ummm...SHAMMI KABABS (CRISP MINCEMEAT PATTIES) Filed under ( Appetizers and Snacks, Chicken and Mutton )

After 9 days of fasting during Navratra's it's time to indulge...though the food that is eaten during that time does have a delicious charm of it's own, crisp potato tikkis, wafers and kuttu atta pakodas! No wonder the kilo's just keep piling up :)

Shammi kabab's are the hottest and most demanded snack/finger food in my house, these delicious mince meat patties, soft and meltingly tender on the inside and crisp on the outside are a sure shot hit at all parties.For these make sure that mincemeat from hind leg is used and is run through the mincing machine twice, for the outer coating I use fresh bread crumbs, that is fresh bread run in the coffee grinder to yield soft, sticky breadcrumbs. To make these you require-

• Mince meat-1/2 kg


• Horsegram lentils(chana dal)-1/2 cup


• Ginger -1 tbsp ground+1 tbsp chopped fresh


• Garlic-1/2 tbsp ground


• Green chillies-2 chopped fine


• Coriander- 1 bunch, chopped


• Onion-1 large, chopped finely


• Garam masala-1 tbsp


• Oil for shallow frying


• Bread slices-3

Place mincemeat, washed dal, ginger+garlic in a pressure cooker, add minimal water to let it cook through without burning, about 1/2-3/4 cup, give 5-6 whistles, and let pressure drop by itself.Now here comes in a bit of elbow grease, in a mortar and pestle, pound parts of the cooled mincemeat mixture till smooth, transfer to a large bowl, you can add 1 egg if you feel that it is too firm.Add ground ginger, chillies,coriander, onion, garam masala and salt to taste and mix well, I add all of these to the mixture together whereas my grandma used to stuff each kabab individually, whew! beats me, you can do it if you are inclined to however!, Prepare the crumbs by running bread through the grinder, shape mixture into patties, coat with crumbs and shallow fry in a non stick pan.drain on paper towel before serving.

I normally shape and bread the patties and store them for upto 3-4 days, fry and serve as needed, great as a filling for sandwiches, burgers, pita bread too. I am sure they freeze well too, serve hot with green coriander chutney and tomato ketchup.ummm...