• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MyIndianStove

  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Recipes By Category
    • Best Indian Cookbooks, Food Blogs, & YouTube Cooking Shows
    • Top 20 Indian Dishes eCookBook
    • Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies with Walnuts
    • Indianish Winter Cookies
    • Glorious Chicken Mulligatawny Soup
    • Homemade Potato Roll Recipe
    • Indian-Spiced Kabab Recipe
    • Spiced Crunchy Roasted Potatoes
    • Gluten-free Spiced Carrot Cake
    • 6-Ingredient Indian Mango Custard
  • Articles
    • All Articles
    • About Indian Food
      • About Indian Food
      • Flavors of India
      • Typical Indian Meals
      • Indian Food in 2020
      • Indian Drinks
      • Indian Grocery List for Advanced Cooks
      • Curry Leaf Substitutes & Where to Buy Plants or Leaves
      • Coconut Facts, Substitutes, & Measures
    • Assumptions I Avoid
    • Essential Indian Pantry
    • Indian Cooking Basics
    • Top 20 Most Popular Indian Dishes & Recipes
    • Top 10 Tips for Indian Cooking Basics
    • Take a Look at Our eCookBook
    • 2020 Best of MyIndianStove
    • 10 Things To Do With Leftover Curry
  • Substitutes
  • Glossary
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Articles
  • All Recipes
  • Free eBook
  • Weekly Digest
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Articles
    • All Recipes
    • Free eBook
    • Weekly Digest
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Snacks and Appetizers

    Indian-Spiced Kabab Recipe

    Published: Dec 29, 2020 · Modified: Jan 17, 2022 by Alonna

    This easy kabab recipe is endlessly comforting and customizable. Perfect in small bites with tea or supersize them into a "burger" and have a satisfying weeknight meal.
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Served burger sized in a soft fluffy bun smeared with green chutney, topped with a slice of tomato and chopped red onion.
    Indian-Spiced Kabab Recipe ~ Served burger sized in a soft fluffy bun smeared with green chutney, topped with a slice of tomato and chopped red onion.
    This easy kabab recipe is endlessly comforting and customizable. Perfect in small bites with tea or supersize them into a "burger" and have a satisfying weeknight meal.

    Top 20 Dish! Get my free e-Cookbook: “The Top 20 Indian Recipes”

    An Enticing Parsi Snack

    Aromatic and addictive, these Indian-spiced kababs are a great back-pocket recipe to have. Kavabs are the Parsi version of a kabab/kebab, and their Persian based cuisine is loved by Parsis and non-Parsis alike. For more information about this religion, Peri Avari of Peri's Spice Ladle has an excellent Parsi food blog with a post about Parsi food. 

    Mini or supersize

    Based on Peri Avari's Parsi kavab recipe can be baked or shallow fried. Because these kebabs are bound with mashed potatoes, they make a healthy snack or meal and doesn't require much additional fat for moisture.

    Indian Spiced Kebabs (Kavab) served with cucumber and tomato salad.

    You can triple the size and sandwich it into a bun, freshened up with slices of tomato or thin, crisp slices of cucumber. Slather with your favorite chutney or ketchup, serve my Indian-ish coconut cabbage on the side, and you have a satisfying weeknight meal.

    I have changed the method of cooking the meat before shaping it into kebabs. Rather than using raw meat, I've cooked it before mixing it into the potatoes, so that I don't have to get the kababs up to a safe temperature. The other tweak I made was to temper the spices in ghee. I hope Ms. Avari is not horrified by these changes.

    Some choices

    Besides being tasty, I love this recipe because it is so flexible. You can use any ground meat you have, and you go veg by using firm tofu crumbles. I tend to be impatient so don't always wait for a stay in the refrigerator, but it certainly helps the kababs hold together.

    This kabab recipe works well as a make-ahead meal and it freezes well, making it a lifesaver when you are in life's crazy whirl. I hope you give this healthy recipe a try and let me know it goes.

