Chapli Kebab
Afghanistan's slipper-shaped patty: ragged-edged beef shot through with onion, tomato, herbs and a heavy hand of pomegranate seeds, griddled hard.
Overview
Chapli kebabs are the spiced beef patties sizzling on a wide flat tawa at any roadside grill from Peshawar to Kabul, big enough to wrap a hand around and seasoned with the unusual punch of dried pomegranate seeds and coriander. The mince mixes with grated onion, chopped fresh tomato, ginger, garlic, beaten egg and a little gram flour to bind, plus the signature Afghan spice blend (coriander seed, pomegranate seeds, chilli flakes, cumin and garam masala). A thirty-minute rest lets the gram flour absorb the moisture and the spices marry. Pat thin and wide (the word chapli means "flat" or "slipper-shaped"), then fry hard in oil three or four minutes a side until darkly crusted. Eat hot from the pan, wrapped in fresh naan with sliced raw onion and a green chutney.
Ingredients
- 600 g beef mince (or half beef, half lamb)
- 1 onion (large, very finely chopped, juices reserved)
- 1 tomato (medium, deseeded, very finely chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 thumb fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 egg (large, beaten)
- 4 tablespoons gram (chickpea) flour
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds (lightly toasted, coarsely ground)
- 2 tablespoons dried pomegranate seeds (anardana, coarsely ground)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons fresh coriander (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint (chopped)
- 4-6 tablespoons vegetable oil (for frying)
Method
Stage 1 - Mix
- Combine mince, onion (with its juices), tomato, garlic, ginger, egg, gram flour, spices, salt and herbs in a wide bowl.
- Mix thoroughly with hands. The mixture is loose and wet.
Stage 2 - Rest
- Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.
Stage 3 - Shape
- Wet your palms. Take a fistful of mix; flatten between your palms into a wide thin patty (12-14 cm wide, 8-10 mm thick) with ragged edges.
Stage 4 - Fry
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat.
- Lay 2 patties at a time; fry 3-4 minutes per side until dark, crusted and cooked through.
- Add a fresh tablespoon of oil between batches.
- Drain briefly on kitchen paper.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Plate on warm Afghan naan with sliced onion, tomato and fresh coriander. A wedge of lime alongside.
Notes
- Anardana: Dried pomegranate seeds, sour-sweet and tannic. Sold at Indian or Middle Eastern shops. Don't substitute fresh seeds (too wet); skip if unavailable.
- Thin and ragged: A thick chapli is just a burger. The character is in the lacy thin-pressed patty that crusts dark.
- Hot pan: Medium and the patties go grey. High heat, short cook.
Storage
- Refrigerate 3 days; reheat in a hot pan.
- Freeze raw shaped patties between baking paper up to 2 months.
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