These unusually soft, fragrant, and smoky kababs bring back memories of my early years spent in Pakistan. Every time I cook them, everyone drools in anticipation of the delicious aroma coming from the grill. Serve them with naan, tamarind chutney, green chutney, and sliced red onions. Today, give this unusual and historic recipe a try. You won’t be sorry!
Ingredients:
Kababs:
beef tenderloin weighing 1 1/4 pounds, sliced into 1-1/2 x 6-inch strips at a thickness of 1/4 inch.
1/fourth cup avocado oil
thinly sliced half an onion
1 kiwi, quartered and peeled
1/2 a cup of gramme flour
0.5 teaspoons of poppy seeds
1 tablespoon of pasted garlic
one teaspoon of ginger paste
1 little serrano pepper
quarter-cup mustard oil
White vinegar, 2 tablespoons
1/8 cup plain yoghurt with added fat
Cumin seeds:
half a nutmeg seed
a tsp. of whole mace
A5 anise pods
Five full, dried Kashmiri red chillies
Ground seasonings
one tablespoon of chilli powder
1 teaspoon of cumin, ground
Garam masala, 1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon
1 salt shakerful
Directions:
Tenderloin strips should be pounded with a meat mallet until they are extremely thin.
In a frying pan, warm avocado oil over medium heat. Cook onion in heated oil for about 5 minutes, or until it turns deep brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked onion to a small bowl and reserve for later use.
Kiwi should be peeled, cut into quarters, and placed in a small bowl for later use.
Gramme flour should be lightly toasted for 2 to 4 minutes over medium heat in a small nonstick skillet before being transferred to a small bowl and put aside. In the same skillet, dry-roast poppy seeds for 2 to 4 minutes, or until fragrant and faintly browned. Transfer to a small dish and reserve.
Nutmeg, mace, star anise, and Kashmiri chilies should all be dry-roasted in the same skillet for 2 to 4 minutes, or until fragrant. To make a coarse powder, add the whole spices and chilies to a spice grinder.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine browned onions, kiwi, ginger, garlic, and serrano chile. Process till a paste, about 30 seconds. Add yoghurt, white vinegar, mustard oil, and pulse the food processor for about 15 seconds to thoroughly combine everything.
Finally, fill the food processor with the roasted poppy seeds, roasted gramme flour, roasted ground whole spices, chilli powder, cumin, garam masala, black pepper, and salt; process marinate for a minute.
Tenderised beef strips are added to a resealable plastic bag along with the marinade. Seal the bag, then lightly squeeze the beef to evenly distribute the marinate. Place in the fridge for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Take out the marinated meat from the fridge, then carefully pack the beef strips onto strong metal skewers. Any extra marinade should be saved to baste the kababs while they cook. They are kept from drying out as a result.
Lightly oil the grate and heat an outside grill to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
Uncovered, for five minutes on each side, cook the kababs on the prepared grill.
Kababs should be cooked for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) with the grill covered. When the internal temperature of the meat reaches 170 degrees F (77 degrees C), turn the kebabs, baste with marinade, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. At any point during the cooking process, if the kababs appear a little dry, brush a little avocado oil on both sides.
Transfer skewers to a serving platter. Any marinade that hasn’t been cooked should be discarded. Take pleasure in the kababs with naan, red onion slices, tamarind chutney, and green chutney.
Cook’s Notes:
Mustard oil should be used, either alone or combined in a 1:1 ratio with another high smoke point oil like avocado, canola, or sunflower for the best results. I use Yandilla Mustard Seed Oil, which is a brand you can buy on Amazon.
The quality of the meat is the key component in this recipe. Your bihari kababs will be more tender the better the beef.