    This recipe is one of the 10 dishes I make over and over!

    • Juicy Indian Spiced Turkey Burgers on the Grill or Stove
    • Easy and Comforting  Beef Keema Curry (Indian Ground Beef)
    • Indian-Style Spaghetti with Curried Meatballs
    • Chicken Burger Kerala-Style
    Served burger sized in a soft bun smeared with green chutney, topped with a slice of tomato and chopped red onion.

    Indian-Spiced Kabab Recipe

    This easy kabab recipe is endlessly comforting and customizable. Perfect in small bites with tea or supersize them into a "burger" and have a satisfying weeknight meal.
    Print Pin Comment
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 25 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Chill (Optional): 2 hours
    Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
    Servings: 26 kababs
    Calories: 57kcal
    Author: Alonna

    Ingrediants

    • 1/2 pound potatoes ~ Washed and peeled
    • 1 pound ground meat ~ See Notes below to make vegan
    • 1 tablespoon ghee or oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
    • 1/2 cup onion ~ Minced or grated
    • 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste ~ Homemade or 1 tablespoon each minced or grated ginger & garlic
    • 2 small Indian chilies ~ 1 teaspoon minced. Serrano or jalepeno. More to taste!
    • 3/4 teaspoon Kashmiri ground red chili ~ Or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1/4 cup cilantro ~ Or mint, or a combination, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon sea or table salt ~ Substitutions; more or less to taste
    • 1/4 cup flour ~ AP wheat flour, chickpea flour (besan), or rice flour
    • 1 large egg ~ Well beaten, or 2 tablespoons yogurt
    • 2 tablespoons neutral oil ~ Divided as needed for baking or shallow frying

    Optional garnishes

    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon chaat masala
    • chutneys ~ Your favorite, buy or make
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Place the potatoes in a sauce pan and cover with cold water. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Cook the potatoes until they are just tender, testing with a sharp knife or fork. Drain and let cool.
    • While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon ghee or oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and sauté for a minute or two, until they turn a shade darker.
    • Immediately add the onions and cook until translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the ginger garlic paste and the green chilies. Cook another 2 minutes, or until the paste no longer smells raw. Add a little water if needed to prevent sticking.
      Indian Spiced Kebabs (Kavab) Onions cooked and ginger garlic paste and minced green chili added.
    • Stir in the red chili, coriander, cumin, and turmeric, and cook for another two minutes.
      Indian Spiced Kebabs (Kavab) Onions, ginger, garlic and green chil jioined by powdered spices.
    • Mix in the ground meat or tofu, and sauté until cooked through. Move mixture to a large bowl and add the mashed potatoes, salt, lemon juice, and cilantro (and mint, if using). Stir well.
      Indian Spiced Kebabs (Kavab)
    • At this point you would ideally cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. I typically skip this step, but it does make the kebabs hold together better. This meat mix can be made up to a day in advance.
    • Right before cooking, add the flour you are using and a well-beaten egg to the meat mixture.
    • Using your hands or a cookie scoop, shape 2 tablespoons size balls of the mixture, and flatten them into a round disk. Or make 4 to 6 burger sized kababs!

    Pan Fry or Bake

      Pan Fry:

      • Add one tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry on each side for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy on the outside.
        Indian Spiced Kebabs (Kavab) Browned in a pan.
      • If you are frying the small appetizer-sized kebabs, you will need to do this in 2 batches. After the first batch, wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Add another tablespoon of oil and fry the second batch.

      Bake:

      • Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and generously oil a baking sheet.
      • Place kebabs on a baking sheet and brush them on both sides with oil. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the kebabs are nicely browned.

      Garnishing

      • Drizzle with lemon juice, or sprinkle of chaat masala, as you wish.
      • Serve with your favorite chutneys.
        Indian Spiced Kebabs (Kavab) Pototoes are joined by the other ingredients.

