Seekh Kabab: The Story Behind the Skewer, and a Chef's Recipe to Make at Home
Seekh means skewer. The kebab is named after the tool, and the tool is most of the technique.
At Madras Cafe, the Indian restaurant on Stockwell Street in Glasgow city centre, head chef Shabu Natarajan has written this one down. It sits on page 47 of his book, 100 Easy Recipes for First Time Chefs, and it is the recipe below. We should be upfront that seekh kabab is not on our menu, so this is one for your own kitchen, with a little history to read first.
Named after the tool
The Cook's Cook says seekh kebabs are named after the tools used to make them, the tandoor and the skewer, or seekh. It also explains why the skewer matters. It carries heat into the centre of the meat, which keeps the inside soft while the outside takes on a crust. The same piece says tandoors and open fires work best, because coal smoke adds flavour and high heat browns the surface quickly, and that thinner kebabs cook faster and stay moister. Overcook them and they turn dry and hard.
The basic recipe is easy to recognise. Wikipedia's entry on seekh kebab describes spiced minced meat, usually lamb, beef or chicken, flavoured with ginger, green chilli, chilli powder, garam masala, lemon juice and coriander, formed into cylinders on skewers and grilled over a mangal or in a tandoor. It is a close match for the list in Chef Shabu's recipe.
Nobody quite agrees where it began
Ask where seekh kabab came from and the honest answer is that the story is unclear. Writer Vir Sanghvi went looking in 2020 and came away with exactly that. He points to the food historian Colleen Taylor Sen, who describes grilling over a fire, perhaps on sticks, as the most basic way of cooking meat in ancient India. He also notes that the 12th century Manasollasa includes recipes for skewered, grilled meat. Live History India says that text was written at the court of King Someshvara III, who ruled from 1127 to 1138, and that its recipes cover a wide range of skewered meats, today's kebabs.
The other camp says the seekh arrived from outside. The Better India reports the story that it came to the subcontinent with Central Asian armies, who skewered hunted animals on the tips of their swords and roasted them over fires. Sanghvi accepts Middle Eastern roots but points to Iran rather than Turkey, where he was served a version shaped like a flat blade instead of a cylinder. Some theories date its arrival from Iran to the 17th century, though he suspects it came earlier.
Whichever you believe, the Indian chapter is clear. Cooks made it their own, Sanghvi says, adding Indian masalas and often swapping fatty lamb for leaner goat.
Soft enough for a nawab
Texture has driven minced kebabs for a long time. The Better India, drawing on the historian Lizzie Collingham, tells of Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab Wazir of Oudh from 1775 to 1797, who lost his teeth, so his cooks made kebabs of finely pounded meat soft enough for him to eat. The Cook's Cook still wants a seekh that nearly dissolves in the mouth. Thinner skewers and a light hand with the spices both help, and Chef Shabu's recipe has both.
Chef Shabu's seekh kabab recipe
This is the recipe exactly as it appears in his book. The spicing is light, which leaves the lamb to do the talking.
Ingredients
400g lamb mince
½ onion, minced
¼ tsp garam masala powder
¼ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp ginger, finely minced
1 tbsp coriander leaves, minced
½ egg
1 tsp corn flour
1 green chilli, minced
Salt, to taste
¼ tsp lemon juice
Method
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.
Divide the mixture into small portions and roll each portion onto a skewer.
Apply some butter to a grill and cook the lamb skewers.
Serve hot with lemon and onion.
A few practical notes. For the half egg, beat a whole egg and use half of it. Keep the portions small and thin, as the method says, so they cook through quickly. Lamb mince must be cooked all the way through, so brown the skewers on every side over a high heat without letting them dry out.
What to serve with it
Chef Shabu's own instruction is hot, with lemon and onion. Wikipedia lists raita, salad, onion slices, lemon wedges and green chutney as the usual company, with naan or paratha on the side.
At Madras Cafe that means our House Raita, a creamy Greek yoghurt with pomegranate, cucumber, red onion, herbs and spices, plus Spiced Onions and a Garlic Coriander Naan. At home, a squeeze of lemon and a pile of sliced raw onion does the job.
Not on our menu, but the grill is
If you would rather someone else did the grilling, our tandoor section has the same smoky, high heat appeal. The Amritsari Chops are lamb chops in a marinade of yoghurt, garlic, cumin and garam masala, barbecued at high heat. The Madaresee Chicken Tikka is chicken breast marinated overnight in rustic spices, Kashmiri chilli and yoghurt. And our Chicken Frankie Roll starts with skewer-roasted chicken. For more on the clay oven behind these dishes, read our piece on tandoori food and the tandoor.
We are a short walk from Glasgow Central Station, and you can book a table here. Menus change, so ask your server what is on the day. More stories like this live on our Food Stories page.
Frequently asked questions
What does seekh mean in seekh kabab?
Seekh means skewer. The kebab is named after the tools used to make it, the skewer and the tandoor. It is also spelled seekh kebab.
What meat is used in seekh kabab?
Usually minced lamb, beef or chicken. Chef Shabu's recipe uses lamb mince, and many cooks in India use leaner goat meat instead of lamb.
Can you make seekh kabab without a tandoor?
Yes. Chef Shabu's recipe cooks the skewers on a buttered grill. Whatever you use, keep the heat high so the outside browns quickly, and cook the lamb all the way through without drying it out.
What do you serve with seekh kabab?
Chef Shabu serves them hot with lemon and onion. Raita, green chutney, salad, naan or paratha are also common.
Is seekh kabab on the Madras Cafe menu?
No. Our tandoor section includes Amritsari Chops and Madaresee Chicken Tikka. Menus can change, so ask your server on the day.