This recipe for Easy Oven Baked Seekh Kebab is a staple in my house. Traditionally a popular street food, these delicious kebabs are made with ground meat. Assorted fresh ingredients are mixed in along with a few spices and if necessary, a binding agent is added to hold the meat mixture together.
The seasoned minced meat mixture is then wrapped around metal or bamboo skewers, grilled to perfection and enjoyed with warm naan, lemon wedges and green chutney!
What Are Seekh Kebab?
Seekh Kebabs first originated as Shish Kebab and were made of assorted types of meat hunted by Turkish Soldiers. According to procaffenation.com these soldiers, when sheltering in the forest, would place the meat on metal skewers and roast it on an open fire.
The word "Shish" means sword in Turkish and the word "Kebab" means roast, hence "Shish Kebab". As these Turkish traders came to the Indian subcontinent, they brought with them this wonderful recipe which gained instant popularity.
These original Shish Kebabs led to the current variation known as Seekh Kebab. These are very popular in Pakistan and are usually made with ground beef, ground lamb or lean ground chicken mixed with spices.
The Recipe
There are many different types of Kebabs in Pakistani cuisine. But in my honest opinion, these easy oven baked Pakistani Seekh Kebabs are the easiest and healthiest of the lot.
This is a great way to meal prep for the week {or even longer} as the kebabs can be par baked and frozen. They are then defrosted and the cooking is finished in the 5-10 minutes it takes to reheat them!
My recipe is one that is simple because I believe in ease and convenience above all (or else you won't want to make it) and the ingredients are all simple to source through your local grocery store.
The fact that you can make these ahead of time also makes this a great recipe for when you’re planning on hosting a dinner.
The Meat
I like to make my kebabs of beef, but you can choose any kind of meat you prefer.
The one key thing to remember is to use 80% lean meat as you need that 20% of fat to help bind the ingredients and keep the kebabs moist and juicy.
The Other Ingredients
Besides the meat, the kebab mixture contains a handful of fresh vegetables and herbs along with a little bit of spices. That’s part of what makes this recipe so easy!
The ingredients needed:
- Fresh Cilantro
- Green Chili {I use Serrano Chilies}
- Yellow Onion
- Fresh Ginger
- Garlic Cloves
- Salt
- Red Chili Powder
- Garam Masala {Optional}
There are recipes with complex Pakistani and Indian Spices, such as coriander powder, cumin seeds and long pepper. But after a lot of trial and error, this simple and easy to source list provides amazing results!
Making The kebab
Mixing The Meat
Put all of the ingredients except the meat in a food processor and blend them together. Mix with the ground beef in a large bowl and let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes so the flavors can seep in.
Testing The Mixture
Next, test the mixture to make sure your seasonings are to your taste. Take a small quantity {½ a teaspoon full}, put it on a plate and microwave it for 1 minute. Taste this cooked mixture and adjust the salt and chilies according to your taste.
Shaping & Baking the Kebab
Now you’re ready to shape the kebabs and lay them out in a roasting pan. Make 5-inch logs or maybe even a bit longer, keeping in mind that they typically shrink when baked at high heat in the oven.
Bake the kebabs in a hot oven for 15 minutes, just enough for the meat to become slightly firm. Remove and let the kebabs sit for a little time so you can handle them easily and then start frying them to finish cooking them.
Finish It Up!
The options for cooking the easy oven baked seekh kebab are, a regular frying pan, a grill pan or an air fryer, depending on your preference! Of course you can always throw them on the grill too {Just make sure they don’t fall through the grates}!
Enjoy The Kebab
Now you have the kebabs ready, there are multiple ways to enjoy them! They can be anything from a main course to a quick snack.
Seekh Kebab Rolls, with a paratha and mint chutney or tamarind chutney is a favorite in my house.
Stuff a pita pocket with a meat kebab and drizzle some cucumber raita on it for a delicious lunch!
Sometimes my kids will put a kebab in a hot dog bun with some cilantro chutney and eat it like a sandwich too!
The options are limitless! Which is why this is one of my favorite recipes!
Recipes To Pair The Kebab With
- cilantro+mint+chutney
- tamarind-dipping-sauce
- raita-recipe-for-biryani
- kachumber-salad-recipe
- spicy-masala-smashed-potatoes
- dhaba-style-maash-daal
- hyderabadi-khatti-daal
- moong+masoor+daal
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Easy Oven Baked Seekh Kebab
Ingredients
- 2.25 lbs Ground Beef 80% Lean
- 0.5 Yellow Onion
- 5 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Inch Piece Ginger
- 1 Large Bunches Cilantro
- 2 Green Chillies
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Red Chilies
- 1 tsp Garam Masala optional
Instructions
- Grind all the fresh ingredients in a food processor and then mix them in with the dry spices and ground beef.
- Let the mixture marinate for at least half an hour in the fridge.
- To insure that the seasoning is to your personal taste take a ½ teaspoon of the mince mixture and cook it in the microwave for 30 seconds. This will allow you to taste it and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Shape the Kebabs and par bake these in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes.
- There are 3 easy options for your last stage of cooking :a. Grill, for about 5-10 minutes to complete the cooking processb. Pan Fry in a little oil for 5 minutes on each sidec. Air Fry on 350 degrees for 10 minutes flipping them halfway through
Perfect juicy and flavorful kebabs! I make a 5 pound batch once a month and freeze. Excellent in paratha rolls with green chutney 😋