Seekh Kebab

Seekh Kebab is a widely demanded Indian appetizer, typically taken with a side of green chutney (mint and chilli sauce). It’s essentially a delicious South Asian sausage without a casing. Finely minced meat is massaged with grated onion, fresh cilantro, along with a fistful of spices like turmeric and Kashmiri chili powder; with the mixture pressed around a wide and flat sword-like skewer, known as a “seekh.” Then the meat is grilled over flames until it renders its fat and forms a tube that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

The origin of the seekh kebab, like many other foods, is a bit gloomy. The story goes like this: Seekh Kebab was originally known as Shish Kebab and was introduced in India by the Turks. In Turkish, the word Shish actually means a “sword” or skewer, and the word Kebab means “to roast”; so if we think of the literal meaning it sounds like roasting meat on a sword, funny isn’t it?

Legend has it that Shish Kebab first originated on the open fields, as the Turkish soldiers would take shelter in the forests during night-time, and hunt for any wild meat that they could find. They would then skewer it on their swords and roast it over fire. Since it seemed to be the only source of food they could find in the jungles. Eventually, this became their favorite source of food during their stays in dense forests. This method was used by Turkish tribes during the war as they pushed west from their homeland in Central Asia while they first invaded Anatolia.

According to another interesting legend, the arrival of kebabs into the South Asian region is mostly brought by the Mughal emperors who invaded India starting in the 1500s and brought with them a penchant for tender meat grilled on skewers, amongst other things. These kebabs were fused with Indian spices, and from there, seekh kebabs became a beloved and affordable street food across both what is now Pakistan, and parts of India. The original recipe of the Shish Kebabs does not include any vegetables, but a lot of restaurateurs now have started skewering tomatoes, onion wedges, bell peppers, and mushrooms along with the meat; or even on a separate skewer to make it more palatable and attractive.

Laree Adda brings you this appetizing and succulent dish from the streets of India and Pakistan. You can order it in the form of wraps rolled in a fluffy naan or just as is. We assure that you’ll get a burst of flavors and delightfulness after having our Seekh Kebabs.