Parwana’s Chapli Kebab
“These are flavour-packed thin beef or lamb patties full of fresh herbs and spices,” says Durkhanai Ayubi, author of Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen. This gorgeous book is a celebration of her family’s food at Parwana, the popular Afghan restaurant in Adelaide. I love the way she and her mother and younger sister (both called Farida) have woven stories of the family’s flight from Afghanistan to Australia with traditional recipes and stories about the culture and history of this oft-misunderstood country.
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By Sheridan Rogers
"In Afghanistan, they are a popular street food," says Durkhanai. "My mother, Farida, recalls that when she was a child, on long family road trips, they would make pit stops at chapli kebab stalls on the roadside. She remembers the redness of the patties, as they were usualy packed with chilli and wrapped in hot tandoori-baked naan with fresh vegetables and some tangy chutney on top". Farida Ayubi, who compiled the recipes for Parwana, points out that Afghan meals are seldom complete without an assortment of fresh vegetables and zesty relishes such as Chutney Sabz and Chutney Morcheh Sorkh.
Ingredients
1 small brown onion, coarsely chopped
1 fresh long red chilli, coarsely chopped (plus extra, halved lengthways to serve)
1 small handful fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves and stems, coarsely chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
500g minced (ground) beef
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
16g plain flour
8 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1 large egg
250ml sunflower oil
To serve:
Naan flatbread
Thinly sliced red onion
Chutney, preferably Chutney Sabz & Chutney Morcheh Sorkh (see below)
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Process the onion, fresh chilli, coriander and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped.
Place the minced beef in a medium bowl and add the blended ingredients along with the spices, flour, spring onion, egg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands for 5 minutes or until everything is well combined and the texture is slightly sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill.
Divide the meat mixture into 8 equal portions and roll each into a ball between your palms. Lightly grease your hands with oil then flatten the balls on a non-stick baking tray into patties roughly 10cm in diameter and 1cm thick.
Add the oil to a large frying pan over high heat. When it reaches 180C (350F) on an oil thermometer, add the patties to the pan in batches and fry at this temperature, turning occasionally, for 2 -3 minutes, so they half cook and retain their shape. Transfer the patties to a plate lined with paper towels and repeat this high temperature frying until all the patties are half cooked. Reduce the heat to low and fry the patties again in batches for 5 minutes each side or until they are crisp and deep golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
To serve: wrap the freshly cooked chapli kebabs in large pieces of Afghan flatbread, then top with chutney, onion slices and extra chilli and coriander to taste.
For the Chutney Sabz: combine a large handful each of washed mint and coriander leaves. Place in a food processor along with 2 fresh chopped long green chillies and a clove of garlic. Process to a coarse paste. Add the juice of 2 limes, 2 tablespoons each white vinegar and water and 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse to just combine. Best enjoyed the day it’s made.
For the Chutney Morcheh Sorkh: put 500g coarsely chopped red capsicums, 200g chopped fresh long red chillies and 250ml water into a saucepan, Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and cook slowly 15-20 minutes, Add 3 coarsely chopped garlic cloves and cook for another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are completely soft and the flavours are combined. Set aside to cook completely.
Once cooled, transfer the capsicum mixture to a food processor and blend until pureed. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, then return the strained puree to the saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, paprika, vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low, cover with a lid to prevent splatters and simmer for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Set aside to cool completely before serving.
The chutney can be stored in a sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.