Seekh Kebab: the best recipe for incredible Middle Eastern meat skewers

For a delicious, tender meat appetizer that everyone will love, try making Middle Eastern seekh kebabs. These delicious meat skewers are seasoned with flavorful spices and zesty herbs and grilled over an open flame, giving them a wonderful smoky, charred flavor.

Pronounced "seek", seekh kebabs come from India and Pakistan and can be made with any type of ground meat. Lamb is especially popular, but you can use beef or chicken instead. The meat is mixed with onions, chili, and spices and shaped into a cylinder, then skewered and grilled.

Seekh kebabs are incredibly easy to make – perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, a barbecue, or party. Serve your seekh kebabs the way they do in India: with a side of green mint chutney.

Seekh Kebab vs. Shish Kebab

Seekh kebabs and shish kebabs are similar dishes that are both typically served on skewers and grilled. However, there are a few notable differences. Shish kebabs are a Middle Eastern dish that's made from cubed cuts of meat which are then grilled. They're often made from lamb.

Seekh kebabs are a South Asian dish, originally from India and Pakistan. They're made from lamb, beef, or chicken and seasoned with spices and herbs. Seekh kebabs are shaped into round, sausage-like shapes and cooked in a tandoor oven.

Can You Make Seekh Kebab in the Oven or on the Stovetop?

Of course! While grilled seekh kebabs are delicious, it's not always practical to fire up the grill. You can pan-fry your seekh kebabs. Cook them until browned and no longer pink. You can also make them in the oven. Bake them at 450F for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping them skewers once halfway through cooking.

Tips for the Best Seekh Kebab

Use any type of meat you like. Beef, lamb, and chicken all work for making seekh kebabs.

Don't skip letting the minced onion sit on a paper towel. This will absorb excess moisture, which is essential for making the best seekh kebabs and helping to prevent them from breaking apart.

Serve your grilled seekh kebab with grilled vegetables. Onions, bell peppers, and squash are all delicious choices.

If you find the meat mixture isn't holding together, you can add an egg as a binding agent.

You can refrigerate the meat mixture before shaping it to make it easier to mold.

You don't need to use skewers to make seekh kebabs. Simply mold the meat into sausages and cook them.

How to Store Seekh Kebab

Store cooked seekh kebabs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. You can prep seekh kebabs up to one day in advance and grill them the next day.

How to Make Seekh Kebab

Preheat your grill.

Place the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a spice grinder. Pulse until finely ground.

Place the onion in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Transfer the onion to a paper towel and set it aside.

Mince the ground meat in your food processor. Transfer the ground meat to a bowl.

Add the onions, ginger, garlic, ground spices, chili, salt, cilantro, mint, and ghee to the minced meat. Mix well to combine.

Grease your hands with ghee. Shape a small handful of the meat mixture into a sausage shape, then insert the skewer.

Cook over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Serve hot.

Notes

Greasing your hands with ghee makes shaping the seekh kebabs much easier.