Chapli kebab
Chapli kabab is a Pashtun-style minced kebab made from ground beef, mutton or chicken with various spices in the shape of a patty. The chapli kabab originated from the city of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan and is today found across South Asia.
Chapli kabab is served in thousands of kebab shops in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. Such eateries have rapidly expanded in other cities as well. Today, the chapli kebab is featured on the menu of Afghan, Indian and Pakistani restaurants across the world. Chapli kababs can be served and eaten hot with naan or as a bun kebab.
The name chapli may be derived from the Pashto word chaprikh/chapdikh/chapleet, meaning "flat" – alluding to the kebab's light, round and flattened texture. Alternatively, the name may be derived from chappal, the Indic word for sandals – relating the average shape and size of a kebab to that of a chappal sole.
The tradition of eating grilled meat, skewered on sticks, existed in the Indian subcontinent through the centuries, with the 12th-century Sanskrit text Manasollasa documenting a recipe used to prepare what is today known as the chapli kebab.
Ingredients and preparation
The chapli kebab is prepared with raw, marinated mince and the meat can be either beef or lamb/mutton. The main ingredients include wheat flour, various herbs and spices such as chili powder, coriander leaves, followed by smaller quantities of onions, tomatoes, eggs, ginger, coriander or cumin seeds, green chillies, corn starch, salt and pepper, baking powder and citric juice, like that of lime or lemon.The kebabs can be fried shallow or deep in vegetable cooking oil over medium heat. The traditional chapli kebab is prepared by frying the kebabs in lamb fat or cow fat over wood-fired stoves to lend an organic flavour. This approach is avoided by some gastronomists, citing health-conscious reasons.