Learn how to make the most succulent, perfectly spiced Shami Kabab with rich stewing meat for that perfect traditional shredded meat texture and flavour! This recipe has been tested and retested with beef and mutton, in the instant pot, on the stove top and it works well each and every time!
Despite my love for most Pakistani beef recipes, for most of my life I had fairly lukewarm feelings towards Shami Kababs.
My husbands' family - more specifically his aunt - changed that. We went over on one of our Karachi trips and she made these Authentic Beef Boti Kababs that looked different than the very smooth ones I had grown up on. I took a bite and was actually blown away.
These kababs had actual texture, they were juicy, but not oily, the spices were headier than what I was used to and the hara masala more predominant. They became my gold standard for Shami Kabab and inspired these.
The secret? Beef/Mutton Boti NOT Keema. The stewing cubes give the kababs richness, texture, and unbelievable flavour. If you want a chicken version then these are PERFECT (if I do say so myself).
Oh and just in case you're wondering, these kababs are the perfect candidate for Bun Kababs. In my usual recipe I make daal ke kabab, but these Shami Kababs are SO good in there too!
6 Tips for the BEST Kababs
- The meat needs to be very close to 2lbs - changing the amount of meat affects texture.
- Soaking the Daal. Soaking the chana daal overnight or for 4-6 hours helps the daal dissolve completely.
- Fresh Ginger/Garlic: I love my pastes, but fresh it is here. Easy enough too since the food processor is already out!
- Onion in the Mix: This is KEY to tender juicy kababs. I have seen recipes without and tried it without and there is no question in my mind you need to have it.
- Grinding Masala: There is nothing like the magic of fresh masala. I have seen recipes where you roast and grind and while that extra step adds flavour it wasn't phenomenal enough (especially after freezing and defrosting) to be worth the extra work (in my humble opinion).
- Coarsely Chop the Green Masala: Make sure you leave the mint, coriander, chilies and onions at the end a little coarse because that adds both another level of texture and flavour!
How to Freeze & Store Shami Kabab
Shami Kabab are a popular, easy to store Ramadan friendly recipe, but like any food that you freeze, you need to be mindful of two things.
1.) Remember to flash freeze your Shami Kabab completely on a tray before transferring them to a bag.
2.) Make sure to take out any excess air from the freezer bag, you can fold over and press as much as you can out.
Shami Kabab keep well in the freezer for 6-9 months depending on how well packed they are.
Do remember that when you freeze Kababs some of the original pungency of the masala will dissipate!
Made these Shami Kababs? Share what you thought and don't forget to tag me on Instagram @flourandspiceblog ! Also please do rate the recipe below by clicking the number of stars you want to give it!
Juicy Shami Kabab - Instant Pot & Stovetop
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Beef/Mutton Stewing Meat cut into cubes (900g) close to exact please!
- 1 cup Chana Daal (200g) Soaked 4-6 hours or overnight (preferred)
- 2.5 inch piece Ginger
- 8 cloves Garlic
- ½ cup Diced Onion (half a medium-large onion) 50 to 60g
- ½ cup Water
Garam Masala
- 1 Black Cardamom
- 2 Green Cardamom Pods (just seeds or use ½ tsp cardamom powder) Optional
- 1.5 tsp Whole Coriander Seeds
- 1.5 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns
- 6-7 Cloves
- Small Cinnamon Stick (2 cm or ¾ inch)
- 2.5 tsp Salt (plus additional to adjust seasoning to taste)
- 2 tsp tsp Chilli Flakes or 1.5 tsp Powder
Green Masala
- ½ cup Cilantro 15-20g
- ½ cup Mint 15-20g
- 6 Green Chilies
- ½ Medium Onion 50-60 g
Instructions
- Grind all the Masalas in the Garam Masala section and set aside
- Now quickly run your ginger, garlic and onion from the first section through a food processor/ chopper or dice by hand.
Instant Pot
- Combine all the ingredients except the Hara Masala ones in the Instant Pot along with half a cup water and give it a mix
- Close the lid, set to seal and set to pressure for 30 Minutes then natural release (that means turn the machine off and walk away till the pressure releases, then open the valve.)
