Recipe: Afghan Chappli/Chapli Kabobs

In the almost two years of my blog's existence, I have not yet shared any of my favourite recipes! Today, I'm planning to change that. One of my favourite things to eat are fried meats! In my home, I'm known for my dry meat marination specialty! So it seems fitting that my first recipe post should be of such an item.

I've found that post-war, there have been a number of Afghan restaurants established in my area. With its fresh and juicy offerings, Afghan food has fast become one of my favourite types of cuisines to indulge in! My top three favourite Afghan restaurants in the greater Toronto area, for those interested, include Bamiyan Kabob, Pamier Kabob and Afghan Kebob Cuisine.

I typically order their chicken breast kabob with naan, or their chappli kabob with naan. I guess I got inspired to recreate a fraction of the flavour I'm used to eating at these restaurants.

So I've been working on perfecting the recipe below. I've only made it twice, but it is well on its way to becoming one of my favourite minced meat dishes! For help, I searched through a number of different recipes online for Afghan chappli kabobs and fused them with a few added ingredients and came up with the following:

Afghan Chappli Kabobs

2 lbs of ground beef (with around 20% fat)

2 small/medium onions, diced
(amount depends on preference)

Salt to taste
(about 1-2 tsp should be enough)

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. crushed red peppers

3 pieces of garlic, minced

1 tsp. ginger, minced

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. red chilli powder
2 eggs,  beaten
4-5 strands of cilantro leaves, chopped
6-8 green chillies, chopped
A pinch of cinnamon
Oil, for frying

Serves about 8-10 people (depending on size of patties)
This dish is best served with a flatbread and salad, but can also be eaten with rice or on its own!

You'll need to mix all the above ingredients together and shape them into burger patties. It is best to allow a day or so for the spices to really blend in with the meat. To prepare, you'll want to fry the patties on medium heat with some oil, for about 7-10 minutes (or whenever you feel it is ready!). I prefer my chappli kabobs mouthwateringly spicy. So I topped up the green chillies, chilli powder and crushed red peppers. The recipe above reflects a medium hotness, I would say. This recipe is somewhat similar to the Chapplis served in restaurants, but I plan on continuing to play around with the ingredients to get the two more properly matched.

*Pictures to follow.

If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you :-)