These uniquely tender, aromatic, and smoky kababs remind me of my childhood in Pakistan. Every time I cook these, the aroma that comes from the grill makes everyone drool. Serve them with naan, sliced red onions, tamarind chutney, and green chutney. Try this unique and ancient recipe today. You won’t regret it!
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Marinate Time: 6 hrs
Total Time: 7 hrs
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Kababs:
- 1 1/4 pounds beef tenderloin, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick strips, about 1-1/2 X 6 inches
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 kiwi, peeled and quartered
- 1 1/2 tablespoons gram flour
- 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 small serrano chile pepper
- 1/4 cup mustard oil
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1/4 cup plain full fat yogurt
Whole Spices:
- 1/2 whole nutmeg seed
- 1 tablespoon whole mace
- 5 star anise pods
- 5 whole dried red Kashmiri chilies
Ground Spices:
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
Step1
Pound tenderloin strips with a meat mallet until they are very thin; set aside.
Step2
In a frying pan, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. Fry the onion in the hot oil for about five minutes, or until it turns a deep brown. Using a slotted spoon, strain the browned onion into a small bowl and reserve for later use.
Step3
Peel kiwi, cut into quarters, and set aside in a small bowl for later.
Step4
Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, and toast gram flour until lightly browned and nutty, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Dry-roast poppy seeds in the same skillet until lightly brown and aromatic, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove to a small bowl; set aside.
Step5
Dry-roast the nutmeg, mace, star anise, and Kashmiri chiles in the same skillet for two to four minutes, or until fragrant. Transfer the whole spices and chilies to a spice grinder, and grind them to a coarse powder.
Step6
Add browned onions, kiwi, ginger paste, garlic paste, and serrano pepper to the bowl of a food processor, and grind to a paste, about 30 seconds. Pour in mustard oil, white vinegar, and yogurt and pulse the food processor until everything is well blended, about 15 seconds.
Step7
Last of all, add roasted poppy seeds, roasted gram flour, roasted ground whole spices, chili powder, cumin, garam masala, black pepper, and salt to the food processor; process marinade for 1 minute.
Step8
Spoon marinade into a resealable plastic bag and add tenderized beef strips. Seal bag and squeeze gently to coat beef on all sides with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but ideally overnight.
Step9
Take the marinated meat out of the fridge and securely pack the beef strips on strong metal skewers. Any marinade that is left over can be used to baste the kababs as they cook. This prevents them from drying out.
Step10
Preheat an outdoor grill to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) and lightly oil the grate.
Step11
Grill kababs on the preheated grill, uncovered, for 5 minutes per side.
Step12
After lowering the grill’s temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius), cover it and cook the kababs for ten minutes. After turning the kebabs and brushing them with marinade, grill them for an additional ten minutes or until the meat’s internal temperature reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit (77 degrees Celsius). If kababs look a bit dry at any point in the cooking process, brush both sides with a little bit of avocado oil.
Step13
Remove skewers to a serving dish. Discard any uncooked marinade. Savor the kababs with green chutney, tamarind chutney, sliced red onions, and naan.
Cook’s Notes:
Use mustard oil alone or in a 1:1 ratio with another high smoke point oil, such as avocado, canola, or sunflower, for optimal results.
The main thing in this recipe is the quality of the meat. Your bihari kababs will be more tender if the meat is of higher quality.
The majority of the spices on the list are available online at Amazon or at your neighborhood grocery shop.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 4 | |
| Calories 835 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 68g | 87% |
| Saturated Fat 17g | 87% |
| Cholesterol 122mg | 41% |
| Sodium 772mg | 34% |
| Total Carbohydrate 21g | 8% |
| Dietary Fiber 5g | 16% |
| Total Sugars 9g | |
| Protein 37g | 74% |
| Vitamin C 53mg | 59% |
| Calcium 110mg | 8% |
| Iron 6mg | 35% |
| Potassium 866mg | 18% |