benazir's blog

The Real Deal Peshawri Chapli Kabab Not Some Imitation

I am going to go on a brief rant. I see some people other food bloggers that are Pakistani and even from the khanapakana.com site make a totally different type of kabab and pass it off as the real thing and there are Pakistani restaurants here in Chicago in my neighborhood doing the same thing. There are not that many Pashtoon also spelled Pashtun also called Pathan people here in Chicago and not that many Peshawaris which means they are from Peshawar and are original people from this area. If someone says hey who are you? I tell them my name is Benazir Khan thank you very much and stop passing off your so called kabab as the real McCoy when it really isn’t. I am a German by blood my ethnic back ground is German even though I was born and raised here in USA.

I was also taught if you can’t do anything right don’t do anything at all.

Don’t think I am bashing anyone which I am not. I have family who are my in laws that are both Pathan and Peshawari. My beloved late mother in law loved my kababs and very much approved and was very happy I am a good cook. I never went to culinary school. Most of my know how is by reading a recipe and deciphering it and also talking to people about how they make their food and by watching. I have many years of cooking experience behind me something that culinary schools do not teach. If it looks good and smells good then eat it then it should be tasty as well. There was one guy in Peshawar he was a Pathan. We call him Ashraf Mammu. He was an old man so we called him uncle out of respect and he made the best kabab in the city. From what I had heard from my husband and my brother in laws, oh my God these guys got jokeyitis. They love to joke a lot. They told me Ashraf Mammu put naswar juice in his kabab. Don’t worry he didn’t but he did make great kabab and he was a legend at kabab making and no the naswar juice was a joke it isn’t really. Naswar is chewing tobacco and Pathan men love chewing it. It is like old folks from the southern part of USA dipping snuff but this has nothing to do with this yummy recipe. Make this my way you are going to make it again and again and love it.

Ingredients: 1 lb or 1 kilo of queema or keema (ground beef, chicken, lamb, goat or turkey) if you have a bigger family just increase the amount you are using.

1 tomato chopped

1 small onion minced

3 handfuls of either besan which is chickpea flour or chapati flour as a binding agent.

1/4 cup of vegetable oil for frying

1 pinch red chili powder

I pinch turmeric

2 generous pinches of coriander seeds

2 generous pinches of anar dana these are dried pomegranate seeds you can buy them at any Pakistani grocery store.

1 green chili minced jalepeno sarranos or green finger hot chilies can be used. They are the long skinny green ones.

Method: I pour the vegetable oil in the cast iron skillet just enough to shallow fry.

I take the keema or spelled queema it means ground meat in Urdu, it is mostly made with beef but if you want to use ground chicken or even lamb even turkey that would work too.

I added the coriander seeds and anar dana and mixed it in to the ground meat of my choice, I chose beef which is a traditional way of making these kababs. I added turmeric and red chili powder and mixed that in too. I added the green chili of my choice which is what I have available it may be sarranos or jalapenos 1 tomato and onion and mix it all together.

Sometimes I use chapati flour or the besan it depends on what my mood is. My late mother in law would tell me use the chapati flour and she was a good cook herself and she knew. Also she had 15 kids and really was giving me a valuable tip.

I mixed the flour in to my kabab mixture and formed it in to patties as I go making it like a hamburger patty and frying it in very hot oil for 5 minutes per side or until they are done. Also you can bake air fry or broil using an air fryer or a multi functional cooker such as instant pot duo crisp. Air fry for 15 minutes by using a small silpat in air fryer basket, broil for 10 minutes or bake for 15 minutes with air fryer lid in place. Turn it over and repeat until it is done

Serve with pudina (mint) or tomato chutney.

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