      Burger Idea

      • Toast the buns in butter in a large pan. Brush date and tamarind chutney and/or mint chutney on both sides of the buns and layer with thinly sliced tomatoes or cucumbers, thinly sliced red onion (lightly pickled or not), and pile on some sev (or even potato chips) for crunch. A slice of tomato would not go amiss. Makes 4 to 6 burgers depending on how large you want them.
        Served burger sized in a soft bun smeared with green chutney, topped with a slice of tomato and chopped red onion.Indian-Spiced Kabab Recipe ~ Served burger sized in a soft fluffy bun smeared with green chutney, topped with a slice of tomato and chopped red onion.

      Notes

      • This recipe requires that you refrigerate the meat and potato mixture for shaping, so plan accordingly. You can also make it up the day before if that works better for your schedule. I have skipped the refrigerator step and the kababs are a bit more fragile and crumbly, but if you are short on time, it is still a workable mixture.
      • To make this kabab vegan, use well-drained firm or extra firm tofu and substitute the egg with 2 tablespoon plant-based yogurt.
      • Depending on whether you use meat or tofu, and you may want to swap out the cilantro for fresh mint; especially when using ground lamb.
      • Cook the potatoes until just soft, you don’t want them waterlogged.
      • The recommended binder for these kababs is semolina flour, and since I didn’t have that I used regular flour. If you want to go gluten-free, use chickpea flour (besan) or rice flour.
      • The nutritional information is for a small snack-sized kabab.
      • Indian-spiced kabab recipe is one of the Top 20 Dishes in India, enjoy!

      Nutrition

      Calories: 57kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

      Your Private Notes

      Click here to add your own private notes.
      Hungry for more?Subscribe to my free Weekly Digest!
      Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @AlonnasIndianStove or tag #MyIndianStove!
      • Facebook
      • Yummly
      • Email
      • Twitter

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Becky Esch says

        May 06, 2022 at 10:24 am

        5 stars
        Absolutely loved this recipe - the flavors (really dresses up ground turkey) and the potatoes gave it a comfort food experience! I used a paleo flour mix, which worked well.

      2. Alonna says

        May 10, 2022 at 9:49 am

        Thanks for your feedback, Becky! So glad you like this recipe and love that the paleo flour mix worked for you. Happy cooking!

      Leave a Reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      Primary Sidebar

      Alonna Smith owner of My Indian Stove dot com
      Alonna Smith, Publisher (and chef!)

      As an adventurous and accomplished home cook, I am having the time of my life, cooking through the many regions of India, learning different cooking methods, and the many ways of using spices, pulses, and creating unforgettable food, if I may say so myself.

      Learn more about us

      Get my free eBook


      My Indian Stove all recipes icon
      MyIndianStove all recipes icon
      MyIndianStove Basics Icon
      MyIndianStove Basics Icon

      Glossary: Hindi-English
      Glossary: English-Hindi
      Substitutions


      Yeah, it is summer!

      • Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies with Walnuts
      • Crispy, Juicy Kerala Fried Chicken
      • Easy Grilled Boneless Tandoori Chicken Thighs
      • Indian Fusion Tacos ~ Fillings & Toppings
      • Chicken Shawarma Wrap
      • Indian Cucumber Salad (Kachumber)

      Trending

      • Easy Tandoori Masala Powder & Paste From Scratch
      • Easy and Comforting  Beef Keema Curry (Indian Ground Beef)
      • Rich and Tangy Pork Vindaloo
      • Hot or Mild Madras Curry Powder Recipe
      • Goan Spice Mix Recipe (Garam Masala)
      • Indian-Style Pasta ~ Spaghetti Bolognese

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      Resources

      • Glossary
      • Substitutions

      Newsletter

      • Get our Free eCookbook
      • Get our Weekly Digest

      Contact Us

      • Contact Us
      • Use Our Content
      • About Us
      • Privacy and Disclosure
      • Copyright

      Copyright © 2022 Alonna Smith

      17 shares