- When you open the lid to the instant pot there will still be some water left in it (see video) - turn on the saute function and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes until it is fairly dry - the mix will stick to the bottom.
Stovetop
- Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the green masala ones in a pot with 2.5-3 cups of water, bring to a boil and simmer on low for 50-60 minutes or until the meat and daal are tender. Check halfway through, add water if needed.
- Crank up the heat, dry up excess water, your meat mixture should start to stick. Set aside to cool a little.
Putting it all together
- While it's cooling run the Green Masala ingredients through the food processor to mince. Just a few short pulses will do the trick, you want a fine dice not a paste.
- Once the mixture is warm enough to handle then for extra meaty kababs you can simply go in with clean hands and mash it together or run it through the food processor to acheive a more paste like consistency (you won't lose the lovely meat texture entirely). These kababs will still be quite moreish. Process on high speed for 30 second intervals till the consistency is to your liking.
- Stir in ALL the hara masala - it will seem like a lot but it works.
- Shape the kababs to your preferred size. Tip: Damp palms make this easier so keep a bowl of water near you.
- FRY A TEST KABAB! This step is key so you know that taste and texture are on point and you can make any adjustments necessary.
- Flash freeze on a tray then move to a freezer safe container. Keep well for 6 months.
Annie says
Hi Sarah,
I tried your quick sevaiyan recipe I saw on Instagram. It turned out so good. I am new to cooking and I like quick and simple recipes. I wanted to make shami kababs but I don't have instant pot or pressure cooker. How can you make these kabab in a regular pot? I will really appreciate your reply. Thank you.
Sarah Mir says
HI Annie! Thrilled to hear that the sevaiyan worked out! Okay so for these kabab I'd double the water, bring it to a boil and simmer on low (covered) till everything is tender. Depending on how tough your boti is it'll take 45-55 minutes to get tender, if it doesn't then cook it a little more. From there on it's the same instructions as the IP - let me know how it turns out!
Sherry says
Kababs came out perfect! Made a dozen kababs. So please with results. Thank you for this recipe- it is so straightforward. Simplified my life.
Sarah Mir says
Thank you for making the recipe and sharing a quantity too! I must be making mine much smaller than average!
Sherry says
I’m shocking after making them just now I realised I had halved the recipe and gotten the exact dozen! I used full recipe just now and have a yield of two dozen! 😂 you must have thought i’m making some jumbo kababs. Haha! Sorry about that.
Sarah Mir says
hahaha no worries at all! I am glad the quantities make sense and thank you for sharing the clarification!
Liyana says
I made this but with chicken (please don’t hate me) and it turned out really good, love the fresh masala taste, my husband was impressed. Thank you for the well written recipe
Sarah Mir says
do not hate you at all! I actually get asked so often if it works with chicken and now I know! Would you be able to tell me if you used chicken breast or thigh? Thank you!!!!
Zeba says
Hi Sarah. I love this recipe and have used it a few times. I’m just wondering if you have tried it with chicken. How did it hold up?
Sarah Mir says
Hi Zeba! I am SO glad you've tried and love this recipe. I haven't tried it with chicken but I want to soon and I'll add a note here when I do!
Fatima says
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
The Shami kebabs turned out so delicious!!! And also made bun kebab with the kebabs! Sooo yummi! My husbands favorite now:)
Sarah Mir says
Can't even say how happy I am to hear that! Thank YOU!
Sundus says
I made this for beef eating family members - and they loved it and said it reminded them of authentic bun kebob!
My beef got stuck to the bottom of my instant pot and was an absolute disaster to clean up. Not sure what I did wrong so will be giving it another go.
Sarah Mir says
so first of all I am SO glad to hear your family enjoyed it. now let's troubleshoot. did the beef get stuck while you were tenderizing or sauteeing? if when tenderizing/pressure cooking then perhaps your IP requires a little more water (1/2 a cup?). If it got stuck sauteeing then I would think you could saute a little less to great effect. Let me know if you try it again!
