Seekh Kabob Recipe

It has been a minute since I have been at the kitchen, or should I say the grill? After three weeks of road tripping I found myself longing to experiment with takeout comfort foods at home. Which found me wanting cross this one off the bucket list: Seekh Kabob.

Thanks to the internet and a global pandemic, I really had no excuse not to figure this one out. Added bonus: I made my very first chutney. Spoiler alert: it’s as easy as making salsa 

Seekh kabob ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 a chopped onion
• 2 serrano chili peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped mint
• 1cup chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon salt

essential equipment

• skewers
• grill

This Seekh kabob recipe is about as easy as making meatloaf as long as you have some key ingredients. Fresh herbs, aromatics like ginger and a solid Indian seasoning blend(I make my own Garam Masala) just might be all that’s keeping you from making your own Seekh Kabob.

Puree the onion, ginger and garlic in a food processor to a fine paste. Add to a mixing bowl the remaining ingredients and refrigerate overnight.

With a bowl of warm water reserved, begin threading the skewers with handfuls of the minced meat mixture. A little goes a long way, if you try and overload the skewer, the meat will fall off. Use the warm water to keep you hand moist, preventing the meat from sticking on your hands.

Prepare a medium high fire, (hardwood charcoal is preferred) and cook till medium(150 degrees) and the kabob develops a noticeable char.

For my first go around, I was pretty happy with the Seekh Kabob recipe. South Asians have a habit of cooking their meat well done. I was just as guilty of it on this go around too. For a second run, I might be more cautious with the grilling and aim for a a true medium.

But the game changer is the cilantro-mint chutney.

Cilantro-Mint Chutney ingredients

• 2 cups chopped cilantro
• 1 cup chopped mint
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 Serrano pepper chopped(stem removed but keep the seeds)
• juice of two lemons
• 1-2 tablespoons of water reserved(for desired consistency)
• salt to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender or immersion blender and process still smooth. I like mine a but thick so add water carefully as needed. Salt to taste.

Wherever you may stand on how you like your meat cooked, sauce is the great equalizer. Add to that the highlight of fresh herbs in the meat marinade and the chutney and you have one fine food pairing. There is room for variation here as well. Some recipes advocated for lamb in place of the beef or even a blend. I got a little creative with some 60 day dry aged ground beef from Longhorn Meat Market in East Austin. No matter what road your Seekh Kabob recipe takes you, make sure you make that chutney.

And a little dal never hurts either.

If you’re in the Austin area and are looking to shop and support local, check out Longhorn Meat Market(where I got my beef) and use promo code alikhaneats for 15% off.