Seekh kebab
Photo: MOUMITAPAL12061989 · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Kebab grills line the lanes around Jama Masjid, where Karim's, open since 1913, added seekh kebabs to its menu over the years and Qureshi Kabab Corner cooks them straight off a charcoal sigri. In winter, Delhi's food writers send readers to these Old Delhi counters to eat seekh kebabs standing in the fog, and Ghalib Kabab Corner near the Nizamuddin dargah keeps a smaller grill going to the south.

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Make it at home

Yield Makes 8 kebabsHands-on 30 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g minced mutton or lamb, with some fat
  • 1 small onion, grated and squeezed dry
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped coriander
  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1 tablespoon roasted gram flour (besan)
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter or ghee for basting

Method

  1. Mix all the ingredients except the butter and knead for 5 minutes until the mince turns sticky.
  2. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes.
  3. With wet hands, press a portion around a flat metal skewer into a sausage about 15cm long.
  4. Grill over hot charcoal or under a very hot grill for 8 to 10 minutes, turning, until browned and just cooked.
  5. Baste with butter for the last 2 minutes.
  6. Slide off the skewers and serve with sliced onion, lemon and mint chutney.

Tip from the editors. Squeeze the onion hard; wet mince will slide off the skewer.

Where to eat seekh kebab

Seekh kebab in Delhi

Qureshi Kabab Corner ★ 4.3

$ MughlaiOld DelhiUntil Daily 00:30

Qureshi Kabab Corner skewers seekh kebabs in Delhi across from Jama Masjid's Gate 1, one of the counters that keeps the lane fed after evening prayers thin.

OrderMutton seekh kebab rolled with onions and green chutney.

TipThe grill starts at 17:00 and runs until 00:30, so it works for a late supper after the Jama Masjid lanes.

Directions

Karim's ★ 4.6

$$ MughlaiOld Delhi

Karim's has served Mughlai kebabs and curries in Gali Kababian by Jama Masjid in Old Delhi since 1913, cooking from recipes passed down through generations.

OrderThe mutton burra, then mutton qorma with sheermal to mop up the gravy.

TipThe lane is narrow and busiest in the evening; the kitchen runs from 09:00 until 01:00, so a late lunch is the calm window.

Directions

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