An exotic Indian cousin to British meatballs and Turkish kebabs

My grandpa didn’t cook much. I only ever remember him making two dishes, his signature kheema (lamb mince) kebabs and fried fish. We had his kheema kebabs every Sunday for breakfast and back when I was a caterer in India, these kebabs were our go-to dish for all parties.

After all, what’s not to love about spicy lamb meatballs that have been coated in semolina and deep-fried? You might have had Swedish lamb meatballs or Turkish kebabs but these kebabs are different. Like the exotic cousin that comes to visit you from the islands every summer.

These kebabs taste best with a squeeze of lemon and squashed inside fresh bread or roti. While the original recipe only uses lamb mince and potato, I will often also sneak in some vegetables to up the nutritional content. Enjoy my grandpa’s kheema kebabs for breakfast, as an exciting side to boring leftovers, or like we do, for Sunday dinner.

GRANDPA’S KHEEMA KEBABS

Makes 30 – 36 

• 500 gm lamb or beef mince (tastes alright with chicken mince too)
• 4 medium potatoes (about 250gm)
• 2 slices of toast bread or ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
• 2 tsp coriander-cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Big handful of chopped coriander
• 1-2 cups of coarse semolina
• Salt to taste (1- 1.5 tsp)
• Sunflower or rice bran oil for deep frying, or use an air fryer

Halve the potatoes. Fill up a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until they are completely soft. Drain the potatoes and peel and mash them while they’re hot.

If using sliced bread, soak the slices in a small bowl of water. After a few minutes, squeeze all the water out and crumble the bread.

Whisk the eggs.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients except for the oil and semolina, making sure the spices are well incorporated. I suggest using your hands.

Form the mixture into small meatballs. Roll them between your palms to get a smooth round shape. If you prefer patties, you can make that shape too, though patties are harder to deep fry.

If you’re deep frying, use a wok or large saucepan and fill it with oil. You’ll need enough so that your kebabs can submerge fully into the oil. This is important because if you shallow fry, your kebabs will develop cracks and break.

Heat the oil until it’s very hot. To test if the oil is ready, drop in a sprinkle of semolina. If it rises to the top, the oil is hot enough.

Now, coat each kebab in semolina and then drop it into the hot oil. Cook 8-10 kebabs at a time depending on the size of your wok/pan. The kebabs will take 5-6 minutes to cook. Remove them when they are golden brown and crispy.

If you detest deep frying (a crime in my books), you can also air fry these kebabs. Coat them in semolina and place in your air fryer basket. Cook at 180 degrees for 12 minutes, give them a toss, and cook for a further 12 minutes. This method will take you a while so I don’t recommend it.

These kebabs taste best freshly fried and with a squeeze of lemon juice just before eating. Place them with love inside a slice of bread, roti or pita, squash with your hands, and enjoy.