i dont eat meat and my hubby loves meat. he’s always complaining im cooking veg dishes, but when i attemp kebabs or chops etc or chicken it goes wrong.
When i make kebabs the mixtures to dry and they break off in little pieces in the oil. if i add besan they dont taste that meaty anymore and lose all the taste. also they are really moist and wet inside even when i add extra besan they stay together biut taste awful and look sooo moist inside that i keep thinking its raw inside.
the smell puts me off, i tried washing in vinegar etc it doesnt work? can anyone help me as my hubby keeps getting annoyed over it
Ok, for kebabs. Add an egg and only about 1 and a half tablespoon of besan. Never too much. The egg will help keep the meat together. I don't know about you - but I add the vinegar once I start the cooking process (just a dash, half a tablespoon for 1lb/2lb of keema). It always gets rid of the smell for me. You need to realize though, that it's gonna have a slight smell and you will have to deal with it. That's how uncooked meat is lol.
Another way to keep the meat together is adding a few tablespoons of yogurt with the besan. Always works.
What else do you put in your kebabs? If it's too moist and not sticking together, another reason is because a lot of people put tomatoes in their kebabs. However, when you put tomatoes in your kebabs the seeds/slimy part ends up ruining the mixture. Make sure to de-seed the tomato and dice the flesh of the tomato finely to put in your kebab mixture.
Since you're making kebabs, forget the vinegar. Once you add all the spices/etc to it...the smell should automatically be masked. If you are making something that requires the ground beef to be cooked first before doing anything, then adding the vinegar will help.
Try to incorporate chicken and meat along with veggies and you both might enjoy it. Grill/bake/roast chicken with veggies marinated in the same sauce. You can eat the veggies and hubby can have both/one.. whatever. If you enjoy salans - make meat + some veggie.
ok, so i got a half a kilo of lamb mince ( but the cheaper one, it contained a lot of fat, the guy at the shop said use this keema for kebabs???)
I washed it in a strainer, squeezed all the water out, then i blended 2 onions, and two tomatoes (de-seeded) squeezed all the water out, some green chillies, 2 cloves of garlic, a tiny bit of ginger and salt and coriander and half teaspoon of zeera.
ok so i mixed everything together, and i divided into three portions because i wanted to test it out with different things to see where i was going wrong!!!
so the first mixture i whisked on egg and added to mixture. when i fried it in a wok, all the mixture absorbed all the oil and bits were breaking off in the oil.
in the other mixture i added besan and had to add a lot of it because when i only added a little the same thing happened, when i added a lot the kebab stayed together and didnt absorb too much oil but didnt taste like a kebab anymore, tasted like a pakora!!!
in the last mixture i add a bit of both but the still came out really soft and the inside was really juicy and mushy and i couldnt work put if its cooked or raw? so my hubby didnt eat it. and when i broke the kebab there was that meaty smell which i hate even though i washed the hell out of the keema. when im making kebabs the mixture isnt really runny and the kebabs are easy to form, they just dont cook or taste right!! oh i keep wasting sooo much food practising and mesing it up it really gets me down!!! what kind of mum will i be when my baby gets older and im like "let me make you a crisp sandwich or something!!"
You need cooking lessons from some pro in person , not via skype , youtube or TV. You need to go a long way before your kababs taste like kababs not pakoras.
I am serious and sincere when I say this. Please do not get offended. Somethings you need to learn by watching some pro do them , in your case it is cooking.
tyra ... firstly please dont feel let down by the fact that you arent an expert cook .. cooking isnt rocket science , once you get a grip of the basic principles , you will be a pro already !
Secondly, I will help you out with the cooking thing ... tell me what type of kababs are you trying to obtain ? chapli kabab? seekh kabab etc ... or tell me what type of kabab your husband likes and i will type up a recipe for you including all the tips ...
When you're cooking the kebabs are you very gentle when turning them over? Ive found that's a way to keep them together even though i have like all the knives forks spatulas in the world to help me turn them over.
when you make the kebab's..as in the round flat shape do you very firmly squeeze the meat together so that they stay like that?
It sounds like you're trying to make chapli kebab. And your ingredients sound perfect. Add crushed red pepper, and chilli powder to the mix. Try using lean ground beef, not minced lamb. Minced lamb is difficult to cook with. And one egg for 1 or 2 pounds (1/2 to 1 kg) of keema - otherwise it will be too eggy. Don't add too much besan thinking it will help - it won't. One tablespoon of besan, one tablespoon of yogurt, and one egg. It should help keep the mixture together. And I don't whisk the egg before-hand. Add the egg whole to your mixture and mix with your hands - that way it incorporates into everything and helps bind the meat.
