Cardamom-flavoured Lamb Patties – Galouti Kebabs

Awadhi is considered India’s most subtle cuisine and is typical of Uttar Pradesh. There are hundreds of varieties of kebabs also spelt kabab, such as kakori kebabs, galawat kebabs, shami kebabs, and seekh kebabs. ‘Galouti’ means ‘melt in the mouth’.

Cardamom-flavoured Lamb Patties – Galouti Kebabs

The meat was diced, minced and pounded to a fine paste and then flavoured with herbs and spices. After being moulded into shapes, the kebabs were grilled, fried, or skewered and baked in a charcoal oven. To achieve the tangy taste, I’ve used mango powder (amchur), but you could use lemon juice or half an unripe mango, finely chopped.

Picture by Manju Malhi

Makes 8 patties

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Bengal gram or channa dal or yellow split peas
250g minced lamb, minced several times to make it smooth
1 tsp peeled and roughly grated root ginger
2-4 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ tsp mango powder or 1 tbsp lemon juice
15g butter
1 tsp chilli powder
2 green cardamoms, seeds only, crushed
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp rapeseed oil

Method:

Pick over the channa dal to check for small stones. Place a small pan or frying pan over a low heat and roast the channa dal for 2 minutes, making sure that it doesn’t burn. Grind it into a fine powder using a pestle and mortar or coffee grinder. Mix all the ingredients together except the oil and blend in a food processor till the mixture becomes a coarse paste. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Wet your hands and divide the mince into eight equal parts. Shape into flat, round patties 1.5cm thick.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the patties over a medium heat, cooking either side for about 10 minutes or until cooked through, making sure both sides brown evenly.

Alternatively, preheat a grill to medium and grill for 10 minutes each side or until cooked through. Serve hot with a tomato chutney.

Manju Malhi

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Cardamom-flavoured Lamb Patties – Galouti Kebabs

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