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Pakistani

Seekh kebab

Non-vegetarian

سیخ کباب · Seekh kabab

Spiced minced lamb or beef moulded onto skewers with onion, ginger, green chilli and fresh herbs, then grilled until charred and juicy.

Seekh kebab is a Pakistani grilled dish, ready in about 1 hour 2 minutes and made with ground lamb and garam masala. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Delicious spicy seekh kebabs served with tangy coleslaw and dip on a wooden platter.
Photo: Kunal Lakhotia / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
12 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 2 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
409

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pulse the lamb with the onion (opens in a new tab), ginger, garlic (opens in a new tab), chilli, herbs, spices, chickpea flour (opens in a new tab) and salt in a food processor (opens in a new tab) (or knead by hand for 5 minutes) until it becomes a smooth, tacky paste.

    Food safety: Wash hands and equipment after handling raw meat.

  2. Step 2

    Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes so the mixture firms and holds on the skewers (opens in a new tab).

    • 30 min

  3. Step 3

    With wet hands, mould portions into long sausages around flat metal skewers (opens in a new tab) (or shape free-form logs), pressing evenly.

  4. Step 4

    Grill over hot charcoal or under a hot grill, turning often and brushing with ghee (opens in a new tab), for 10–12 minutes until charred and cooked through.

    Food safety: Cook minced meat to 71 °C in the centre.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Slide off the skewers (opens in a new tab) and serve with lemon (opens in a new tab) wedges and onion (opens in a new tab) rings.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Indian subcontinent · Commonly attributedA Mughal-era kebab now ubiquitous in Pakistan and northern India.Also popular in Pakistan, India
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Grills & kebabs · Main courses · Appetizers & starters
    Cooking method
    Grilled
    Taste
    smoky, spicy (chilli heat), savoury, herby
    Diet
    No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    With the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead · Street food
    Cook more with
    Ground lamb · Garam masala · Onion · Fresh ginger · Garlic · Green chilli
    Techniques
    Grilling · Broiling · Charcoal grilling · Dhungar (charcoal smoking) · Kneading

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    409 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 158 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 21%
    • Carbohydrate 5%
    • Fat 73%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy409 kcal258 kcal
    Protein21.8 g13.8 g
    Carbohydrate5.2 g3.3 g
    Net carbohydrate3.8 g2.4 g
    Sugars1.1 g0.7 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre1.4 g0.9 g
    Fat33.1 g20.9 g
    Saturated fat14.9 g9.4 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol100 mg63 mg
    Sodium661 mg418 mg
    Salt equivalent1.7 g1 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    384 mg
    Calcium
    46 mg
    Iron
    2.8 mg
    Magnesium
    40 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    39 µg
    Vitamin C
    10 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.1 µg
    Vitamin B12
    2.9 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    35 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: lemon, red onion.
    • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Chilling the mince well is the key to kebabs that don't slip off the skewer.

    Common mistakes

    • Leaving the onion wet — the excess moisture makes the kebabs fall apart.

    Serve with

    • Serve with naan, mint chutney and kachumber salad.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate cooked kebabs up to 3 days; raw shaped kebabs freeze well.

    Reheating

    • Reheat under a hot grill or in a pan for a few minutes.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 4

    Masalas in this recipe

    Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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