Bihari Kabab

Bihari Kabab, also known as Bihari Boti is a distinctive dish. A popular street food of Karachi, Pakistan, this is also a favorite choice during BBQ recipe season and Bakra Eid. This is an easy recipe to make once you get the hang of it. With an unusual flavor profile and texture, you definitely want to try this interesting food.

What is Bihari Kabab

Although Bihari cuisine is primarily vegetarian, the majority of the population being Hindu and Buddhist, this Bihari Kabab Recipe is a Muslim one. Just one of many Kabab recipes that have become a popular part of South Asian Cuisine, this special beef recipe is a descent of Turkish, Persian and Arab cuisine.

Equally popular in Bihar and Bangladesh, the recipe has made its way to Pakistan and found another permanent home there.

In Pakistan, these Kabab are often featured in Restaurant Menus, as part of a BBQ platter. Here in the USA, where this is not an option, many people are in search for an authentic recipe to make them at home.

The Recipe

The Meat

For most of my life I thought Bihari Kabab were made of boneless cubes of beef. Once I actually started cooking and making my own Bihari Kabab, I realized that the best meat to use was thin strips of Beef Tenderloin.

The size of the strips should be about 2 inches {width}  by 6 inches {length} and ideally ⅛ inch thickness.

 If you’re sourcing these from a Pakistani butcher, these are often sold as Pasanday, very thinly sliced strips of yummy beef.

If this option is not available, buy Tenderloin if in the USA, or Undercut if in Pakistan and slice the meat into very thin slices.

After slicing the meat, use your meat tenderizer {meat hammer} to beat the beef pieces till they are very thin. This is essential to achieving the right texture for the kabab.

The Oil

Authentic Bihari Kababs are made with Mustard Oil. This gives them a distinct smell and flavor that is unique to the recipe.

 In all honesty I use avocado oil as it’s easier for me to source and I personally am not a fan of the Mustard Oil smell.

The choice is yours, try it both ways and see which type of oil you prefer. Or you can use half mustard and half Avocado to create the perfect balance.

The Spice Blend

Looking at the spice blend in the Recipe Card may seem overwhelming. That’s a long ingredients list! But in reality, putting this marinade together is really simple and takes very little prep time.

The first step is to chop the onion and brown it in a little oil. These fried onions will later be ground to make an onion paste for the marinade. Once you’re done with this step, the hardest part of the recipe is over!

The next key ingredient is the raw papaya paste or the kiwi paste, whichever you’re using. If you’re adding a chemical meat tenderizer or “kachri” powder then this can go in with the powdered spices.

Next, dry roast the whole spices, such as the nutmeg, star anise, whole mace, poppy seeds and Kashmiri chilies and grind them to a powder. I use a small coffee grinder as my spice grinder.

Although many recipes call for powders of some of the above spices, such as nutmeg powder, dry roasting the whole spices and then grinding them fresh really adds to the flavor and is highly recommended.

Similarly, as opposed to lemon juice, I opt for white distilled vinegar in my recipe. It acts as a tenderizer and adds a pungent flavor that pairs well with the creamy yogurt and other ingredients.

Use your Food processor to make all the necessary pastes, such as the ginger paste, the garlic paste, the green chili paste and so forth.

Take all the above ingredients, along with all of the powdered spices, such as the cumin powder, red chili powder and tsp of salt, and add them to a mixing bowl.

Mix everything listed in the ingredients list below well, making sure it’s all the consistency of a nice paste and spread it well on the meat.

The Marinade Time

This part is tricky as it depends a lot on the quality of and the thickness of the beef pieces you’re using.

You don’t want to over marinate the meat or else it will turn to mush and tear as you try to thread it on the skewers.

However, if you don’t marinate it for long enough, you won’t get that slightly pasty texture that these kababs are famous for.

I use Kiwi to tenderize my Kabab. Purchased as Pasanday from the butcher, these were not as thin as they usually are. Typically, these strips, once pounded are paper thin.

If yours are paper thin, marinate for 3-5 hours maximum.

If yours are thicker, like mine or you’re using boneless cubes, marinate the meat overnight. But no longer than a total time of 12 hours.

The Skewers

I chose to use stainless steel skewers as it’s easier to thread the meat on these versus the wooden skewers. If you use wooden skewers then make sure to soak them in water so they don’t burn when you cook the kabab.

Thread the meat on the skewers, weaving in and out and adding strips to a single skewer till it’s full before moving on to the next one.

The Cooking Method

Grilling the Bihari Kabab is always an option and that’s how these are usually prepared.

However, a simpler method I’ve gotten accustomed to uses a grill pan, followed by an oven roast to make sure the meat is cooked through.

I find that when I grill the kabab, half the marinade falls off and drops into the grill rather than sticking to the kabab.

After the marination time is complete, I preheat some cooking oil on a grill pan and sear the skewers on all sides.

Then I brush a roast pan with some oil and place the skewers in it along with any remaining marinade. I roast the kababs in a preheated oven at 350 degrees anywhere from 30-60 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat.

The meat should be soft enough to break apart by hand, without the help of any silverware.

Smoking With Coal

The simpler indoor method doesn’t mean you can’t get that beef Bihari BBQ flavor! There’s a popular Pakistani smoking technique that’s been used for centuries when cooking traditional BBQ meats indoors.

Make a small round bowl with some foil, and place it in the center of the roasting Pan with the cooked Kabab.

Light a single coal {do this outside as it will spark and can be a hazard indoors}. Once the coal is well lit, place it in the small foil bowl and pour some cooking oil over it. It will immediately start smoking.

Cover the pan with foil and place a heavy lid or dish on it to let the smoke seep into the meat. After about 5 minutes, uncover the Pan and safely discard of the coal, oil and foil bowl. Your Bihari Kabab will now have a delicious Smoky Flavor to them.

FAQs

• Can I make these kabab with Chicken?

Although the recipe is traditionally one for beef, people do make this with chicken. I would recommend that you use boneless chicken cubes and marinate for 3-4 hours maximum.

• What if I can’t find Poppy Seeds?

A great substitute for poppy seeds in any recipe is cashew nuts. The taste will be compromised slightly with the substitution, but you will get the desired texture.

• I’ve seen recipes mention something called Kabab Chini. What is it and why is it not in this recipe?

Kabab Chini is a specific type of peppercorn often used in Kababs. Many recipes call for it. I did not add it to this recipe as it is not always easy to source. The spice blend used yields the required taste without the use of this spice in this recipe. If you can find some and want to want to add it in you may need to adjust the other spices a bit.

• Why are there no cloves, peppercorns or cinnamon in this recipe?

While some spices have been used in their whole form in this recipe, such as nutmeg, mace etc. for the others, I decided to simply add in 1 teaspoon of garam masala. This just eliminated the need to purchase too many individual spices, as the blend includes these spices in it. The purpose was to balance convenience with flavor and authenticity.

Storage and Reheating

The kabab can stay in the refrigerator for 3-5 days without spoiling.

For the freezer, I would recommend storing them for up to 1 month in an airtight container.

For best results, with either storage method, reheating is best done on the stove top. Use a little bit of oil and lightly refry the kababs.

Serve the Kabab with sliced onion rings, lemons and hot Naan, Parathas or Pooris. My favorite condiment with my kabab is my green-coconut-chutney but feel free to try them with any chutney you prefer.

Hope you try and like the recipe! Please don't forget to leave a rating and comment below!