Shami Kebab — Lentil & Ground Beef Patties

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 cup chana dal, soaked 1 hour
• 1 onion, quartered
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 inches ginger
• 4 dried red chilies
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 black peppercorns
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1½ cups water
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup cilantro and mint, chopped
• 4 tbsp oil, for frying

Method

1. Put the Ground Beef, drained dal, onion, garlic, ginger, all the whole spices, salt, and water in a pot. Simmer covered 35–40 minutes until the dal is completely soft and the meat is falling apart.
2. Uncover and cook off every last bit of liquid, stirring — a wet mixture will not hold its shape later. The pan should be dry enough to see the bottom.
3. Cool completely, pick out the cinnamon stick, then grind to a smooth paste in a food processor. Fold in the herbs and adjust salt.
4. Shape into flat rounds and chill 20 minutes. Freeze extras between sheets of parchment at this stage.
5. Dip each patty in beaten egg and shallow-fry over medium heat, 3 minutes a side, until deeply browned and crisp. Serve with mint chutney and lemon.