This Bun Kabab sandwich is a Pakistani street food staple. It is made with a beef and lentil patty, then topped with a green tamarind sauce and lots of onions for a tangy, sweet, and spicy dish!
Grind the whole spices: cumin seeds, coriander seeds, whole black pepper, cardamom, whole red chilis, and cinnamon stick.
Soak chana dal & other spices overnight in a large pot with 3 cups of water.
Add ground beef, potato and onion along with the soaked lentils to the pot.
Cook the Mixture either on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Stove Top: Boil until the ground beef is cooked, the lentils are tender, and the water has evaporated. Instant Pot: Cook on Manual Mode for 30 minutes, until the ground beef is cooked, the lentils are tender. Continue cooking on sautee mode for at least 10 minutes, stirring often, until all the water has evaportated. Remove from heat, and cool the cooked mixture until it comes to room temperature.
Pulse the mixture together in a food processor to process until smooth or manually With a potato masher. Mash all the ingredients together, until the channa dal is no longer whole.
Assemble Shami Kabab
When ready to assemble the kababs, separate one egg. Add the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of yogurt to the ground beef and lentil mixture. Beat the egg white in a separate bowl, with few drops of water.
Fry the Kababs
Preheat a frying pan on medium heat with oil.
To make the Shami kababs, roll 2 heaping tablespoons of the mixture into a ball, and flatten to form a disc. Dip the kabab into the egg whites. Fry in shallow oil, about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Continue the process with remaining mixture.
Green Tamarind Chutney
Prepare Tamarind Pulp (if using a block of tamarind): Add ½ cup of tamarind pulp in a few tablespoons of hot water and blitz in a blender for 10-15 seconds.
Prep and clean the cilantro stalks and mint leaves.
Return the tamarind pulp to the blender. Add in the rest of the ingredients, and blend until smooth. Adjust the sugar and chili to taste.
Assemble Shami Kabab
Whisk 2 eggs in a small bowl, then add to a pan on medium heat with a couple of tablespoons of oil, to make an omelette. Flip halfway through cooking. Divide the omelette into 4 pieces to split among the sandwiches
Toast your buns.
Spread 1 tablespoon of chutney to each half of the buns.
Lay one shami kabab patty on the bottom half of the buns. Place the omelette, and some sliced onions. Close it with the top bun.
Serve with additional chutney and ketchup for dipping
Notes
The Shami Kabab recipe makes about 10-12 patties. Extras can be cooked and stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Patties can also be shaped and frozen, and fried fresh when ready to serve.