Sundus says
Your IG stories reminded me to give these another go for Ramadan and here I am.
I followed everything to a T, and added less than 1/4 cup more of water. Once it was done, It was almost thick like a stew, so I sauteed it and than it dried well but was literally beef mush. I dont eat beef so I dont know what these are supposed to be like but Im going based off of what I've seen when my mom would make shamis, they were more "dry". I added 2 tbsps of really fine multigrain bread crumbs and yeah.....still beef mush!
Sarah Mir says
Hi Sundus! Thanks so much for sharing this - the more water will definitely make the mix more liquid. If you see the recipe note it says that 1/2 cup works fine too, but I wrote 3/4 because there was one model of the IP that would get to burn very easily. 1 cup would definitely be a lot of water. That said the actual fibres of the meat shouldn't dissolve to mush. If you see the video that's what my mix looks like, am so sorry it didn't work out for you.
Sajid says
Hi. I made these yesterday and followed the recipe to a T. The kebab seemed to break up when frying. Would you suggest I dip in an egg wash before frying?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Sajid! I am so sorry that's happened! Typically that means the mix still has a fair bit of moisture in it and needs to be dried out. The egg wash fix you are suggesting would fix that as would a tbsp or two of breadcrumbs. Also with shami kababs they hold shape best when you pan fry them in a little oil. Let me know how it works out with the egg wash!
Izza Ashraf says
Sara can i make this recipe with chicken?Please reply!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Izza! I haven't tried it with chicken, but if you were to use chicken I would recommend thigh over breast because it may get too dry then!
Shaazia says
Hi there... are these ratios ok for standard cooking on a stove top instead if an IP? Could you advise approx cooking time of the beef botis on a standard stove top? Jzk in advance
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi! For standard cooking i'd add one and a half cup water and let it simmer for an hour or until your boti is completely tender! everything else will work the same! look forward to hearing how it goes!
Sarah says
Amazing recipe 👍
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Thank you Sarah!
Reena Sultan says
Thank you for simplifying the ratios! They turned out perfect. So glad I found you xxx
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Yay!!! I am SO SO glad to hear it!
Eraj says
this is a genius recipe. The freshly ground garam masala is a Game Changer tastewise! I always used powdered + some whole in the IP (then plucked it all out before pulsing in the food processor) but I never got such a punchy flavor in the meat mix. And forever grateful to you for simplifying the daal to meat ratio! It's perfect ☺️ Thank you!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Eraj!!!! THANK YOU! This MADE MY DAY! Also I am not shouting - just excited!
Farah says
This recipe sounds divine! Can we make these without channa daal? Or add any alternatives for a no- carb version?
Sarah Mir says
Thank you Farah! I am so sorry but I don't know that it works without chanay ki daal. Ill ask my keto expert friends and add a comment here.
Samina H Mariani says
There's a gap there, but no video link tho' I still tried clicking. Another question: Do you dip the kebabs in egg before you fry them (once thawed)?
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hmmm I am not sure why that's happening! I don't batter mine in egg but you are absolutely welcome to!
Mishal says
How much of the Garam masala should we put in the recipe? I freshly grinded it like you mentioned.
Sarah Mir says
Hi there! I put all of it! Hope you enjoy them!
Samina Hamid Mariani says
Hi, the boti kebab recipe says "see video", but I am unable to find a video for it on your site? It's a good recipe, very similar to ours, I'm excited to try it - thanks, Srah! - Samina
Samina Hamid Mariani says
Thanks, Sarah! (Sorry for the typo in your name earlier!)
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
No worries at all!!!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hi Samina! It's right above the More Ramadan Prep ideas section! Let me know if it isn't loading for you!
Fatima says
Sarah, this looks fab! Quick question: if we just want to use ready made garam masala what would be the quantity? Thanks!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Hmmm Fatima I am not positive because ready made tends to mellow out flavour wise pretty quickly, but I'd start with 2 tbsp in the beginning before putting it in the IP then add more to taste towards the end when you are drying up the mixture!