Afelia’s Lamb Kebabs are really simple to make, they don’t require a great deal of effort but taste brilliant!

I always admired the way my mum used to make Lamb Kebabs using simple fresh ingredients, the results were lip-smackingly good. Shami kebabs were frequently present at our dining table growing up, my dad was a very keen kebab fan and loved a good kebab as a starter to his meal. They’re so versatile and best of all can be made ahead of time, so you can stock your freezer up and know whenever guests call, you have something yummy already prepared.

My mum always shaped the kebabs as small round tikkis/patties; this is how they are traditionally shaped in the Indian sub continent and are known as Shami Kebabs, if you mould them along a skewer using your hands they are called Sheekh Kebabs. This recipe is my own take on what my mum used to make all those years ago and I have added ingredients I think enhance the natural taste of the lamb. My husband, boys and daughter adore these kebabs and will have them at any given time; they are brilliant as a snack, as a starter when entertaining, packed in a lunch box or at Iftar time (this is when Muslims break their fast at sunset, during the holy month of Ramadan). I have a separate Chicken Kebab recipe if you’d liked to try that instead.

Using a mini chopper or food processor to turn the ingredients to a pulp is the key to a well formed kebab that holds together and by adding fresh breadcrumbs you ensure the kebabs are firm when moulded. For those of you who don’t own a mini chopper and are chopping by hand, ensure you chop your ingredients as finely as possible, you may also need to add an egg/chickpea flour to help bind the ingredients together, otherwise the kebabs may fall apart.

I used to add dry spices (coriander powder, cumin powder, etc, etc…) to my kebabs, but I honestly find this is a waste as lamb is naturally very tasty and in my opinion it doesn’t enhance the taste by much, over the years I have learnt to do many things differently. I know some people will be wondering why I add celery to my recipe, honestly just do it, it adds so much flavour. If you wanted to vary this recipe try adding some bell peppers, tomato paste or even scotch bonnet peppers to the mixture. I would also recommend a handful of fresh mint, this gives a wonderful aroma and is very complimentary to the lamb. Many of my friends and their families have tasted and tested this recipe and given it a big thumbs up, I hope you will too!

Makes approximately 40 – 45 kebabs

You will need: for Afelia’s Lamb Kebabs

1.5 kg lamb mince
2 medium onions peeled
4 – 5 large green chillies (this is a mild kebab, adjust for a spicier kebab)
2 stalks of celery
1/2 a bunch of coriander
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 thick slice of bread (equivalent to 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs)
1 level tbsp salt (or to your taste)

Method:

I don’t wash my mince and would recommend you don’t wash it either as washing removes fat and flavour and is an unnecessary step. Ask your butcher to wash the meat prior to mincing if it bothers you.

Tear the slice of bread by hand and place in your mini chopper/food processor…

….blitz until fine. Place the fresh breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl and leave to one side.

To make chopping the ingredients in the mini chopper easier, chop the 2 onions into quarters, roughly chop the coriander (this stops the coriander spinning around the centre of the chopper)….

….and roughly chop the 2 stalks of celery. Place the ingredients into the mini chopper (in batches if your food processor is small like mine) and blitz until very fine, I started with the 2 onions, 5 chillies and half of the coriander. Blitz to a fine pulp, DON’T add any water!

Next I blitzed the 2 stalks of celery and the remaining coriander.

Add all the blitzed ingredients to the bowl with the breadcrumbs and add 1 tbsp of ginger and 1 tbsp of garlic.

Next add the lamb mince, followed by 1 level tbsp of salt. Mix well by hand and ensure the pulped ingredients combine with the mince.

Kebabs have a tendency to reduce in size after being cooked which is why it’s important to mould them largely to start off with. I take a large portion of mincemeat and use the base of my palm as a measure of how large each kebab should be. At this point it is always a wise idea to test a small kebab for seasoning; pan fry, grill or air fry a small kebab and taste, adjust if necessary.

Carry on moulding them and place them on a plastic chopping board or flat surface to freeze. I find these flexible boards extremely useful as the kebabs don’t stick to the boards and release with ease after being frozen.

As an alternative to the Shami Kebab shape, you can also mould these as Kebab Pops (my daughter invented this name).  Soak some cocktail sticks in some water, this prevents the sticks burning when the Kebab Pops are baked in the oven/airfryer. Take a small amount of mincemeat and shape into an oval shaped ball, then place a cocktail stick into the ball. Place the Kebab Pops on a flat surface and freeze.

When you want to cook the Shami Kebabs you can cook them from frozen, pan fry them for about 10 mins either side or oven bake them for 30 – 40 mins (depending on how brown you want them). Use a good quality non stick pan to prevent the kebabs sticking and turn over once you have a nice brown colour. Serve this with a delicious Greek Tzatziki sauce. It’s a delicious cooling Greek yoghurt and cucumber sauce that goes perfectly with these kebabs and makes a nice change to the usual ketchup we serve with most snacks.

Bon Appetit!!

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