Kabob, Kebab, Kabab… Tomatos, Tomatoes!

A resonating theme across the Middle Eastern and Indian subcontinental food scape. Whats not to like about succulent skewers of grilled ground meat? Call them kefta as the Egyptians, kubeideh like the Iranians or the seekh hailing from the IndoPak region. Conceptually the same, they each have their own unique spices and equally unique flavors and textures. Hard to pick a favorite? I hear you!

Let me tell you a secret, this flavorful dish is a 100% original from my kitchen. Though the “Karahi” refers to a quick, IndoPak street style method of cooking your protein of choice, the traditional karahi tomato sauce is vastly different, not anywhere close to what I got going on here. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a great chicken karahi, but thats for another post. And a little trivia “karahi” is actually a deep, circular cooking pot – similar to a wok, used commonly throughout the indian subcontinent. The “karahi” curry is aptly named after this wok, being cooked in it. Thats enough Karahi 101. Moving on…

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. And so this dish came into being. One fine Saturday in Virginia…lounging on the deck as I took in the warmth of the summer sun and watched the kids playing in the sprinkler meant to water the yard, the bees buzzed, the birds chirped and “Lunch?” the mister asked. I had leftovers no one was interested in. And then it dawned on me. An AHAA! moment. The grilled kabab experiment from 2 days ago hadn’t gone too well. (We had a new grill and still testing it out and had overdone and dried out the kababs.) But if I added it to a gravy of some sort maybe I could revive them. Hey isn’t that what a kabab karahi is anyway? And coincidently, I already had on hand a jar of my favorite homemade tomato chutney (more on that later). It’d be a quick fix. So off I went, to simmer those kababs in that velvety sauce. 10 mins later, we had a winner!!

The coming of flavors was such a delight, I had to recreate the dish again the same week to make sure. Sure enough, A WINNER!

Because it can be prepped ahead, this recipe now makes appearances every so often at my dinner parties (doesn’t fail to impress!). Also, I call it my 3 in 1 dish. Each component holds its ground equally well served separate or together – the kababs, the sauce – which is originally a family recipe of tomato chutney.

The trick to making the kababs tender, I learnt, is not only in the seasoning but also in the technique of kabab making. The yogurt is totally optional, though I find it does add to the tenderness. But skip it if you must. If you’re making in bulk, like I do now, shape the kababs on the back end of a round wooden spoon and slide off and keep aside. Repeat.

That way you get a kabab with a center hole, making it less compact and dense when cooked. And another tip – these guys freeze well. So lay them down in a single layer on a parchment lined sheet and freeze if you have more than you need for the day. Thaw out before cooking.

You want to grill those babies 3-4 minutes per side and let them finish cooking while simmering in the sauce. You could pan sear them too. Again do not cook them all the way, and let ’em finish cooking in the sauce.

Nutritionally, this dish is a winner too. Tomatoes make the bulk of the sauce. Not only are they a rich source of potassium, folate, vitaminK, and lycopene, an antioxidant good for heart health, tomatoes are also good source of insoluble fiber promoting gut health.

Nigella seed, commonly known as black seeds or kalonji, also has its long list of health benefits. From various cancer and gut ulcer fighting properties, to aiding blood sugar regulation to reducing chronic inflammation & cholesterol, nigella has multiple research studies with promising results.

Lean or extra lean ground beef is a good source of protein, iron and zinc while being low in saturated fat and is now certified by the American Heart Association to be part of a heart healthy diet when consumed in moderation.

Have fun with this recipe! Make it your own by swapping out the kabab seasonings and adjusting spice levels to your taste. Serve with steaming white rice or thick fluffy naan to scoop up the flavorful sauce. Make it dairy free and keto and paleo friendly served with a hearty salad. Point is, go make it already!

Kabab Karahi

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Kabab Karahi

Much Needed:

for the kababs:

• 2 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 serrano pepper
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
• 1 tbsp greek yogurt
• salt and pepper to taste

for the sauce:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion – thinly sliced
• 5 roma tomatoes – chopped
• 3/4 tsp nigella seeds – kalonji – black seeds
• 1/4 tsp rep pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• salt and pepper to taste

How to:

kababs:

• In a food processor, finely chop the onion, cilantro and serrano pepper. should look like a thick slightly chunky paste.
• In a bowl, add all the kabab ingredients together and mix well. Let rest for 15 mins
• Using the stick end of a wooden spoon (the rounded kind) as guide, form into 4-5 inch long sausage like shape. slide off and keep aside while forming the rest. You should be able to get roughly 25 kababs.
• Grill the kababs. 3-4 minutes per side.

  Alternatively, pan fry the kababs on the stove top with just a little drizzle of oil. Make sure to use a hot pan to get a nice color and crusty sear on the kabab.

the sauce: (tomato chutney)

• Heat oil and add the sliced onion.
• Saute onion till translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce. Stir well.
• Cover and cook. Stirring occasionally. About 20 minutes.

  The tomatoes will release their water and a nice saucy consistency can be reached by letter the water cook out.

Kabab Karahi

• Add the cooked kababs to the gravy. Stir gently to not break the kababs.

  simmer for another 10-15 mins to let kababs finish cooking and the flavors to combine.
• Garnished with cilantro and green pepper.