and then mixed them into the veggie patty mixture (see recipe here). I then pan fried the veggie patties with a little oil on both sides.

I am happy to report that this attempt was successful. The veggie kababs were flavorful and had a great texture. The best part was I didn’t need to use the dreaded Shami Kabab Masala, whose proportion I never seem to be able to get right.

I hope you try these with some leftover Cholle. They make a wonderful hors d’oeuvres and are very easy to make. Serve them with some green chutney and you will be in appetizer heaven.