This authentic chapli kabab recipe for popular Pakistani street food is the ultimate dining experience. Prepared with a unique blend of roasted spices, tangy pomegranate seeds, and fresh ingredients, these kababs are juicy and tender on the outside and perfectly crispy on the outside.
Pakistani cuisine offers a vast repertoire of kabab recipes, and this one is perhaps one of the most delicious and unusual ones. A regional recipe from the northern region of Pakistan that has gained global popularity, perfecting this recipe is no easy feat.
A genuinely well-made chapli kabab must be thin and flat, well-seasoned, and pan-fried at high heat for a short period. This ensures crispy edges and a soft and tender inside.
Follow the recipe and tips below for the perfect street-style chapli kabab. Enjoy them with paratha or naan and one of your favorite chutneys, like cilantro mint chutney or tamarind chutney.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Authentic recipe: This chapli kabab recipe is prepared using traditional ingredients and techniques and is the real deal! It's for you if you're looking for a genuinely nostalgic recipe that brings back childhood memories.
- The perfect taste and texture: Tender, juicy, spicy, tangy, aromatic, and crunchy are just a few words that I can use to describe how perfect this recipe is in taste and texture. One bite will have you hooked!
- Various cooking techniques: The only allowance I've made to this traditional recipe is providing three different cooking techniques for your ease and convenience. Check the recipe card below for detailed instructions, and cook these using your preferred method.
Ingredient notes
Fresh ingredients
- Ground beef: Fat is the friend of a good chapli kabab. For best results, use ground beef with 20% fat.
- Onions: I like to use the neutral yellow onion for this recipe. However, you can use red onions if you prefer.
- Green chilies: Use serrano chilies as they are the closest in flavor to traditional Pakistani green chilies. While the amount of green chilies may seem excessive, I highly recommend sticking to the ratios provided.
- Tomatoes: I usually stick to Roma tomatoes in my cooking, as they are closest in taste and texture to Pakistani tomatoes. Make sure to pick firmer tomatoes for this recipe, as too much moisture can cause the kabab to break.
- Wheat flour: Traditional chapli kabab is made with cornmeal. However, after testing with assorted binding agents, I found that atta, a traditional durum wheat flour, had the best texture. Refer to the section below for substitutes.
- Eggs: While most people add raw eggs as a binding agent, my favorite childhood recipe incorporated cooked scrambled eggs into the chapli kabab meat mixture. Once you try this method, you won't make these kababs any other way.
Spices
- Pomegranate seeds: Dried pomegranate seeds, also known as anardana, are an absolute must in this recipe. They add a tangy flavor and crunchy texture that tastes like traditional Peshawari chapli kabab.
- Whole spices: Corriander seeds, ajwain (carom seeds), and a mixture of white and black cumin seeds are also essential in this recipe. Roasted and roughly ground in a mortar and pestle, the aroma, taste, and crunch of these seeds help make this recipe taste like authentic chapli kabab.
- Spice powders: This recipe's flavor is perfected by a blend of salt, black pepper, and red chili flakes.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
- Try the recipe with different meat: While the original version of chapli kabab is made with beef, you can use mutton or chicken keema. I suggest using ground chicken thighs for best results if you're using chicken.
- Use a different binding agent: I've tested this recipe with cornmeal, atta, and breadcrumbs. While atta yields the best results, you can substitute it with an equal quantity of cornmeal or breadcrumbs for convenience.
- Pick your cooking method: I've tested this recipe using traditional frying, baking in the oven, and air-frying. Please refer to the recipe card for complete instructions for all three cooking methods.
Step-by-step instructions
- Step 1: The first and most crucial step in making chapli kabab is to chop the onions very finely. I use my food processor's pulse function for this. Then, line a strainer with cheesecloth and add the onions to allow the excess liquid to strain.
- Step 2: Before adding the onions to the kabab mixture, squeeze them in the cheesecloth to remove all excess liquid, as this will make the meat soggy and cause the kababs to break.
- Step 3: Next, dry roast the coriander seeds, white and black cumin seeds, and ajwain and coarsely crush them in a mortar and pestle.
- Step 4: Crack open your eggs and beat them just enough to mix the yolks and whites. Then, cook it as a thin omelet, scrambling it at the end.
- Step 5: Mix the ground beef with all the dry ingredients and knead until evenly distributed.
- Step 6: Add the scrambled egg, garlic, ginger paste, strained onions, finely chopped tomatoes (seeds removed), green chilies, and cilantro. Mix and knead for 5-10 minutes until the meat has a pasty texture.
- Step 7: Once the meat mixture is ready, make a small kabab and cook in the microwave for 1 minute. Taste this and adjust the salt and chilies as needed. Cover and let the meat marinate for 2 hours before frying.
- Step 8: Shape the marinated meat into small, thin patties and shallow fry at medium-high heat in batches. Cook on each side for no more than 2-3 minutes until crispy around the edges and cooked through in the center.
Expert Tips
- Use the proper cooking utensils: Always use a wide pan with a heavy base to fry the kababs. A cast iron skillet yields the best results.
- The perfect way to fry these kababs: Make sure your cooking oil is preheated to 350℉ before you start frying the kababs. It's best to batch fry a few kababs at a time at high heat for a crispy outside. Since the patties are so thin, the inside will be cooked through and juicy.