Don't use a wok to cook the kebabs in! Use a frying pan or if you have a tava (thing you make rotis on) that also works perfectly for making chapli kebabs. Make sure you aren't adding too much oil, 2-3 tablespoons should be more than enough. Another thing to keep in mind is - do NOT flip the kebab too early! If it's still not well browned, don't touch it. You'll know if it's browning/cooking well when you see the sides cooking up/changing color. Leave it for a while and when flipping keep a finger/spoon/fork on the top so it doesn't break apart. Gently law the kebab down on the uncooked part when you are making kebabs.
Don't worry if you're messing up - practice makes perfect! If you're worried about using too much food/wasting food....take enough keema for one or 2 kebabs and practice on it. When you realize what the perfect combo is, you can use it on larger amounts of food. =)
Also if you're ever worried about whether they're cooked on the inside, just cut one in half and check if the inside is piping hot! I do this trick a lot and believe it helps!
if the kabobs are falling apart you should put some plain breadcrumbs in the mixture- about 1/3 to 1/2 cup for every pound of meat- don't use besan (also do put an egg in like others said)
also- use a regular frying pan and only put enough oil so that it is about 1/8 inch up the depth of the pan
and also to keep them from falling apart- make sure your oil is hot enough before you add the kabobs to the pan (medium/high heat)- they should sizzle as soon as they hit the oil and let them cook on the first side until they are completely browned (don't mess with them before that!) and then flip them
I don't know about the advice here without knowing what kind of kabab you are trying to make. Different kababs have different ingredients/way of making. You don't even use keema for every kabab. And honestly I didn't know people use besan to keep their kabab together. I can't even imagine the taste..
I don't know about the advice here without knowing what kind of kabab you are trying to make. Different kababs have different ingredients/way of making. You don't even use keema for every kabab. And honestly I didn't know people use besan to keep their kabab together. I can't even imagine the taste..
Since it's only one tablespoon the taste of the kebab's are unaffected. It's only purpose is to help hold the meat together.
Bread crumbs are a great idea as well! Don't overdo it though, otherwise the kebab's will be dry.
I think the reason why your kebabs are "moist" and have meathy smell from inside is cuz your oil is too hot so the outside of the kebab is done and it's not cooked all the way thru...
Try to have the oil on medium heat so the meat has time to get cooked.
I see that you are trying everything with red meat...have you tried cooking chicken? chicken doesn't have smell or very little so maybe that would make both you and hubby happy?
thank you all for your replies, and CB! well i went bk to meat shop and got the lean lamb keema, instead of kebab keema(which contained loadsa fat) and i used the same ingrediants and my kebabs didnt break up and i didnt need to add egg or besan, they looked great but something was definately missing.... the two problems i encountered was the kebabs were dry and you could still taste the crunch of the mashed onion paste stuff. (OMG first they are too moist now they are too dry!!) i was trying to make chapli kebabs, but just since we are on the topic what is the difference between all these kebabs, and how does the mixture vary from one to another? also do you guys put ur mince meat thru a processor? also when i b ought the more expensive lamb, the one i normally get if making keema mattar or something, there was hardly no smell. CB please post me some recipes, i like the way you explain things i would really appreciate it. For example, i used to put my spice powders into the masala and cook for ages and wondered why the taste wasnt right, now i do what you said, add a splash of water so they dont burn and then add tomatoes. i used to add spices after tomatoes and after oil came on top!!
You need a bit of fat for chapli kebabs.. so the first batch of meat was fine..
I think two whole tomatoes will make it too watery ..
Number 1 .. Roughly chop the onions, Fresh Dhania, tomatoes (deseeded) etc in the Blender rather than making it super paste as this will stop the mix from being too watery.. Only add one tomato if you wish, I don't add any at all and they turn out really well.
Number 2@ Don't overwash your meat.. too much water
Steps
Mix the Onions and meat in first .. it will be really loose don't worry , Add one big egg and 1/4 cup of oil , add the masalas like Dhania and Zeera which will remove the meaty smell..mix with hands.. none of this spoon mixing ..
Add 1 1/2 cups of Besan and mix
Now leave it in the fridge and let it rest fr an hour or so..
Take it out .. roll one into a ball and fry in hot oil (I use a Wok as it cooks inside and out for me and medium heat rather than too high or low..
See how it turns out and if it breaks add some more besan but normally keeping in the fridge helps bind the meat well for me
Add egg and bread crumbs. Also, dont deep fry them, cook them covered on low flame. Qeema with extra fat is used for BBQ. You should avoid access of it since it melts out once you are frying kabab.