- How to toast and grind the spices: The whole spices must be toasted to release flavor and aroma. Do not grind them to a fine texture for an authentic chapli kabab texture.
- Chopping the fresh ingredients: Everything must be chopped to a very fine texture to prevent the kababs from breaking. For the tomatoes, remove the seeds to prevent the ground beef from becoming too moist.
- Kneading the mixture: The beef must be mixed with all the ingredients and kneaded until it gets pasty. This will allow you to create perfect patties that won't break.
Recipe FAQS
Why is it called chapli kabab?
The word chapli comes from the Pashto (a dialect spoken in Peshawar) word 'chaprikh,' which means to flatten.
Why is my kabab breaking?
Three things can cause this: Your meat has too little fat, too much moisture, or the ground meat is too crumbly. Always use meat with 20% fat, remove the tomato seeds, squeeze the excess water from the onions, and knead the mixture until the beef is no longer crumbly.
How do I store and reheat the kabab?
Cooked kababs can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To reheat, defrost in the fridge overnight and heat in the microwave. I don't recommend freezing raw chapli kababs, as the vegetables will water when defrosted, and the kababs will become soggy and start to break.
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Chapli Kabab Recipe
This authentic Peshawari-style chapli kabab recipe results in juicy, flavorful kababs that are always perfectly crispy on the outside.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups cooking oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 3 serrano chilies (see notes)
- ⅓ cup cilantro
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ teaspoon black cumin seeds (see notes)
- ⅓ teaspoon ajwain seeds (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon white cumin seeds
- 1½ tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- ¼ cup atta (see notes)
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ⅓ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon red chili flakes
Instructions
- Prepare your garlic and ginger paste if you're using a homemade version. If you're opting for a storebought version, move to the next step. (see notes)
- Peel and chop the onions, preferably in a food processor for quick and perfect results. Place the chopped onions in a fine mesh strainer lined with a cheesecloth and set aside.
- Slice the tomatoes in half, remove the tops and scoop out all the seeds before chopping them as fine as possible.
- Finely dice he serrano chilies and cilantro and set aside.
- Crack open the eggs and whisk them just enough to combine the yolk and white. Cook in 2 teaspoons of preheated oil in a wide shallow pan until you have a thin omelette. Roughly scranmble this and set it aside.
- Dry roast all the whole spices; black and white cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and ajwain and crush them coarsely in a mortar and pestle. (see notes)
- Place the ground beef in a wide and shallow pan, add all the spices and atta and start to mix. (see notes)
- Next, wrap the chopped onions in the cheesecloth and squeeze to remove all the moisture from the onions. Add these along with the garlic and ginger paste, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, chilies and cilantro to the meat mixture.
- Start to mix and knead the meat mixture until it becomes pasty in texture. (see notes)
- I recommend shaping a small kabab at this point and cooking it in the microwave for 1 minute, to test the flavor. If you find it necessary, adjust the salt and chilies as needed and then cover and marinate the mixture in the fridge for 2 hours.
- After marination, shape the ground beef mixture into 10 thin patties. (see notes)
- Preheat the 2 cups of cooking oil to 350℉ and fry the kababs in batches until the edges are crispy. (see notes)
Air Frying The Kabab
- To air fry the kabab, spray both sides with nonstick spray and cook at 400℉ for 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through to equally brown and crisp both sides.
Baking The Kabab
- Spray the kababs with nonstick cooking spray and bake in the oven at 400℉ for 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through to brown both sides.
Notes
Serrano chilies: If you have trouble sourcing serrano chilies, use one large jalapeno instead. I don't recommend removing the seeds, but if you can't handle spicy food, feel free to do so.
Black cumin seeds: These are different from white cumin seeds and have a nutty, slightly bitter aftertaste, which is essential to this recipe.
Ajwain seeds: Known as carom seeds, they have a flavor similar to oregano. I use these in many recipes and highly recommend them for this one.
Atta: This is a South Asian whole-meal flour traditionally used for Pakistani flatbreads. After testing this recipe with the more traditional cornmeal, atta, and breadcrumbs, I found that this ingredient best suited the texture of the kababs. I highly recommend it for the best results.
Ginger and garlic paste: I recommend making your own garlic and ginger paste using a mortar and pestle or food processor. However, you can use store-bought ginger and garlic paste if you prefer a shortcut.
Roasting the spices: Roating the spices releases essential oils that enhance flavor and aroma. Make sure to crush these to a coarse texture, as the slightly crunchy texture is an inherent part of this recipe.
Mixing the meat: Kneading the beef ensures that all of the spices and fresh ingredients are well incorporated, the texture of the meat is less crumbly, and the kababs will hold their shape as they're fried.
Shaping the patties: Chapli kababs are meant to be very thin and flattened, meaning the edges are thinner than the center and aren't perfectly round. I like to flatten the kababs thin with my hands and then again by pressing them down with a spatula during the frying for an authentic shape and texture.
Frying the patties: Fry the patties on high heat, and don't cook for more than 2-3 minutes per side.
Nutrition
Serving: 1kababCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 10gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 405mgPotassium: 224mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 331IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 2mg
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